When you are working in an office, most of the time you will spend a great deal of time in front of your desktop, sitting for more than 8 working hours, sitting on the same spot, on your office chair. Sitting for this long might damage the structure of your backbone, and spine, especially if you have a bad pose. The effects might not be seen directly, but its long-term spine damage can be quite dangerous.
To ensure you have the best experience in your office, plus for the investment for your back health, choosing the correct, most comfortable, and ergonomic office chair is very important. Your office chair is your throne in your office, and probably going to be your best friend for quite a long time.
It is important to choose the correct ergonomic chair, not just for the office budget, but also for your spine health. So, here are a few tips and tricks for choosing the correct ergonomic office chairs.
Tips On Choosing the Best Chairs for Your Budget and Ergonomics Need
It is important to choose chairs that are ergonomic, not just choose the chair based on your budget. For those who don’t know what ergonomics means, ergonomics are human factors, the application of both psychological as well as physiological principles that are featured and engineered in the product design, such as with chairs, bikes, and so on.
Choosing the ergonomics chair is important, because it supports the lower back, as well as promotes good postures for your body, avoiding any long-term damage to the spine, and lower back. So, how to choose the best chairs that are both ergonomic, as well as worth it for the budget?
- Consider the height of your chair
The ideal office chair should have an easy, adjustable height. It is not just a pneumatic adjustment and the easier way to do it. Ideal seat height should be around the range of 16 to 20 inches height from the floor. It should work ideally for most people, however, if you are taller, you might need more than that.
Consider the height of your chairs, with the horizontal, armrests, as well as the height of the desk itself. It is also better to have an ideally higher position of desktop and monitor when working in office desk.
- Seating depth and width
The seat should at least have enough width and depth to support its user, and enable them to sit comfortably for a long time. For the width, it should be at least 17 to 20 inches, bigger if you have a bigger posture.
As for the depth, it should be spacious enough for the user to seat comfortably on the backrest of the chairs, leaving it ergonomic, with approximately 2 to more than 5 inches of depth.
- Lumbar and backrest support
The Lumbar is the lower back support, as it is a very important ergonomics aspect of the chair. The lumbar spine or lower back has an inward curve, and usually, by sitting for a long time, the lumbar spine is the first backbone that shows damage, and strains.
Sitting for more than 8 hours a day, especially if you have bad postures, definitely would create strains on your lumbar spine. The best ergonomics chair should have good lumbar support built into its flexibility, and durability.
- Seating materials
Materials for the chair seat, the backrest, as well as the armrests could increase comfortability, so if you are sitting for a long period, the cloth and materials won’t get heated, or harder easier, and broken fast.
- Armrests
As for the armrests, it can be quite tedious to work more than 8 hours with chairs that don’t feature armrests. The office chair armrest should be flexible, durable, as well as adjustable, allowing the freedom of arms movement, and resting comfortably, with the shoulders relaxed.
Now, that’s how you choose the best chairs when you are considering the ergonomics factors, as well as the budget and quality. There is no single best chair, as there are different needs for a different person, so there might be a better chair for every other person. See also our other articles on how to promote good posture for office workers, and how to reduce lower back pain.