9 Ergonomic Tips for Office Chairs

Look for these ergonomic features as you compare office chairs.

 

1. Height Adjustment

Easily raises or lowers the seat to bring your hips and torso to the correct 90 degree sitting position appropriate for the level of your work area. With both feet flat on the floor and knees bent at a comfortable angle, your lower legs are supported without putting pressure on your thighs.

2. Angle Adjustment

Can be at the back, seat or both, and allows you to change the angle between your torso and thighs. Puts you in the correct neutral position to support and maintain the natural curve of your spine.

3. Seat Pan

The seat pan should be at least once inch wider than your hips and thighs on either side, and should not be too long for your legs. Office Chairs with seat slider adjustments can accommodate users of almost any side. A contour seat office chair is highly recommended for proper distribution of weight over the seat’s surface to reduce fatigue and leg pain and allow you to sit for extended periods.

4. Adjustable Tilt and Tension Control

Allows you to regulate the angle support, from locked in place to free floating. Especially useful for multi-tasking, and to help maintain support as you lean into/away from your desk throughout the day.

5. Backrest

Proper support can be achieved by height adjustment to the backrest of your office chair, or the backrest can be adjusted to support the contour of your back as well as your neck and shoulders.

6. Memory Foam

Energy absorbent memory foam conforms to your body’s contours providing gentle, virtually pressure-free support, thereby improving posture and reducing stress.

7. Adjustable Armrests

To achieve the proper neutral position for wrists and arms, consider these 3 factors: Height Adjustment helps relieve fatigue in neck and shoulders; Width Adjustment increases support in coordination with your shoulder span and the task at hand; Pivoting/Articulating armrests rotate or swivel, allowing you to maintain a relaxed position despite your movements.

8. Lumbar Support

Provides support to the lower back (lumbar region) which encourages correct sitting posture to reduce strain on the vertebral disks. Improves relaxation and prevents back pain.

9. Cervical Support

 
Offers support and relieves pressure on your neck and shoulder (cervical region) especially when leaning back. Support is provided by either an attached headrest or high back office chair.

How You Can Prevent Back and Neck Pain

As the owner of your body, you have as great an influence over your spinal health as your doctor does. Your doctor will help you get out of pain, but it’s up to you to keep the pain from coming back. By making some simple lifestyle choices, you can remove one of the leading causes of recurrent back and neck pain, poor posture. Incorrect posture. Slouching reverses the natural curves of the spine.

In general, the bad influences of age, heredity, or accidents are uncontrollable. Yet, these become small obstacles to long-term back and neck pain solutions when you take control of your posture. Furthermore, not just standing posture, for we sit, sleep, and recline up to 90 percent of each day, 365 days a year.

Posture and spinal healthResearch shows the positions we place our spines in during activity or when at rest, will be either beneficial or create harmful stresses on muscles, ligaments, discs, nerve tissue, and bone.

Prolonged slouching which reverses the natural curves of the lumbar and cervical spine, can cause damage to spinal tissues. Over the years, repetitive poor posture can cause discomfort, pain, and conditions that may lead to the need for surgery.
Sitting and spinal healthOver time, we can damage our backs by hunching over our work at the office and/or sitting slouched in an unsupportive sofa, chair, or recliner at home. Correct sitting posture will help you prevent pain from recurring.
Correct posture.The cervical and lumbar regions are curved inward and properly supported.

To protect your back while sitting:
Maintain your spine’s natural posture by resting your back against a firm backrest with lumbar support.
While at your desk, use inward adjusting armrests to support your body upright to reduce harmful slouching and to take the upper body weight off your wrists to help prevent repetitive stress injuries.
Adjust your chair height and position so you’re close to your work reducing the need to lean forward.
Keep your feet on the floor, or support your feet with a footrest to reduce seated pressure.