Are There Any Studies on the Effectiveness of Sit-Stand Desks?

Prolonged sitting has been linked to health problems such as obesity, back pain and cardiovascular disease. So it makes sense that many countries have urged workplaces to provide employees with alternatives to seated work.

A growing number of companies sell sit-stand desks. And it's not hard to see why: They raise your computer high enough so you can stand and work, reducing the amount of time you spend sitting down each day and helping you burn calories and lose weight.

The American Medical Association recommends standing work stations because they help people avoid the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle, but it's not clear how effective they are in improving health or reducing stress and muscle pain. That's why a group of researchers conducted a scoping review to examine the effectiveness of sit-stand desks in a variety of domains:

Behavior, physiological and psychological outcomes
The authors found that when desk workers were introduced to a sit-stand desk for a period of time, they became more aware of the deleterious effects of a sedentary lifestyle and were less likely to experience stress or muscle pain while working at their SB. They also reported increased subjective health and work efficiency as a result of using the SB. However, it is important to note that this study only included a randomised controlled trial and a single, worksite-based study.