India, Nov. 14 -- A simple, structured movement rule may be the key to easing back pain among office workers. A new Australian study found that alternating 30 minutes of sitting with 15 minutes of standing worked better than personalized plans for reducing pain and improving focus.

Published in Applied Ergonomics, the three-month research included 56 desk workers already using sit-stand desks. All participants had lower back pain. Half of them followed a fixed 30:15 schedule, while the rest created personalized routines with the help of a physiotherapist.

The results showed that the fixed schedule group saw a larger drop in pain levels. Their worst daily pain went down by 1.33 points on a 10-point scale, and their average pain fell by 0...