[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":180},["ShallowReactive",2],{"home-blog":3},[4,104],{"id":5,"title":6,"body":7,"date":89,"description":90,"extension":91,"image":92,"meta":93,"minRead":94,"navigation":95,"path":96,"published":95,"seo":97,"stem":98,"tags":99,"__hash__":103},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ffirst-post.md","Why your lower back hurts when you sit all day (and what to do about it)",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":82},"minimark",[10,14,19,22,25,29,36,42,48,52,58,64,70,73],[11,12,13],"p",{},"If you spend most of your day at a desk and your lower back has started complaining, you're not alone. Lower back pain is one of the most common complaints we see at Align — and in most cases, it's not mysterious.",[15,16,18],"h2",{"id":17},"whats-actually-happening","What's actually happening",[11,20,21],{},"When you sit, especially in a slouched or forward-leaning position, the muscles along your lower back have to work harder than they should to keep you upright. Over hours, they fatigue. The joints in your lumbar spine compress unevenly. The hip flexors shorten.",[11,23,24],{},"Do this for months or years and the body adapts — badly. Muscles that should be strong become weak. Muscles that should be flexible become tight. The result is pain that doesn't go away on its own, because the patterns causing it haven't changed.",[15,26,28],{"id":27},"the-common-mistakes","The common mistakes",[11,30,31,35],{},[32,33,34],"strong",{},"Buying a better chair."," A good chair helps, but it doesn't fix the underlying issue. You can sit perfectly and still hurt if you sit for eight hours straight.",[11,37,38,41],{},[32,39,40],{},"Stretching at your desk."," A quick stretch gives temporary relief but doesn't address the root cause — especially if you go straight back to the same position.",[11,43,44,47],{},[32,45,46],{},"Waiting for it to pass."," Lower back pain that's been around for more than a few weeks rarely resolves on its own. It tends to become chronic.",[15,49,51],{"id":50},"what-actually-helps","What actually helps",[11,53,54,57],{},[32,55,56],{},"Move more often."," Set a timer for every 45–60 minutes and get up. Walk, stand, do something. The break doesn't need to be long.",[11,59,60,63],{},[32,61,62],{},"Strengthen your posterior chain."," Glutes, hamstrings, and the deep stabilising muscles of your spine need to be strong enough to support you. A physio or chiropractor can give you a programme that's specific to your situation.",[11,65,66,69],{},[32,67,68],{},"Get assessed."," If you've had pain for more than four weeks, come in. A postural assessment takes 30 minutes and gives you a clear picture of what's happening and what to do about it.",[71,72],"hr",{},[11,74,75,76,81],{},"Lower back pain is rarely complicated — but it does need to be addressed. ",[77,78,80],"a",{"href":79},"\u002F#contact","Book an assessment"," and let's figure out what's going on.",{"title":83,"searchDepth":84,"depth":84,"links":85},"",2,[86,87,88],{"id":17,"depth":84,"text":18},{"id":27,"depth":84,"text":28},{"id":50,"depth":84,"text":51},"2026-04-10","Sitting isn't the problem. How you sit — and what you do when you're not sitting — is. Here's what's actually happening and how to fix it.","md",null,{},5,true,"\u002Fblog\u002Ffirst-post",{"title":6,"description":90},"blog\u002Ffirst-post",[100,101,102],"Back pain","Posture","Office health","y6TJ6tcchow1XD2o8z0_BPtcankZHjZcHWN6Nt5BhpQ",{"id":105,"title":106,"body":107,"date":168,"description":169,"extension":91,"image":92,"meta":170,"minRead":171,"navigation":95,"path":172,"published":95,"seo":173,"stem":174,"tags":175,"__hash__":179},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fmassage-vs-chiro.md","Massage or chiropractic — which one do you actually need?",{"type":8,"value":108,"toc":163},[109,112,116,119,122,126,129,132,136,142,148,154,156],[11,110,111],{},"It's one of the most common questions we get: \"Should I see a chiropractor or a massage therapist?\" The honest answer is that it depends on what's going on — and they're often more complementary than they are alternatives.",[15,113,115],{"id":114},"what-chiropractic-does","What chiropractic does",[11,117,118],{},"Chiropractic care focuses on the joints — specifically, restoring proper movement and alignment in the spine and other joints in the body. When a joint isn't moving the way it should, the surrounding muscles compensate. That compensation creates tension, restriction, and eventually pain.",[11,120,121],{},"An adjustment restores motion to the joint. The muscles can then relax because they don't need to work around the restriction anymore.",[15,123,125],{"id":124},"what-massage-does","What massage does",[11,127,128],{},"Massage works primarily on the soft tissue — muscles, fascia, tendons. It breaks down adhesions, improves circulation, reduces tension, and helps the nervous system shift out of a stress response.",[11,130,131],{},"It doesn't directly address joint mobility, but tight muscles can restrict joint movement. Sometimes releasing the muscle is what allows the joint to move freely again.",[15,133,135],{"id":134},"so-which-one","So which one?",[11,137,138,141],{},[32,139,140],{},"Choose chiropractic first if:"," you have pain that's sharp, localised, or that radiates (down the leg, into the arm). If your pain is related to a specific incident — a fall, a car accident, a bad lift — start with an assessment.",[11,143,144,147],{},[32,145,146],{},"Choose massage first if:"," your pain is more of a general tension, aching, or tightness. If you've been stressed, sitting too long, or training heavily, massage is often the right starting point.",[11,149,150,153],{},[32,151,152],{},"Consider both if:"," you've been dealing with something chronic. In our experience, the combination tends to produce faster and longer-lasting results than either alone. We often work alongside massage therapists for exactly this reason.",[71,155],{},[11,157,158,159,162],{},"Not sure which applies to you? ",[77,160,161],{"href":79},"Book a free 15-minute phone call"," and we'll point you in the right direction.",{"title":83,"searchDepth":84,"depth":84,"links":164},[165,166,167],{"id":114,"depth":84,"text":115},{"id":124,"depth":84,"text":125},{"id":134,"depth":84,"text":135},"2026-03-22","Both treat pain and tension, but they work differently. Here's how to know which is right for your situation — and why sometimes the answer is both.",{},4,"\u002Fblog\u002Fmassage-vs-chiro",{"title":106,"description":169},"blog\u002Fmassage-vs-chiro",[176,177,178],"Chiropractic","Massage","FAQ","Wd9jXLXANO_KhxGniJqtLXQNwQbluFjTU7u_dXZkxMk",1777815828593]