5 Physical Therapist-Approved Stretches to Relieve Lower Back Pain at Your Desk

Sitting all day takes a toll on your spine. Incorporate these five simple, PT-approved stretches into your workday to relieve stiffness and protect your lower back.

If you spend most of your workday at a desk, your lower back is under continuous strain. Extended sitting compresses the lumbar discs, tightens the hip flexors, weakens the deep stabilizing muscles, and trains your body into a posture that fuels pain.

1. Seated Lumbar Extension (Chair Back Stretch)

Sitting collapses the lumbar curve and keeps the spine in sustained flexion. This simple extension counters that pattern.

1. Sit upright at the edge of your chair with both feet flat on the floor.
2. Place your hands on your lower back with fingers pointing down.
3. Gently arch backward, looking slightly upward, and hold for 3 to 5 seconds.
4. Return to neutral. Repeat 8 to 10 times every hour or two.

2. Seated Hip Flexor Stretch

1. Slide to the right edge of your chair and let your right leg hang behind you, resting on the ball of your foot.
2. Sit tall, engage your core lightly, and feel the stretch along the front of your right hip.
3. Hold 30 seconds, then switch sides.
4. Perform 2 rounds per side.

3. Thoracic Rotation Stretch

1. Sit sideways in your chair with your back straight and feet flat.
2. Hold the back of the chair with both hands.
3. Gently rotate your torso toward the chair back, looking over your shoulder.
4. Hold 20 to 30 seconds. Switch sides and repeat 2 to 3 times each.

4. Seated Figure-Four Piriformis Stretch

1. Sit upright. Cross your right ankle over your left knee to form a figure-four.
2. Lean forward from the hips until you feel a stretch in your right glute.
3. Hold 30 to 45 seconds. Switch sides.

5. Chin Tuck with Cervical Retraction

1. Sit tall with relaxed shoulders. Look straight ahead.
2. Without tilting your head, gently draw your chin straight back.
3. Hold 3 to 5 seconds, then release. Repeat 10 times every hour.