Your Body Almanac

Software engineer

Long hours seated, eyes on screens, hands on keys.

Desk work asks very little of your body for eight or more hours, and that is the problem. Hips tighten, glutes switch off, your head drifts forward toward the screen, and your eyes lock at one distance all day. None of it hurts at first. Over years it adds up.

01

Tight hip flexors, sleepy glutes and anterior pelvic tilt

Sitting holds your hip flexors in a shortened position for hours. Over time they tighten and the glutes on the other side of the joint do less work. Many people link this pattern to low-back ache and stiffness when they 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.

SourcesExercises for low back pain (Mayo Clinic)Clinical measures of pelvic tilt in physical therapy (Int J Sports Phys Ther, 2021)
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. Get up and move every 30 minutesDailyBreak up long stretches of sitting with a few minutes of standing or walking.
02

Forward head and rounded shoulders

When the monitor sits low or far away, your head drifts forward and your shoulders round to follow. Each inch your head moves forward adds load to the muscles at the back of your neck. Neck and upper back tension follow.

SourcesComputer workstations eTool — Monitors (OSHA)Neck pain — self-care (Mayo Clinic)
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.
03

Digital eye strain

Focusing at one distance for hours, and blinking less while you concentrate, leaves your eyes dry, tired and sometimes blurry by late afternoon. Headaches often come with it.

SourcesComputer vision syndrome (American Optometric Association)
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.
04

Wrist and forearm strain

Thousands of small, repeated keystrokes and mouse movements load the tendons in your forearms, especially with bent wrists or a hard desk edge under them. Tingling or numbness in your fingers is a signal to change something.

SourcesCarpal tunnel syndrome (MedlinePlus)Computer workstations eTool — Keyboards (OSHA)
Check your desk setupAs neededSet chair, keyboard and screen so you can work in a relaxed, neutral posture. Stretch your wrists and forearmsDailyGentle wrist flexor and extensor stretches for hands that type, grip or tap all day. Do tendon glides for your handsDailyMove your fingers through five positions to help the tendons slide smoothly through the wrist.
05

Too many hours sitting still

Long, unbroken sitting is linked to higher risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and early death, even in people who exercise. Breaking it up with short bouts of movement helps, and so does meeting the weekly activity guideline.

SourcesPhysical Activity Guidelines for Americans (US Department of Health and Human Services)What are the risks of sitting too much? (Mayo Clinic)
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.

When to see a professional

See a doctor or physical therapist for numbness or tingling in your hands that wakes you at night, pain that runs down an arm or leg, back pain with weakness, or any pain that lasts more than a few weeks.