Why Your Back Hurts More Working From Home Than the Office Did
You expected working from home to be easier on your body. No commute. More comfort. Better flexibility.
Instead, your back hurts more than it ever did at the office. You're not imagining it - and you're not alone. Here's why home causes more back pain than the office did.
Your Office Chair Was Better
Your company probably spent real money on office chairs. Your home setup? Maybe a dining chair or a cheap desk chair.
The causes of back pain include sitting in chairs that were never designed for 8-hour workdays.
You Move Way Less
At the office, you walked to meetings. Walked to the printer. Walked to someone's desk. Walked to get lunch.
At home, everything is steps away. The bathroom is close. The kitchen is close. Your total daily movement dropped dramatically. (Related: Why You Feel Like You Ran a Marathon After Sitting All Day)
No One Sees Your Posture
At the office, awareness of colleagues kept your posture somewhat in check. At home, no one sees you.
You slouch more. You sit in weird positions. You work from the couch. Back pain remedies can't overcome the freedom to sit however you want.
The Commute Was Movement
You didn't appreciate it, but the commute involved movement - walking to transport, walking from parking, climbing stairs.
That movement is gone. Lower back pain relief partly depends on movement you no longer get.
Your Setup Evolved Haphazardly
Office setups get evaluated by ergonomics professionals. Home setups evolve randomly based on what you had available.
Monitor height, desk height, chair height - all probably wrong because no one helped you set up correctly.
You Work Longer Hours
Remote workers tend to work more hours than office workers. More hours means more sitting means more pain.
Back stretches for pain can't overcome the simple math of more hours at your desk.
One More Thing
Home doesn't have to hurt more. Our grounding mat brings office-level support to your home setup.
Check out the Home Office Grounding Mat →
The Bottom Line
The causes of back pain multiply when you work from home. Less movement, worse equipment, longer hours, and no accountability for posture combine to make things worse. For setup fixes, see The Posture Problem: 7 Ways Your Home Setup Is Hurting You.