Updated September 2026: this 2021 post suggested massage chairs for back pain in IT professionals working from home. I have rewritten it to put the cheaper, better-supported fixes first, and to be clearer about when to see a professional. This is general information, not medical advice.
When most of us moved to working from home in 2020, many worked from dining chairs, sofas and beds for months. Back and neck pain followed for a lot of people. My original post pointed readers towards massage chairs. A massage can feel good, but it is the last thing to buy, not the first.
What causes back pain from desk work?
For most people it is not one bad posture but long stretches in any posture without moving. Screens that are too low pull the head forward; chairs without support let the lower back slump; laptops on the lap combine both. Hours of that, every day, is what builds up discomfort.
What should you fix first?
- Screen height: the top of the screen roughly at eye level. With a laptop, that means a stand plus a separate keyboard and mouse.
- Chair support: feet flat on the floor, knees near hip height, and something supporting the lower back. A rolled towel works if the chair has no lumbar support.
- Desk height: elbows close to a right angle when typing, shoulders relaxed rather than hunched.
- Movement: stand up and walk for a few minutes every half hour to an hour. This does more than any single piece of equipment.
A laptop stand, keyboard and mouse together cost far less than any massage chair, and they address the cause rather than the symptom.
Are massage chairs worth buying?
For some people, as a comfort item once the basics are in place. They can help muscles feel looser after a long day. They do not correct a poor setup, and they are expensive, heavy and hard to return. If you are already seeing a physiotherapist, ask them before buying one, because some massage modes are not suitable for certain back problems.
When should you see a doctor or physiotherapist?
If pain lasts more than a few weeks despite fixing your setup, if it spreads down a leg, if you feel numbness or weakness, or if it follows an injury, see a professional rather than trying equipment. A physiotherapist can also give you specific exercises for your job, which tend to outlast any gadget.
The order to spend money in
A supportive chair, a laptop stand with a separate keyboard, and an hourly reminder to get up address the cause. Physiotherapy addresses pain that persists. A massage chair, if you still want one, comes after all of those.