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According to my physiotherapist, cycling (really any movement) is great but does not necessarily help with back problems and in some cases even make it worse (p

According to my physiotherapist, cycling (really any movement) is great but does not necessarily help with back problems and in some cases even make it worse (probably depends on bike, saddle, position etc.). What's important is consistently moving. That means getting up from the desk every hour for a 5 minute walk or some stretching. Switching between standing and sitting at a desk is a first step in the right direction but really we need to be moving. This gets almost completely ignored at most desk jobs but now that many people can work from home, the opportunity to get into the right routine presents itself.

mnicky 6y ago
> What's important is consistently moving. That means getting up from the desk every hour for a 5 minute walk or some stretching. Switching between standing and sitting at a desk is a first step in the right direction but really we need to be moving. Yeah, that's it. At least when it comes to overall health (I'm not sure about back issues). I did a little bit of research on this theme myself and it seems that the key is to interrupt periods of prolonged sitting with any movement (even walking helps) for any period of time (even 1 minute helps). The more intensive/longer the better, obviously. See also notes from my web-research at http://mnicky.wikidot.com/healthy-programmer http://mnicky.wikidot.com/healthy-programmer (it's based on the book that got me started on this topic, but e.g. in Section 3 there's some additional reading about benefits of making pauses when sitting for a longer time and similar research). Btw, using standing desk for prolonged time can be harmful as well, the truth is even more than sitting :) So yes, combine standing and sitting, but stand only for a shorter time (after 30min it starts to have negative effects).
toast0 6y ago
> According to my physiotherapist, cycling (really any movement) is great but does not necessarily help with back problems and in some cases even make it worse (probably depends on bike, saddle, position etc.). If you stay in one position on the bike, and bike for a long time (hour+), it's probably worse for your back. But if you switch positions, you can find some nice stretches sometimes. Depending on the terrain, you might have to specifically remember to stretch your back while you're on the bike.
- thirdsun 6y ago
  As a hobby road cyclist I can recommend doing some core / stability training in addition to cycling. And of course, make sure that your bike and its geometry (saddle and stem height, stack and reach) generally fit you. Biking should not hurt - unless it's due to the high effort you put in.

mnicky 6y ago

> What's important is consistently moving. That means getting up from the desk every hour for a 5 minute walk or some stretching. Switching between standing and sitting at a desk is a first step in the right direction but really we need to be moving. Yeah, that's it. At least when it comes to overall health (I'm not sure about back issues). I did a little bit of research on this theme myself and it seems that the key is to interrupt periods of prolonged sitting with any movement (even walking helps) for any period of time (even 1 minute helps). The more intensive/longer the better, obviously. See also notes from my web-research at http://mnicky.wikidot.com/healthy-programmer http://mnicky.wikidot.com/healthy-programmer (it's based on the book that got me started on this topic, but e.g. in Section 3 there's some additional reading about benefits of making pauses when sitting for a longer time and similar research). Btw, using standing desk for prolonged time can be harmful as well, the truth is even more than sitting :) So yes, combine standing and sitting, but stand only for a shorter time (after 30min it starts to have negative effects).

toast0 6y ago

> According to my physiotherapist, cycling (really any movement) is great but does not necessarily help with back problems and in some cases even make it worse (probably depends on bike, saddle, position etc.). If you stay in one position on the bike, and bike for a long time (hour+), it's probably worse for your back. But if you switch positions, you can find some nice stretches sometimes. Depending on the terrain, you might have to specifically remember to stretch your back while you're on the bike.

thirdsun 6y ago
As a hobby road cyclist I can recommend doing some core / stability training in addition to cycling. And of course, make sure that your bike and its geometry (saddle and stem height, stack and reach) generally fit you. Biking should not hurt - unless it's due to the high effort you put in.