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I got a standing desk. It's been amazing.
I've wondered about standing desks-don't your feet start getting tired? Or is it an adjustable one so you can lower it and sit? A few years ago half my office decided to waste a ton of money on all sorts of different chairs-the exercise ball on wheels with a small back support, those weird ones that look like an old school 1970's sit up board turned vertical so your weight rests on your shins and a few other torturous looking devices and everyone went back to regular chairs after a month or two. But no one tried standing desks.
Mine is adjustable, so I can both stand and and sit. It would be pretty uncomfortable to stand all the time.
How? On my ass. Maybe others do it differently so they can chime in...
Seriously though, you should get your back checked out by a doctor, make sure you don't have a piece of crap chair (often companies will give you another chair if you say your back hurts), and/or make sure you're sitting correctly (not hunched over, etc-I'm sure you can find reputable ergonomic info online), maybe in reverse order. As a student aged person you really should be able to sit for 8 hours if you're in decent shape and nothing's wrong medically. Other than that, just get up occasionally, walk around (I've always been a fan of leaving the office a couple times per day and walking around the block just to get my blood flowing), stretch (nothing weird like downward dog on the floor), and make sure you're in decent shape otherwise so get regular exercise.
Take a rolled up t-shirt (or any other thin cushion-like apparatus) and place it horizontally between your lower back and the chair, then sit up straight. It forces your back along its natural curvature, stretching out your lower back muscles - simple, but effective
I second this method, it has been a tremendous help. Started doing this when I had a pinched nerve and I guess the habit just stuck.
Standing desks will save your life, and your firm will almost always pay for it. I can't imagine going back to pain and terrible digestion ever again.
Kegel excercises.
this + proper posture and a strong back.
youtube "foundation training," the guy gave a TED talk on some easy exercises to strengthen your back. I'm betting that if it's not a really shitty chair or some more serious back problems, you have your shoulders rolled forward and are rounding your back.
Yes I noticed that this is how I sit.
Your chair/desk isn't set up properly if your back hurts (or you have a legitimate back Injury already). My firm has a person who will come and look at your posture and adjust your chair and order you different back rests/feet rests/etc. Play around with your settings. Also having the ability to have a standing desk is legit.
Sit-stand desk, regular breaks, exercises. Better to start paying attention to your health early!
For Herman Miller chairs, I've found one of these to be the solution. Everyone in my office has one or something like it.
http://www.kensington.com/us/us/4464/l82025f/kensington-memory-foam-bac…
It's surprisingly how helpful they are, even if you have bad posture.
i tried standing and working and hated it
i found a decent ergonomic set up which keeps my eyes at the right level, lumbar support, etc. Requires a good chair + foot rest + get up every ~30min to stretch a little
kindve like this comfy lady http://ww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2011/05/31/8678171/EnvelopMotionComp.jpg
I have a fitness tracker (Jawbone Up 2) that I set to vibrate if I am not active for an hour. If it buzzes then I get up, walk around a bit and then go back to my desk. It's crazy how quickly time can fly by without you noticing.
This: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FJUA8S?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh…
Worth every cent. Thank me later
The money
Given IB hours and your schedule bla bla blah this advice may be of limited use. I squat a lot (not as in a ton of weight but frequently when I workout) using a full range of motion just below parallel squat. Even if you perfected squatting with only 135lbs I think your lower back would shape up as it seems to have cured mine but maybe I'm special. Who knows.
An alternative is doing some superman style plank exercises every day. I think that will help alleviate some of your issues. Three, one minute holds a day, and increase by 15 seconds from there.
For reference: http://www.zipheal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/exercises_for_core_st…
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