Hi — I’m Scotty Dupree, and I started this site after spending more than a decade trying to figure out what actually helps chronic back pain when you sit at a desk for a living. This page is about who I am, how I research and write, and what you can and can’t expect from the content here.
About Me
In 2012, I hurt my back doing a backyard remodel, lifting concrete. It took weeks to fully recover. A few times after that incident, I threw out my back from sneezing. Since then I’ve had chronic back pain. Not bad enough for surgery, and surgery wouldn’t solve much of anything, but bad enough to feel discomfort every day. Combined with a career glued to a keyboard (with bad posture too), it became the kind of pain you stop being able to ignore.
I’ve spent the years since reading studies, trying every chair and standing-desk setup I could justify, working with physical therapists, and slowly assembling a picture of what’s actually evidence-based versus what’s marketing dressed up as advice. This site is everything I wish someone had handed me back then.
I’m not a doctor, physical therapist, or ergonomist. I’m a desk worker who got stubborn about chronic pain after a decade of living with it. That’s the lens for everything you’ll read here.
Why This Site Exists
I believe most back pain content falls into two unhelpful buckets: overly clinical information that’s hard to apply to a real workday, or commercial content engineered to sell products. There’s a big gap between generic wellness advice and what desk workers with chronic back pain actually need.
I feel patient-perspective writing is underrepresented in the space. Medical professionals provide essential clinical expertise, but they often haven’t experienced the daily grind of managing back pain while meeting deadlines, sitting through long meetings, or figuring out which $1,200 chair is actually worth it.
I wrote this site to fill that gap — practical, evidence-based insight from someone who’s lived with the problem, not someone selling you a fix.
How I Research and Write
Sources I trust
Every article begins with primary research. I prioritize peer-reviewed studies from PubMed, systematic reviews from the Cochrane Library, and clinical guidelines from the National Institutes of Health, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, and Harvard Health Publishing. When I cite a study, I link directly to it so you can read the source and reach your own conclusions.
For broader context I also draw from reputable health journalism — The New York Times, BMJ, and The Lancet — when they’re reporting on emerging research from primary sources I can verify.
How I label what I’m telling you
My articles combine published evidence with personal experience. I keep those threads visible:
What the research shows is cited and linked.
What’s worked for me personally is labeled as such — anecdote, not evidence.
Where research is still evolving, I say so. I avoid definitive claims when the science is.
Product recommendations
When I recommend a product, the recommendation is based on published reviews, clinical evidence where it exists, and patient-reported outcomes — not manufacturer claims. I test things myself when I can. When I can’t, I say so. I don’t recommend products just because they’re popular or heavily marketed.
Updates and corrections
Research changes. So does my own thinking. Every article has a “Last updated” date that reflects the most recent review. When new evidence contradicts what I previously wrote, I revise the article and note what changed.
What I Don’t Do
I don’t diagnose conditions, recommend treatments, or prescribe solutions. Those decisions belong between you and a qualified healthcare provider who can evaluate your specific situation.
I don’t recommend medications or procedures. I may discuss what research shows about various approaches, but treatment decisions are medical decisions, and they need a real doctor.
I don’t claim to have the answer to chronic back pain. Chronic pain is complex and highly individual. I share what evidence suggests might help and what hasn’t worked for me, with as much honesty about limits as I can.
Affiliate Disclosure
I participate in the Amazon Associates program and a few other affiliate programs. When you buy something through a link on this site, I earn a small commission — that’s what funds the time I spend researching and writing. It doesn’t change which products I recommend. I often recommend products I don’t have affiliate links to when they’re the best option for the situation.
Some symptoms aren’t a self-research situation — they need real evaluation. Please get immediate medical care if your back pain comes with:
Fever
Numbness or tingling in your arms or legs
Loss of bladder or bowel control
Unexplained weight loss
Severe pain that doesn’t improve with rest
And if back pain is significantly affecting your sleep, work, or daily life for more than a few days — even without those emergency symptoms — it’s worth getting evaluated. Nothing on this site is a substitute for a doctor who can actually look at your situation.
Corrections and Conflicts of Interest
If you spot an error, find outdated information, or have a concern about something on this site, contact me at contact form. I investigate substantive concerns and update the article promptly when there’s a real correction to make. Significant corrections get a note at the top of the article.
I disclose any relationships — financial or otherwise — that could bias content: affiliate programs, products received for free, conversations with manufacturers. The patient perspective is valuable here precisely because it’s grounded in lived experience rather than commercial interest, and the only way to keep that valuable is to be transparent when those lines blur.
