Your Body Almanac

Office worker

Desk, chair, screen, meetings, repeat.

Office work is easy on the body in the moment and hard on it over years. Long unbroken sitting, a screen at the wrong height and a steady drip of deadlines slowly tighten your hips, load your neck, dry out your eyes and keep stress simmering.

01

Hours of unbroken sitting

Most office days stack meetings, email and spreadsheets into long seated blocks. Sitting for most of the day is linked to higher risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and weight gain, even in people who exercise. Short, frequent breaks and a daily walk help offset it.

SourcesHealth risks of an inactive lifestyle (MedlinePlus)
Get up and move every 30 minutesDailyBreak up long stretches of sitting with a few minutes of standing or walking. Take a brisk daily walkDailyWalk at a pace that raises your breathing for at least 10 minutes a day, building up over time. Strength-train twice a weekWeeklyWork all your major muscle groups on at least two days a week.
02

Low-back ache, stiff hips and anterior pelvic tilt

A slumped seat and hours with your hips bent leave the hip flexors short and the glutes idle. Many desk workers notice a stiff, achy lower back by the end of the day or when they first stand up. Some people also notice the pelvis tipping forward when they stand, with a deeper arch in the lower back (anterior pelvic tilt). A little forward tilt is normal, and how much someone has is only loosely tied to pain, so treat it as a cue to stretch the front of the hips and strengthen the glutes and core rather than a diagnosis.

SourcesPreventing back pain at work and at home (OrthoInfo, AAOS)Computer workstations eTool — Positions (OSHA)Clinical measures of pelvic tilt in physical therapy (Int J Sports Phys Ther, 2021)
Check your desk setupAs neededSet chair, keyboard and screen so you can work in a relaxed, neutral posture. Stretch your hip flexorsDailyA kneeling lunge stretch for the muscles at the front of your hip, which tighten when you sit for long stretches. Do glute bridgesDailyLift your hips off the floor to strengthen the buttock muscles that sitting tends to switch off. Do dead bugsWeeklyA lying core exercise that trains your trunk to stay steady while your arms and legs move. Do cat-cowDailySlowly round and arch your back on hands and knees to move your whole spine.
03

Neck and shoulder tension

A monitor that sits too low, a laptop on the desk or a phone cradled against your shoulder pulls your head forward. The muscles at the back of your neck and the tops of your shoulders hold that load all day and can stiffen or ache.

SourcesComputer workstations eTool — Monitors (OSHA)Neck pain (OrthoInfo, AAOS)
Check your desk setupAs neededSet chair, keyboard and screen so you can work in a relaxed, neutral posture. Do chin tucksDailyGlide your head straight back to counter the forward-head posture that screens and desks encourage. Stretch your chest in a doorwayDailyOpen up chest and shoulder muscles that tighten from hunching over desks, steering wheels and phones. Stretch the sides of your neckDailySlow side tilts to loosen neck and upper-shoulder muscles that tense up at desks.
04

Tired, dry eyes

Reading a screen for hours means you blink less and focus at one distance. Eyes feel dry, gritty or tired, vision may blur late in the day, and headaches can follow.

SourcesComputer vision syndrome (American Optometric Association)Dry eye (NIH National Eye Institute)
Follow the 20-20-20 ruleDailyEvery 20 minutes at a screen, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Get a comprehensive eye examYearlySee an optometrist or ophthalmologist every one to two years, and every year once you are 65 or at higher risk.
05

Steady, low-grade work stress

Deadlines, inboxes and back-to-back meetings keep many office workers in a mild state of alarm. Ongoing stress is linked to poor sleep, headaches, tense muscles and raised blood pressure.

SourcesSo stressed out fact sheet (NIH National Institute of Mental Health)Stress (MedlinePlus)
Practice slow breathingDailyTake five minutes to breathe slowly and deeply, such as box breathing with a count of four for each step. Spend time outdoorsDailyGet 20 to 30 minutes in a park, yard or green space most days, walking or just sitting. Keep a consistent sleep scheduleDailyGo to bed and get up at the same times every day, weekends included, and aim for at least 7 hours.

When to see a professional

See a doctor or physical therapist for back or neck pain that spreads down an arm or leg, numbness or tingling in your hands, pain that lasts more than a few weeks, or vision changes that don't settle with rest. Talk to a doctor or mental health professional if stress is affecting your sleep, mood or health most days.