Is the commute my problem? Or is it the chair at work?

[Bertha Venation]

Poll question: Is the commute my problem? Or is it the chair at work?

I have arthritis in the spine and spondylosis at L5-S1. The more common names for these things is something nearly everyone over 40 suffers: Lower back pain.

After working nearly sixty hours between Mon. & Thurs. this week, I took today off. I woke up for the third day in a row with a nausea -- and had awakened at 2:30 AM w/ a pounding headache that ignored the drugs I took and still wasn't gone when the alarm went off three hours later. I just could not face the day, so I called in sick.

I spent the day in Mrs. V.'s fabulous leather recliner (of the non-conformist, stylish style, no la-z-boys here). I read and slept and just generally relaxed. The head still hurts but the nausea's gone.

But the big news: My back feels fantastic! I can't sit in this office chair at home for much longer, but for now, not having worked today, I can't believe how good my back feels.

So, whattya think: is it the 2-hour-one-way commute (in a new car w/ auto trans & more comfortable seat, BTW)? Or is it the 9-10 hours in a standard office chair, whose only concession to "ergonomics" is its styling?

(BTW, I'm seeing a doc on Monday, hopefully to get an Rx for a decent chair. Herman Miller Aeron would be nice.)

[SmokingJacket]

1. Your life sounds like the recipe for back pain.

Nine to ten hours in a regular chair????

OWWWWW!!!!!!!

[Bertha Venation]

2. I mentioned it to the new office manager the other day.

He said he'd bring me a task chair and see how I do. :eyes:

I told him I was seeing a doc to talk about the doc's recommendations for ergonomic chairs, and the guy got all flustered! Like, "don't make me spend my budgeted money on a thousand dollar chair, all right?" :eyes:

IMO we shouldn't even HAVE to get a prescription for such things. Decent chairs should be standard, for chrissakes!

[YellowRubberDuckie]

12. Chairs aren't that expensive.

I've seen some very comfy chairs at Staples and Office Depot for less than 200 bucks. I'm sorry about your back, Bertha. Hope it gets all better. :hi:
Duckie

[kittycat1164]

13. I was amazed by my work last week

Since I can't turn my left wrist anymore cause of the mess I've had the last six months, I asked for a new keyboard. I've been typing with one hand and figured if I kept that up, I'd end up screwing that up--and that's all I have left! So I asked for (and got immediate approval) for one of these:
http://www.safetype.com/
I'm sorry your HR isn't as understanding of the need to have what is not a choice, but a necessity. Keep at it Bertha, it's too important!

[Ready4Change]

3. If the back pain is new, and the car is new...

I'd be tempted to say it's the commute in the car.

(Unless you're really just angling for a new chair at work.)

... I meant chair. Work chair. Yah. ;)

I hear leather is great for those L5 thingies.

[Bertha Venation]

4. Car is new. Back pain is old.

No leather for me. I want mesh. But that's what the best chair is made out of. And I demand the best.

[Ready4Change]

7. Then yah, maybe new office chair.

They do wear out after a while.

[jmowreader]

9. The best chair on the market is NOT made out of mesh

This is a Girsberger Yes. (I used to work with Girsberger's advertising department. They asked me what I thought of the name of their new chair, which was supposed to be "the answer to all your seating questions." I said it was the dumbest name for a chair in the history of the world. They named the chair Yes anyway. And I still think it's the dumbest name in the world.) This chair makes the Herman Miller Aeron and the Steelcase Leap seem like you're sitting on a cardboard box. And it doesn't look all zoomy and state-of-the-arty like an Aeron or a Leap does. Unfortunately, it costs what a good used car does--figure on peeling off $1600-$2000 for one of these.

Girsberger has a mesh-back chair called Folio, but it's in their midpriced line with the Contact and the Consens. The Consens is their best seller because it works and it's not outrageously expensive--list is around $900, and you can get one for a bit over half that.

They also make one for 24-hour offices. It's called Contact and that chair contains a weight-adjuster called Pondomat. It weighs the user and changes the tension on the gas springs to compensate for different size users.



A Girsberger Xerra would be more your company's speed. It's still mighty comfy, but you can get one for less than $400.

Beware: Girsberger is a Swiss company. They follow European traditions in ergonomic seating, which is a nice way of saying that the cushions are as hard as a fucking brick. (Consumer Reports reviewed the Girsberger Pronto and described it as an upholstered church pew.) One of the selling points of Xerra is that you can pull the cushions to have them cleaned and sit in the shell until they come back. I tried that once in a Xerra I used to sit in. The shell is nearly as firm as the cushions.

[Bertha Venation]

11. Thanks for the tip. I'd never heard of these.

I'll ask the doc on Mon. which of the two -- Girsberger or Herman Miller -- he recommends, and I'll ask if he prescribes any other types.

[jmowreader]

15. I'd be surprised if your doc had ever heard of Girsberger

It's not a common brand.

[mcscajun]

5. I used to have one of those 2 hour one-way commutes, and Oh, My Back!

Getting out of the car became an event in achieving verticality.

Chair ain't helping, but believe me, no chair is gonna make up for that long, horrible commute. The sooner you find a closer place of employment, the better.

[The empressof all]

6. Oh Bertha.....

I feel for you! I have very similar problems. My office chair and now my sofa cause problems with my back. Sitting in a car for more than 15 minutes practically cripples me.

Hang in there with the HR folks at work. They really get their panties in a bunch with the ergonomic chairs. You won't believe how many times I've heard the HR types say if we get one for so and so then everyone will want them. They are programed to not acknowledge that anything the company does or has can cause an employee harm. I hope your employer is decent and doesn't give you a hard time with this.

I'm jealous you have a recliner. I got rid of mine 6 months ago when I got my new sofa. (the spine mangler) Now I don't have room for one.

[yellowdogintexas]

8. my car actually helps my back..many times I have had to take a

long drive and dreaded it ..and the back felt better

which I think is due to the shoulder belt, which does not let me slouch. My car also has quite comfortable seats, and I got a power adjustable one which I can monkey around with until I get the perfect position for whatever mood my spine is in at the time.


I do not have a really good reading chair at home. And my office chair at work is shall we say adequate. It is for damn sure I have had worse.


Getting a foot rest helped me a great deal for some reason.

[Ladyhawk]

10. A lumbar roll helps me a little. I was lucky to get one during PT.

Sorry about your back. I just had an MRI and I have two nasty disc herniations in my neck and a smaller one in my lower back. The lower back one can probably be treated by exercise and losing weight, but the neck needs surgery. I go under the knife next month, folks. I don't think I can take the pain anymore.

[Zenlitened]

14. I recently splurged on a height-adjustable desk...

... so I can alternate between sitting down and standing up while working.

I find it's actually helping to strengthen my abs and lower back muscles somewhat -- which in itself relieves back pain -- just by virtue of standing a few extra hours a day.

Next... I need to lose a few pounds to make life easier on my "bad" knee. The knee was perfectly "good" and well-behaved before I put on weight, so it's really unfair to label her like that! :D


P.S. Try http://www.officeorganix.com for height-adjustable desks.