When desk workers come in with low back pain, the first thing most people assume is that the problem is in the back. And sometimes it is. But one of the most common patterns I see, and one of the most overlooked, starts somewhere else entirely.

Think about everything your body does in a typical workday. You sit at a desk, leaning slightly forward. You look at a screen. You check your phone. You drive to and from work. You eat lunch at your desk. Maybe you sit through a few meetings, or hunch over a laptop in a conference room. Almost all of it involves the same thing: bending forward.

Most desk-related aches and pains don’t come from a single injury. They build over time. Long hours sitting at a computer often place the body in the same positions day after day. Probably no surprise to you that includes shoulders rounding forward, the chest tightening, the head drifting forward. Over time, those patterns can lead to stiffness, tension, and discomfort.