Have you ever stopped to think about how many hours per day we spend sit at our desks and how our body reacts to it?
Sitting for several hours in a row generally leads us to slump in the chair with the result of compressing the spine and stretching the supporting spinal muscles.
Low back and neck pain can onset because of this reason, and if preexisting, could be aggravated.
Nowadays is very common to hear about standing desks, are they worth it? Should I sit or stand while working?
The answer stands in the middle, as variability is the way to go.
The aim is to not maintain for too long the same position: standing avoids slumping and compressing the spine but gets tiring on leg muscles; sitting gives us the chance to rest and reload those muscles.
By alternating, the muscles throughout your body evenly take the load.
Standing, asides improving your back and neck pain, may also improve your cardiovascular health and blood flow, allowing you to think more clearly and it keeps you alert.
How long should I be standing or sitting?
Ideally a range between 2 and 4 hours before changing position again would be the go to, especially at the beginning since could be hard standing for 4 hours without some sort of training. Going forward, it should become much easier.
If you want to start exploring the standing desk at work, then you should probably also check your footwear and considering what you will be standing on for a few hours.
If the flooring is too hard, using rubber matting where you stand could be a good advice as it allows you to have a more comfortable time when standing.