I bought a standing desk three years ago because every productivity blog told me it would fix my back, my focus, and apparently my entire life.

It didn't. It made my feet hurt.

What actually fixed my back was changing how I sit, not whether I sit. But I'll get to that.

The Standing Desk Trap

Office desk with monitor and keyboard
The desk I stood at for six months before realizing the problem wasn't standing.

Here's what nobody tells you about standing desks. Standing still in one place for hours is not better than sitting still in one place for hours. It's just a different kind of bad.

I stood for maybe six months. My lower back got worse, not better. My feet ached by 2pm. I started leaning on one hip, then the other, which is apparently terrible for your spine. I was fidgeting so much I couldn't concentrate.

The issue was never sitting vs standing. The issue was being in one position for too long.

What Actually Helped

Minimal standing workspace with adjustable desk
Adjusted low, not high. Sitting most of the day, standing for maybe 20 minutes at a time.

I still have the adjustable desk. I just use it differently now.