This back-care checklist follows the rhythm of your day: setting up, getting through work and making time for yourself afterwards. Eight specific prompts help you turn the World Spine Day message into something you can use. Pick what fits your circumstances and keep one habit going with the seven-day tracker.
Download the one-page checklist
Want the reasons behind the prompts? Read the illustrated guide to posture and movement.
How to use the back-care checklist
Print it for your workspace or save it with your daily notes. Tick the actions you tried, without treating the number of ticks as a health score. If you share it with a colleague, patient or client, leave the help section and sources attached.
Before the first task
Set up what I use most
Screen in front; keyboard and mouse close; chair or working height adjusted for comfort.
Choose my next movement break
Put a reminder between tasks, appointments or calls so a long stretch in one position is easier to interrupt.
During the working day
Change position or change task
Use a practical opportunity to move away from the screen or vary your position in a way that suits you.
Plan before moving a load
Check the route, use an aid or ask for help where needed. Keep the load close and turn with your feet.
Ask for a useful adjustment
Flag a task or setup that repeatedly causes discomfort. A change to the work may help more than trying harder to hold a posture.
After work
Make time for activity I enjoy
Choose a walk, cycle, swim or another suitable activity. Start from what you can manage.
Plan strength into my week
Think about suitable strengthening activities, following individual advice if you have an injury or condition.
Leave space to wind down
Notice sleep and stress as well as activity. Choose a realistic way to switch off this evening.
Keep one habit going for a week
Write one specific action at the top of your tracker. For example: change tasks after finishing a batch of orders, check the screen setup when changing desks, or plan a walk with someone after work. These are ideas to adapt, not a prescribed routine.
_____Day 2
_____Day 3
_____Day 4
_____Day 5
_____Day 6
_____Day 7
_____
If a day gets away from you, return to the habit when you can. At the end of the week, decide what was useful enough to keep.
Bring someone else into it
The World Spine Day toolkit encourages community participation. You could share a useful adjustment with a colleague, arrange an activity that suits your group or use the sheet to start a conversation about making work more comfortable. Keep participation voluntary and adaptable.
World Spine Day: 2026 resource toolkit
When to get help
Arrange a GP appointment if pain is affecting everyday life, worries you or is not improving after a few weeks.
Seek urgent GP advice or contact NHS 111 if pain is suddenly severe, worsens quickly, or you feel feverish or unwell.
Call 999 or go to A&E for back pain with symptoms in both legs, numbness around the genitals or anus, bladder or bowel changes, new sexual-function changes, chest pain, or after a serious accident. Do not drive yourself. See NHS guidance for details.
Questions you might have
Is sitting itself bad for my back?
Sitting is one of many normal positions. There is no single perfect posture. Focus on a comfortable setup and opportunities to vary your position.
Does a screen break have to mean a walk?
No. A change of task or a comfortable change of position can be useful. Adapt the plan to your work and mobility.
Are 150 minutes and two strength days a treatment plan?
No. These are NHS general activity recommendations for adults aged 19 to 64. Your starting point and any individual clinical advice come first.
Can I use the lifting advice with patients?
No. The sequence is about objects. Patient handling needs appropriate assessment, equipment and workplace training.
Can I share the resources?
Yes. Keep the sources and help information with them. They can support a discussion with colleagues, patients or clients, alongside individual advice.
Make one change you can use tomorrow
Save your free printable resource and put it somewhere you will see it again.
Explore the source material
- World Spine Day: 2026 theme announcement
- World Spine Day: 2026 resource toolkit
- About World Spine Day
- WHO: low back pain
- NHS: activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64
- HSE: setting up your workstation
- HSE: work routine and breaks
- HSE: good handling technique
- Guy's and St Thomas': low back pain
- NHS: back pain
General information for adults, not an individual treatment plan. Follow your own clinical advice. Sources checked 16 October 2026. Meglio is an independent brand and is not affiliated with, or an official partner of, World Spine Day.