Standing desks far from standout miracle cure to office pain

In fact, some experts argue that "sitting is the new smoking" on the basis that every minute of seat time will shave years off your life - and potentially bring life to a complete standstill.

Those claims, in turn, have fuelled a pompous perception that any seat time at all brings with it a heightened risk of ailments such as heart disease and diabetes.

It is therefore hardly surprising that the status of the standing desk has stood tall and transformed from office oddity to workplace staple.

These portable contraptions have filled the void created by the removal of germ-ridden hot desks and become a key component of the makeshift office set-up for those working from home.

If you have not come across a stand-up desk, which is also referred to as a sit-stand desk or height-adjustable desk, this invention allows its user to work at their desks while standing rather than sitting.

Most models can be adjusted so users can lower the platform and be seated just like a regular desk if they need a break from standing.

But before you stand up to your cash-strapped boss and hit them up for the latest designer model, avoid misunderstandings by being clear on the ups and downs of this workplace fad.

Most would agree that nothing grandstands more than a standing desk. These contraptions yell out "I strive to be healthy" to inactive, seated colleagues.

Understandably, pro-standers credit the desks with a raft of health benefits including weight loss, reduced risk of heart disease and Type-2 diabetes and improved back health.

Those benefits are said to accrue as a result of reduced sitting time and periods of inactivity.

But critics of the standing desk adopt a different standpoint and claim that those who use a standing desk mistake standing around all day as equal to doing proper exercise.

Standing desks, critics say, create an illusion their owners are participating in a form of exercise.

Pointing to data on energy burned through various types of activity, they say the action of sitting and typing on average burns 80 calories (335 kilojoules) per hour while standing at a computer screen consumes just 88 calories (368KJ). In comparison, a one-hour lunchtime walk on average will chew up 210 calories (879KJ).

Anti-standers are firm in their view that standing-desk users would be better off remaining comfortably seated and taking a half-hour walk during the lunch break to burn close to double the number of calories they would use up standing at a desk all day.

And to strengthen their case, critics claim there is enough evidence to suggest overstanding at any one time can create problems such as bodily aches, an increased risk of varicose veins and even reduced attention span.

Critics conclude these contraptions are sub-standard and better used as bar tables for Friday afternoon social drinks in the office.

Notwithstanding those claims, most experts agree that while standing desks are far from the standout miracle cure for the range of ailments their supporters would have us believe, they do have a place in the modern office scape.

If all that the standing desk does is to enable its user to find a sweet spot that balances periods of standing and sitting throughout a workday, then this innovation can continue to stand tall.

Standing desks are unlikely to take a backseat in any office because their advantages outweigh perceived or real disadvantages.

But they might be even more health-aiding if sitting and standing in any workplace - in the office or at home - is supplemented by "walking it out".

This means taking the stairs, having the odd walk-and-talk meeting, taking a lunchtime stroll or setting a new standard altogether by upgrading to the latest innovation: the treadmill desk.