What To Look For in an Ergonomic Chair - Part I: Adjustibility

Reclinable

When you are deciding on the perfect chair for you there are an easy set of questions that you must keep in mind. Although reclining is in essence one aspect on chair buying, but there are a myriad of other variables that go into this one.

  • Are you straining your eyes, shoulders, or arms?

  • How far and easily can you recline?

  • Do you feel pressure on your spine and sitting bones?

Chair Height

The height of a chair can be misleading when seen from afar. The only real way of verifying the perfect chair height is to actually sit in one yourself. Here are a couple questions that you should be asking when sitting in a new chair:

  • Are your feet flat on the floor or on a foot rest?

  • Are your thighs parallel to the ground or angled?

If the chair is positioned too high, limited blood circulation can occur, and if positioned too low, increased bone pressure can accumulate in the thigh and sitting bones.

 

 

 

Seat Depth

Adjusting the depth of your seat gives you free range of motion forward and backward your leg length. Hunching shoulders is not only unattractive, but a hazard to an individual's health, so if you are finding yourself hunching over, seat depth is usually the problem in that case. Having a parallel body to the ground is the easiest, most important rule to remember. A good guideline is while seated to have three or four-fingers width distance between the back of the your knees to the front edge of the seat.

Armrests

When using an office chair your forearms need to parallel to the floor when you are typing or using your mouse, this is key in keeping your shoulders from being hunched. Adjustability of the armrests is a key distinguishing factor because they allow you to pivot to and from the desk, allow you to get closer to your work and provide the proper arm height needed for multiple people.

Lumbar Support

Lower back pain is a huge ailment for a majority of office workers, but proper back support can provide the difference that can, quite literally, change a life. The biggest plus a chair can have is adjustable lumbar support that can fit your needs perfectly. A well matched lumbar support can allow for positioning comfort, firmness control, improved focus, refreshing and energizing the user, and the ability to allow oxygen to move to the muscles and increases blood flow to the brain.

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