to worry about my back? Office chair problem!

[Ariel45]

Ever since I started working from home my lower back has been sore. I can't fit an office chair in my house. It's a tiny terrace. 2 bedrooms, tiny lounge and dining room. There's nowhere to put a desk and I week from my small dining room table. An office chair would take up so much space and look a bit weird at my dining room table, but I'm worried about my back. Can anyone suggest any solutions? Alternative comfortable chairs that would look semi decent at a dining room table?

We are only allowed to work from home if we have suitable space for that reason. What is your employers policy? Have you completed a risk assessment for your home set up? We have to do one for home and office.

The only thing you can do is vary your seating position by moving around and stretching but ultimately long term you will hurt yourself.

That said, I’m currently working in the garden so whilst I have the kit I don’t necessarily use it!

I agree that you need and health and safety assessment and if not suitable wfh conditions then you may need to go back to the office if a solution can’t be found. However have you considered a small stand for the table which means you can stand working up? This is much better for your posture and could help solve the issue? If you could also get a better chair then you could alternate between standing and sitting?

You can buy cushions and supports to add lumbar support to a chair.

Agree re a stand to convert to a standing desk, that's a good idea.

Have you done a dse assessment? What is the problem? (Too low / high / need a laptop stand / footstool etc)

I use a kneeling chair, which is fab for my back. And because it has no back, it fits under my desk completely so that you can't see it when I'm not working. Is something like that an option?

You're company shouldn't be letting you work from home without a proper set up. Yoh would have had to do a display screen equipment assessment, which would flag the issues.
You need to make space for a desk, and monitors and chair if you are working from home. Please don't say you are working on a laptop as well??

I’m really sorry, back pain sucks!
I work mainly from home and I have a crap office chair from IKEA. I also had back problems (lower, upper and mid!) that are now completely resolved. What helped me:

1. strength training, martial arts and Pilates. As soon as the muscles started appearing on my back the pain completely resolved and never came back
2. move while working. My physio says that the worst you can do is sitting or standing still, our bodies want to move constantly. Fidget, move in your chair during meetings, go for a walk during lunch break, stand up and walk around the room every hour, wriggle in your chair, don’t sit straight
3. get a standing desk, I’ve got the cheapest one from IKEA and I alternate standing and sitting
4. the so-called lean BMI. Every extra kilo put a lot of strain on our bones, including our spinal column. Lean BMI is defined as 18-22
5. active recovery. If you exercise have rest days when you stretch and do yoga or use a foam roller. It takes 10-45 minutes a day but helps so much with mobility and keeps your spine in top shape
6. finding and going to a good physio. Also having a massage (a proper sport massage not just lying around) a few times a year

It’s unfortunately so much more than a good chair. But it’s worth to be pain free, you can do so much more and life gets better. I did not have great background conditions to start with: my back is not completely straight and my pelvis is very slightly twisted, so I am prone to hip, knee and back issues. Taking proper care of my body allows me to be pain free and it’s very hard to tell that I’m not perfectly aligned. My sensei has one leg that is so significantly shorter than the other one that he walks with a limp. At over 80 he’s the fittest, fastest and most agile person I’ve ever known.

I’ve got a gadget like this which helps me massively and might help you?

Would something like this work?

Or this

I use the ironing board as a standing desk when I'm on a Teams call to mix up the movement options during the day. I also make sure I go for a walk at lunchtime and take a decent screen break every hour.

Yes you should do a DSE assessment.

For a start, is the table the right height for computer work?

Is the chair the right height for you? Is the problem lack of back support or the angle you're sitting at? You can get specialist cushions. Personally I'm fine without back support but find a seat wedge vital as my lower back gets sore if I sit on a flat seat - I'm more comfortable with my hips at a higher level than my knees. Something to do with the tilt of the pelvis.

Unfortunately no one can diagnose you over the internet, we can only say what suits us.

A dining table is higher than a desk, which makes it doubly important that your chair is the right height.

yes yes yes to dse assessment.

my work also required it. also, working from a permanent set up is a must. not an area that you need to set up each day.

and yes yes yes to moving.
look up core strength exercises. if you can take phone calls standing up.

fwiw, my desk is a small ikea dining table and I have an (cheap) ikea desk chair as well.

Have you not had a DSE assessment? I have to do one every six months, and if it's not the right set
Up it's in the office full time