I messed up my back years ago. Sometimes I work sitting down for hours. Here’s how I’ve managed:
- Physical therapy and Gold Medal Bodies to learn how to move and strengthen what needs to be strong
- Watching and following Olivier Girard videos. His approach requires naturally using certain muscles while sitting, so maybe this won’t work for everyone. His approach also means that breaks are a must. I cannot sit for too long. Every half-an-hour or so I get up and move.
- Getting good enough chairs and desks. I followed Girard’s guide to buying chairs and desks. This means I can sometimes work for more than half-an-hour straight by lifting my desk so that I can work standing.
Hope this helps! And best of luck with your back
Sure. I’ll tell you what I understand, but I’d suggest checking what I say against Girard’s videos themselves.
Anyway, his approach involves supporting your lower back. In a way, it’s almost as if your chair’s back is exclusively there to support your lower back.
Notice that, in this approach, your upper back is not supported by your chair. That means that you have to engage your core and back muscles to support your upper back and your shoulders and head. That is why sitting for long can get tiring and at some point is simply impossible.
Depending on your chair, you might be able to easily lay back, almost as if your chair was a bed. This is fine if you are not typing or using your desk. But I think Girard generally favors the sitting up straight and using your muscles.