UKC

In an effort to manage my sciatica (and associated walking/running issues) I've just ordered a couple of bits of kit for my 'home office' (really it's 'kit store with a desk'...) so that I can spend some of my working day standing up: height-adjustable monitor stand, and height-adjustable table for keyboard and mouse.

For context: I'm 58, work 2 days a week from home (IT development).  Posture generally good, but currently suffering some lower back / sciatica issues.

Any tips for how I should introduce this new kit into my working regime?  I'm reading that '1 hour standing / 2 hours sitting' is a good starter for 10.

Keen to hear from anyone who's already tried it.

TIA

In reply to Dave Todd:

If you're doing a lot of mouse work, watch for the different height setup causing pain in your wrist/elbow - I've yet to find a standing height that I can use the mouse comfortably for more than 1/4 hour- high enough that my arm is flat on the table and then keyboard work is uncomfortable. I also found that a wobble board was quite a handy workout while standing, just don't do it if you're on Teams with the video on...... I use the wobble board as a foot rest when sitting then. You've reminded me that I need to get back in to using it in standing position, easy to fall in to just slouching in a chair all day. Definitely helps with backache if you're doing long stints in front of the computer, but my CAD modelling productivity definitely drops when I'm in standing mode - I had wondered about being able to rig the desk at an angle as well (bit like an old draughting table) to give a bit more flexibility.

Best of luck and try to persevere and fiddle with different setups!

In reply to Dave Todd:

I found it surprising how much I adjusted the height for different tasks, my default sitting position was higher than a normal desk but when standing especially I used a different height for reading, mouse work and typing.

Some things I preferred to stand for, others were much less tedious if I could fidget/stand. Also for filling or other tasks that mean regularly getting up or reaching for things it's much easier to be stood up (and not bent double).

Comfy shoes! This is often quoted as why women in offices generally don't get on as well with standing desks as men. You can get special mats to stand on.

I think I read 20 minutes at a time before changing.

In reply to Dave Todd:

Game changer for me…I absolutely love my standing desk and no way would I go back. Spend to much sitting down just doing things such as eating, reading, TV.

When I started it was easy, I was at work and typically had a meeting to attend twice a day and would sit down for those, combine that with lunch and you have your breaks from standing.

In reply to Dave Todd:

You can stand with bad posture too, so it is good to keep switching position, before you get tired.

Walking is usual much better than standing for sciatica, as you engage the core more and therefore keep your pelvis more neutral. If you have room, a walking treadmill under the desk that you can hop on during teams calls and thinking time is great (tricky to use while doing a lot of keyboard and mouse work though)

In reply to Dave Todd:

Forget office seats, search for gamers chairs, next level comfort. 

In reply to Dave Todd:

75% of my lower back pain disappeared overnight when I bought one in the first Covid lockdown when we got sent home to work (I'd wanted one for ages in the office but work wouldn't buy me one). I tend to sit down on the sofa next to my workstation when taking phone calls because standing still all day disagrees with me as much as sitting down all day does. A long car journey without a long walk or some climbing at the end of it reminds me how bad I used to feel after sitting at a desk all day in an office!

In reply to Everyone:

Thanks for the positive stories folks!  I'm more excited that I ought to be for the arrival of the new kit.  Maybe one day I'll be able to run again without pain!?  Fingers crossed...

In reply to Dave Todd:

I got a desk riser when my back "went" a few years ago and I was working a lot from home during Covid. Insisted they got one for me at work before I'd come back into the office.

I raise it if my back's feeling a bit "twingey" but I should probably use it more proactively. Connected thoughts:

• Get a soft standing mat (no idea what they're actually called), more comfy than standing on the bare floor.
• Play music (some of the time) so that you move around a bit rather than just standing there.
• Don't be afraid to sit down some of the time if standing for some time causes any discomfort.
• If you're having hand issues with a trad mouse, try a sport mouse 😁, joking aside, try an upright mouse.

Finally, when I changed car (a "forced" change), I realised that the seats in my previous car were not helping my back. Previous car (Astra), after a journey from Manchester to London my back would be stiff and I'd creak out of the car. Current car (Volvo) - not an issue.

In reply to Dave Todd:

Might also be worth trying sitting on an inflatable gym ball instead of a chair. A colleague persuaded me to try his when I was suffering with lower back pain, and I started feeling the benefit within a couple of hours. Apparently it works because instead of sitting 1) with poor posture and 2) in the same position for ages, it forces you to sit upright and constantly adjust your balance slightly. Which works much better than it sounds, though you do need to use the correct size  ball. Anyway, I was impressed enough to head out and buy one next day, and it seemed to really help.

In reply to Jenny C:

If you're at home, no shoes and a yoga mat is the way to go!

In reply to ianstevens:

A horizontal mouse was a real benefit for me, it helps greatly with shoulder, elbow and back issues. Having your arm in alignment really helps.

