Your lower back has started aching during or after gaming, and long sessions are getting harder to enjoy. Whether you play at a desk or on the sofa, staying in one position for hours can leave your back stiff and sore. A few changes to your set-up and how you play can help your back settle while you keep gaming.

Why gaming can affect your lower back

When you are absorbed in a game, it is easy to stay very still for a long time. Slumping into the sofa, perching on the edge of your seat or leaning forward towards the screen can all keep your lower back in one position for hours. Lying propped up in bed with a handheld or laptop can do the same.

None of these positions is harmful on its own. It is staying in any one position for a long time that tends to make a sore back stiffer.

Your chair

Your chair can make a big difference. Some ideas:

• Sit back into your chair, rather than perching on the edge.
• Use a cushion or rolled-up towel behind your lower back if your chair does not support it.
• Rest your feet flat on the floor or a footrest.
• Set your chair height so your hips are level with or slightly above your knees.

Sofa gaming

If you game on the sofa, some changes can help:

• Sit back with cushions behind your lower back, rather than slumping down.
• Rest your arms on cushions, so you are not leaning forward to hold the controller.
• Swap between sitting, sitting with your legs up and lying on your side.
• Avoid lying on your front propped up on your elbows for long spells.

Your screen

Your screen position affects how you sit. Setting the screen directly in front of you, at a distance where you can see it clearly without leaning in, helps you sit back. If you game on a laptop, raising it and using a separate controller or keyboard can help.

Breaks between matches

Long sessions without a break are often what bothers a sore back most. Some ideas:

• Stand up and move between matches, levels or rounds.
• Walk to get a drink, or take a short lap of the room.
• Set a timer if you tend to lose track of time.

VIDA’s Pomodoro stretches, in the top right corner, can remind you to pause during focused sessions.

Quick movements during breaks

These take less than a minute:

• Standing, place your hands on your lower back and gently lean back a little way.
• Slowly turn your upper body to each side.
• Lying on your back with your knees bent, gently rock your knees from side to side.
• Walk for a minute or two.

Reading how your back responds

A mild ache after gaming that settles within an hour or so of moving is usually fine. If your back is sorer the next morning, try shorter sessions or more breaks. Staying active through the day, like going for a walk, tends to help a sore back settle more quickly than resting.

Gentle strength alongside

Something to try a few times a week:

• Bridges. Lie on your back with your knees bent, lift your hips, then lower slowly.
• Back lifts. Lie on your front on the floor, gently lift your head and chest a little way, then lower.
• Sit to stand. Rise from a chair without using your hands, then lower slowly.

If you would like to follow along, VIDA has short videos of bridges, back lifts and sit to stands you can use at your own pace.

When to get it checked

You should get it checked by a GP or physiotherapist if pain spreads down your leg with numbness, tingling or weakness. You should speak to a doctor straight away if you notice numbness around your bottom or genitals, or changes to how your bladder or bowel works.

Building back up

As your back settles, you can gradually bring back longer sessions, keeping regular breaks. Your VIDA pain check-in is a good way to keep track of how your back responds.

What to take away

• Staying in one position for hours can make a sore back stiffer.
• Sit back in your chair with support behind your lower back.
• On the sofa, use cushions and change position often.
• Stand up and move between matches.
• Get leg numbness or bladder or bowel changes checked.

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