We assume comfort prevents pain. But what if the very thing we rely on—soft chairs, backrests, and support—is quietly creating the problem we’re trying to solve?
Is that the real reason for back pain?
Yesterday was another day of my back pain. It is a slip disc issue related and visits me often. I blame it on the same reasons: too firm mattress, the uber soft ikea mattresses, or sleeping on the tiled hard floor. Or just not getting adequate physical exercise. The habit of sitting on chairs, and spending too much time indoors—on beds, sofas, or chairs could all be the cause perhaps.
I have been thinking about something simple: what if the problem is not lack of exercise alone, but how we sit and rest throughout the day?
I notice that I spend long periods sitting or reclining—whether working, reading, watching something, or even using the smartphone. Be it in the sofa or bed. The back always has support. The spine rarely has to hold itself.
Contrast that with a different possibility.
The spine is an “S”-shaped vertebral column. It might actually be best supported when it is nearly vertical, without artificial lateral support. In that position, the weight of the upper body naturally keeps the discs—especially around L1, L2, L3—in place, providing their own cushioning. It is not a relaxed state, but a firm and stable one.
When I use a chair or a sofa, much of the body weight is transferred to the furniture. That reduces the load on the discs. Over time, this might allow the discs to slightly move or shift, eventually touching nerves and causing acute back pain.
Maybe I should experiment.
Spend more time without back support—sitting on the floor, or keeping the spine upright without leaning. Avoid long hours on sofas or beds, even when watching TV or using the phone.
This is not convenient in my current home layout, but it might be worth changing something to test this idea.
There’s another angle to this.
Is this really the primary cause of my back pain? Or is it simply lack of daily exercise?
At first glance, it is tempting to say: “I don’t exercise enough.”
But when I think of my ancestors, I’m not fully convinced.
One side of my ancestry were village officers—maintaining records of land and revenue. They were not doing physically intense labor all day. It is likely they had similar routines to modern desk work: sitting, writing, documenting.
They would have walked a bit—perhaps a kilometer or two in the morning for the morning ebolutions—not engaged in a structured “exercise” as we define it today.
During the day, they probably rested occasionally—maybe reclining on a long chair or even taking a short nap on the floor.
Whether dining or socializing, they may have spent time sitting cross-legged on the ground.
So it may not be entirely accurate to say they had significantly more physical exercise than us.
Which brings me back to posture and support.
Perhaps the difference is not just movement, but how they sat, rested, and used their bodies throughout the day.
Maybe they didn’t depend on constant back support.
Maybe their spine worked more.
Time for another experiment.
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