Tips to relieve back pain while standing all day

As your calendar alerts chime through another workday, it seems like that reminder to give yourself frequent breaks always takes a back seat to higher priority tasks. Before you know it, you’ve spent eight hours on your feet while daydreaming about that comfy couch to rest your sore back. We’ve heard about the risks associated with dormant butt syndrome and sitting for extended periods, but what should you do to relieve lower back pain from standing too long?

Our bodies are designed to move and switch positions throughout the day, so taking breaks to sit and rest can be helpful. If you find yourself spending too much time on your feet, you can also practice these helpful techniques to beat lower back pain.

Shift your weight

By evenly distributing the load of your body weight, you can take strain off your lower back. Try leaning forward and backward, balancing between the ball of your feet and your heels. For another technique, you can also alternate between bending your left and right knee while standing. Bending one knee will distribute your weight to that side, which can help relieve pressure on your low back. Try practicing these moves three to five times on each side.

Practice piriformis stretches

Your muscles can be a big contributor to back pain — especially those in the gluteal regions. In these areas, you’ll find your piriformis muscles which can spasm or become tense after standing, sitting or even running for long periods of time. Low back pain isn’t the only issue this muscle can cause— it can directly affect your sciatic nerve, causing radiating pain down to your foot. To stretch your piriformis muscles, lay on your back with right foot flat on the floor. Place your left leg to place your left ankle against your right knee, then gently pull your right leg forward. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.

Work those hamstrings

Regular hamstring stretches can help prevent or reduce low back pain, especially if you’re standing all day. Much like sitting for too long leads to inactive core and leg muscles, standing for an extended time means those muscles are constantly engaged without rest or conditioning — leading to possible muscle spasms and back pain. Luckily, we have the scoop on how to do a better standing hamstring stretch.

Whether you’re constantly standing, sitting or simply trying to maintain your best spine health every day, these techniques may help you keep back pain at bay. If your everyday life seems to be affected by nagging lower back pain, and conservative treatments haven’t provided the relief you need, contact our team at Laser Spine Institute today. Thousands of patients have turned to us to help them Stand Tall® again — don’t stand for another day of pain.