Spent $45 on a standing desk mat and now my back hurts worse than before

I work a retail stockroom job where we're on our feet all day, so I figured a cushioned mat would help my knees and lower back. Grabbed one from an office supply store for $45, thought it was a good deal. After three days of using it, my hips started aching in a way they never did on the concrete floor. Turns out the mat was too soft and made me sink in weird, throwing off my posture. I tossed it in the closet and went back to standing on the hard ground, and the pain faded in a week. Has anyone else had a mat backfire like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

zarab2415d ago

Funny you mention "threw off my posture" cause I actually read somewhere that super soft mats force your hips to tilt forward just slightly, making your lower back arch too much. So you were basically doing a tiny pelvic tilt all day without realizing.

elizabethtaylor15d ago

My physical therapist actually told me the exact opposite last month. She said firmer mats can tilt your pelvis backward and flatten your lower back which is worse for most people. I switched to a medium soft mat and my hip pain went away within a week. @zarab24 might be onto something about the arching but I think it depends on your body type and how your hips are built naturally.

danielhenderson13d agoMost Upvoted

Alright, my hips are basically a sitcom at this point. @elizabethtaylor you just described my entire backstory, I think I've been unknowingly doing a permanent pelvic tilt for the last five years without even realizing it. Meanwhile I'm over here with a firm mat I bought because some fitness influencer said it's "better for alignment" and my lower back now sounds like bubble wrap every time I stand up. Maybe my body type is just begging for a medium soft mat and I've been ignoring its cries for help. Guess I'll switch and see if my hips finally learn how to behave themselves.