Young, hardworking, successful. But helpless against chronic back pain

Sanket Sharma took an hour-long brisk walk every morning. But for the rest of the day, the 29-year-old techie barely moved at all. Tight project deadlines made him sit at the desk for 9-10 hours, often with no breaks, with another 2-3 hours of sitting in a cab in peak Mumbai traffic for his daily commute. He reached home tired, slouched on the couch and scrolled his phone till it was time for bed.
Occasionally, he would feel stiff. But over time, it turned into a persistent lower back pain, making it excruciating to get up from a chair, bend forward, or even turn in bed on some days. An MRI of the lumbosacral spine showed only a mild disc bulge — common even in those without symptoms — with no major nerve compression. Doctors concluded that his pain wasn’t due to a structural abnormality but a result of prolonged sitting. Four to six weeks of physiotherapy and regular movement breaks during work hours finally fixed his chronic back problem.