Crocs are like a portable yoga mat for your feet.

In reply to Ennerdaleblonde:

But can get very sweaty in summer.

In reply to Ennerdaleblonde:

I can't speak for real elbow, shoulder and back issues but I am a big fan of trackball mice. Mine from my home set up got left at a customer site in November, it is hopefully being collected for me this week. I've definitely noticed a more sore shoulder since reverting to a normal mouse (this may of course be compounded by other aspects of my home desk set up).
I don't have a riser/standing desk at home but we just installed some in the x-ray lab where I work - this is a fairly "non sedentary" job anyway but I instantly found myself preferring the standing position for using the image viewing/analysis station, which surprised me as this is the place where you are in front of a computer for the longest time. I actually put it to the standing position for the first time not for my own sake but because we had 3 visitors and it was the easiest way to let everyone see the big screen at the same time and from the same distance (and without me in a chair feeling I have people breathing down my neck!), but I subsequently found myself using it standing quite a lot. We have a second one in the same lab which I now use in a standing position for "craft work" (we often make ad hoc sample holders using foam and a hot wire cutter and glue gun). 

Similar to Jenny C, I find that I am constantly adjusting height based on different tasks or even just personal preference in the moment. 

Hard floor. Have not used these for long enough to be able to comment on footwear. I am rarely in position for more than around 12 minutes. 

I am not yet considering one for the home as I have a quite different set-up there. 

In reply to Dave Todd:

I knocked up a unistrut frame to put under a desk to convert to standing. Works a treat, plus extra storage - win win 

In reply to Dave Todd:

Pre COVID, I worked in 2 different companies where someone in the office had a back issue and sat at a desk (although the desks both places were height adjustable) but didn't use a chair they had a large inflatable exercise ball. Apparently it was a game changer for both of them.

It looked odd when they went to meetings walking through the office rolling the ball with them, or standing in a lift with the ball next to them, but everyone got used to it very quickly.

Just throwing it out there as a possibility... 

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Interesting tale about standing desks.

The directors at work had a few electronic motorised desks installed on the top floor, where they hung out. One of them was proudly showing off the new desks of to a very quick witted colleague. Colleague produced a pencil from his pocket, placed it between the raised desk and the adjacent desk. Lowered the desk, snap!

Result, all power cords removed from standing desks.

In reply to Ennerdaleblonde:

Yes I must admit they really should have a cutout feature (like car windows) for if they hit resistance when moving.

In reply to Ennerdaleblonde:

Interesting. As they are new to my office/lab, I had not thought of this. Thanks 

In reply to Jenny C:

The ones in my office do.

In reply to Ciro:

I will test mine tomorrow. They weren't the cheapest option, although we were obliged to buy them through a particular supplier so maybe they ARE cheap ones just with a price mark-up!

In reply to Dave Todd:

Find a good pilates teacher and class, all that flopping round on the floor looks ridiculous but it all strengthens and engages your core and it made me better at everything and I've not had a back problem since.  Every year I'd pinch my back and each time it was worse and took longer to get better.

I do have a standing desk but sit at it but it's at exactly at the right height.  I'd also say get the right chair that fits you.

Good luck.

Toby

In reply to Toby_W:

Thanks Toby - very interesting.  For the past few years I've been thinking 'when I retire I'll start yoga or pilates...'  Maybe the time is now...!  Sounds like it made a world of difference for you.

In reply to Dave Todd:

I have an electronic rising desk at home, which I love. Based on my experience using this to work from home throughout Covid, I would say that rather than trying to work to any particular regime, be flexible depending on what you are doing and how you are feeling.

I asked for a standing desk at work. I technically have one - it's a contraption that sits on my fixed height desk and can be used to raise my monitor and keyboard/mouse to standing height (independently, so I can have the monitors higher than the other peripherals). I don't like this set up as much - it's far less flexible and more hassle to use so I don't make the effort so often. It's also a little constrained by other features of my  office (shelves etc), which aren't any fault of the device itself but do limit it's usefulness.

In reply to Dave Todd:

I've had a Flexispot for about 4 years and its been really good, you can source your own wood tabletop, I got mine from Etsy. 

A matt to stand on is great otherwise your feet get sore. 

You can Configure a schedule with the Flexispot so it automatically raises and lowers at a given time.

I personally find standing makes it hard for me to concentrate so I tend to stand on meetings/during repetitive tasks and sit when I need to think a lot. 

Ball mouse has negated any wrist pain I used to get, and a good quality mechanical keyboard well help a lot. There are even ergonomic keyboards but the learning curve can be high. 

I get some calf stretching done while standing. 

In reply to Blue Straggler:

No cut out, unless it was about to kick in AFTER starting to visibly deform the top of a nice high stool I was using to test it.