Back pain after sitting at your desk all day? Here are some simple hacks to try

From how we set up our workstations to movement breaks, Sharon Ní Chonchúir discovers some practical ways desk-based workers can head off musculoskeletal issues

According to findings shared by the European Pain Federation in 2024, more than 40 million workers in the EU have musculoskeletal problems caused by work, and these problems are a factor in 60% of cases of permanent work incapacity.

Have you ever felt stiff and sore after a long day at your desk? Nicola Gaffney from Lusk in Dublin certainly has. The self-employed 50-year-old who designs training courses is currently taking time out of work because of musculoskeletal problems that were exacerbated by a working day spent at a computer.

“I’d spend eight or more hours a day reading from and typing into a computer or laptop,” she says. “My physio thinks that contributed to my now having deteriorating discs in my spine. The way I worked aggravated the problem.”