Knee Pain When Sitting: How to Avoid?

Sitting in one spot throughout the day causes stiffness all over the body, and one such area is your knee. Do you experience acute knee pain when sitting or while standing up? Perhaps your knee hurts when sitting down.

If your answer to the questions mentioned above was yes, you are at the right place. In this article, you will understand why you have this ache and how you can get rid of it for good. If you already have piercing knee pain, read on to get your hands on some excellent exercises to treat this discomfort!

What Causes Knee Pain When Sitting At Work?

Before going ahead with how you can avoid it, you must know the reason behind your constant knee aches. Here are three potential causes!

Prolonged Sitting

One of the key triggers of knee pains is sitting for indefinitely long periods. Whether you work from home, office, or any other remote location, you most likely sit for 2-3 hours at one spot. While it may be necessary for your work, sitting in one place stiffens your muscles and tendons.

That said, you may be wondering when do you get knee pain from sitting too long? Or, how long is too long? According to studies, you must stand for 30-45 minutes every hour for an 8-hour workday. Changing your position frequently can eliminate stiffness and prevent knee pains.

Sitting Posture

Another major cause of knee pain can be wrong sitting posture—yes, it can affect your back, neck, and even knees. If your knees are bent or under pressure for too long, they will experience discomfort and pain. More so, if they are crossed or bent underneath you, the strain will be higher.

Therefore, while you are working or sitting for extended periods, be aware of your seating posture. You must always follow workplace ergonomics such as choosing a comfortable seating position, placing your keyboard and mouse within reach, etc.

Unsuitable Furniture

One prime reason behind knee pain when sitting is unsuitable furniture. Whether you are sitting in an office room or doing some other work at home, uncomfortable seats result in severe knee aches. It may be a short seat making you bend your knees, or your desk is not positioned correctly.

You need an ergonomic office chair with adjustable features to suit your height to prevent you from bending your knees. Plus, it can go closer to your desk, so you do not have to sit in an uncomfortable position for extended periods.

Medical Reasons

Other reasons why you may be experiencing knee aches when sitting are problems like arthritis, patellofemoral pain (PFP), or knee injury. In such cases, you need to take extra care of seating positions and knee comfort.

Ways to Avoid Knee Aches When Sitting

Now that you know the potential reasons for your knee pain, here is how you can avoid it. These are sitting ergonomics that you must follow at your workstation, home, as well as other areas.

1. Fix Your Chair

The first thing that you need to correct is your seating position. The best way is to get a reclining ergonomic chair as it has multiple adjustment features. You must remember that your entire body position can affect your knees. Once you get the chair, here is what you need to do:

• Set the seat height such that your feet are resting well on the ground

• Tweak its lumbar support so that it aids your lower back

• Adjust the armrests in a way that lets your shoulders relax

2. Get a Standing Desk

An excellent way of avoiding knee pain from sitting too long is getting a standing desk. With this piece of furniture, you can switch positions every 30 minutes and divide your sitting and standing time.

Thus, it will prevent any muscle stiffening. Additionally, an adjusting desk will let you get the best ergonomic setup for your work or studies.

3. Consider A Foot Rest

Another way to support your knees is getting a footrest, or better, an ergonomic chair with leg rest. Placing your legs on a footrest removes any pressure from your knees. This will ensure you get the correct posture while working, along with relaxing your knees at short intervals.

Knee Pain When Sitting? – Here’s the Treatment

Does your knee pain after sitting too long. One of the most superlative ways is to exercise when sitting for extended periods. You do not even need to get up as here are a few desk exercises that you can do right from the chair!

Leg Raise

It is an ideal exercise to remove pressure from your knee and strengthen your legs. Sit straight on your chair with your hands over your thighs. Now raise your right leg without bending, such that it is parallel to the floor. Stay for 5 seconds and lower it down. Repeat with the other leg.

Knee Pulls

Sit with your back straight and pull your right knee towards your chest. Hold for 2-3 seconds and lower it back to the floor. Repeat the same with the other leg. Knee pulls help stretch your leg muscles.

Calf Raise

Stand up facing your desk and hold its edges for support. Now raise your heels such that you are standing on your toes. Stay for 2-5 seconds and slowly lower your heels. It is a great exercise for strengthening your leg muscles.

Wrap Up

Whether you have a desk job or need to sit for prolonged periods due to studying, it can harm your knees. The best way to get relief from the constant knee pain when sitting is by getting the ergonomic MyoChair - reclining computer chair. It will let you get the seating ergonomics right and help you get a comfortable posture.

You can also opt for desk exercises or get a standing desk to keep your knee muscles worked-up and pain-free!