Haemorrhoids from sitting at work: how to protect yourself at the office

2026-10-28

• Sitting itself is not the main cause of haemorrhoids, but inactivity encourages constipation and straining.
• Stand up every 30–60 minutes: a couple of minutes' walking helps both your bowels and your veins.
• Fibre, water and unhurried, phone-free toilet visits are the basis of prevention.
• Do not hold on because of a meeting: putting off the urge makes stools harder.
• Always show rectal bleeding to a doctor; heavy bleeding means calling 103.

Half an hour in a Tashkent traffic jam in the morning, then eight hours at the monitor, lunch at the same desk and the drive home again. By Friday it feels as if you have spent the whole week sitting down, and that is not far from the truth. Then comes a discomfort that is awkward to mention even to your family.

Haemorrhoids are a common topic at the proctologist's among office workers, drivers, accountants and programmers. Let's look at whether the chair is really to blame, which work habits genuinely do harm, and how to protect yourself without changing your career.

What are haemorrhoids, and why do they 'like' a sedentary life?

Haemorrhoids are normal cushions of blood vessels in the anal canal. Everyone has them, and they help keep the bowel contents in. They become a disease when they enlarge, become inflamed, bleed or slip outside.

The main factors behind this are well known: constipation and straining, sitting on the toilet for a long time, too little fibre in the diet, pregnancy and heavy lifting. Office life can amplify several of them at once.

Can a desk job cause haemorrhoids?

The honest answer is that research does not consistently confirm a direct link between sitting as such and haemorrhoids. Plenty of people work in offices for years without any trouble at all.

But a sedentary routine creates conditions in which the main risk factors come into play more often. Inactivity slows the bowel, stools become less frequent and harder, and straining raises the pressure in the vessels of the anal canal. Long hours in a chair are also thought to slow blood flow out of the pelvic area, although there is little firm evidence for this.

So the thing to guard against is not the chair itself, but constipation, straining and hours of stillness.

Which office habits do the most harm?

• Holding on until you get home. The urge comes during a meeting or on the road, and you put it off. Over time the stool in the bowel becomes firmer and harder to pass.
• Your phone in the toilet. Scrolling turns two minutes into fifteen, and sitting on the toilet for a long time is considered one of the risk factors for haemorrhoids.
• Sitting without breaks. The hours slip by unnoticed, especially at the end of a quarter or before a deadline.
• Too little water. There is always tea and coffee on the desk, but rarely a bottle of water.
• Snacking on the run. Biscuits, samsa, white bread and fast food contain almost no fibre.

The good news is that each of these habits can be swapped for a healthier one without leaving the office.

How can you set up your working day to protect yourself?

The golden rule is to change position often. Set a reminder every 30–60 minutes: stand up, walk to the water cooler, take the stairs up a floor, or talk to a colleague in person rather than in a messenger.

1. Sit on a chair with a firm but not hard seat, feet flat on the floor and knees roughly level with your hips.
2. If you can, alternate sitting and standing, for example by taking phone calls on your feet.
3. Do a light warm-up every hour: calf raises, marching on the spot, gentle bends and twists.
4. A few times a day, gently tighten and relax the muscles of your pelvic floor and buttocks 5–10 times; no one around you will notice.
5. Spend at least part of your lunch break on your feet: a 10–15 minute walk after eating helps digestion too.

You will find more ideas for exercises at the computer in our article Desk job and veins: exercises right at your workstation. They are not just for your legs: any movement also helps your bowels work.

What should you eat and drink at work?

Guidelines on haemorrhoids put fibre first: it softens stools and reduces the need to strain. According to research reviews, getting enough dietary fibre helps reduce symptoms and bleeding.

• Take an apple, a pear, a mandarin or a handful of dried fruit, such as apricots, prunes or figs, to work with you.
• Add vegetables and pulses to your lunch: salad, vegetable soup, mung beans, chickpeas or beans.
• Choose wholegrain bread and porridge instead of white pastries.
• Keep a bottle of water on your desk and sip it through the day, especially if you drink a lot of tea and coffee.

Increase fibre gradually, or you may feel bloated. We explained how to get your bowels moving gently, without laxatives 'just in case', in Constipation and haemorrhoids: how to get regular safely.

How should you use the toilet?

• Do not put off the urge, even if the meeting has half an hour left to run.
• Do not strain and do not linger: if nothing happens within a few minutes, get up and come back later.
• Leave your phone outside.
• A small footstool that raises your knees above your hips makes things easier for many people.
• Afterwards, wash gently with cool water and pat the skin dry with a towel rather than rubbing it with rough paper.

What should you do if symptoms have already appeared?

Early signs of haemorrhoids are easy to dismiss: a little bright red blood on the paper, itching, a feeling of fullness or of something being there after a long day at the desk. Do not wait for it all to go away on its own; we described what to look out for in Early signs of haemorrhoids you should not ignore.

Book an appointment with a proctologist (colorectal specialist). The examination is quick and handled discreetly. Any bleeding from the back passage should be shown to a doctor so that other bowel conditions can be ruled out.

If a doctor confirms acute haemorrhoids, they may recommend a venotonic medicine as part of treatment. According to the instruction, Phlebodia 600 is indicated for the symptomatic treatment of acute haemorrhoids: usually 2–3 tablets a day with meals; if symptoms persist after several days of treatment, see a doctor. Full details are in the official instruction. Before use, read the instruction leaflet and consult a specialist.

Movement and kindness to yourself

Office work does not have to end in haemorrhoids. Regular breaks, a bottle of water on your desk, fruit instead of biscuits and a relaxed attitude to the toilet are simple things that add up over time. Start with one step tomorrow: set a reminder to get up from your desk and drink a glass of water.

Sources: 1. van Tol RR, Kleijnen J, Watson AJM, et al. European Society of ColoProctology: guideline for haemorrhoidal disease. Colorectal Dis. 2020;22(6):650–662. 2. Alonso-Coello P, Mills E, Heels-Ansdell D, et al. Fiber for the treatment of hemorrhoids complications: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Gastroenterol. 2006;101(1):181–188. 3. Instructions for medical use of Phlebodia 600 (Republic of Uzbekistan).

• External haemorrhoids: symptoms and how to tell them from internal ones
• Haemorrhoids in women: causes, special features and delicate questions
• Acute haemorrhoids: treatment and what to do in the first 48 hours