How
do I choose a chair that’s right for me?
The first question you should ask yourself is “How
often do I use my chair?”
If you spend most of your 40-hour workweek in your
chair, buy a chair with the most support and the
greatest adjustability your budget can afford. Your
chair is a big part of your life. A quality office
chair will provide you with protection from fatigue
and injuries caused by sitting in one location for
long stretches of time. Features to look for in a
quality office chair are:
- Lumbar support in the lower back area to keep your
positioning natural, and to keep your back
properly aligned while preventing muscle strain commonly associated
with slumping.
- Armrests that are fully adjustable to allow you to
sit at your desk in a comfortable position.
If you get up frequently, consider an office chair without
the adjustable armrests.
- A seat with a pneumatic height adjustment.
- A seat that provides full support, that allows you
body weight to be distributed evenly across
the seat, or that allows a waterfall effect to provide ample
blood flow to your legs.
If you move in and out of your desk regularly, or
share your seat with others, ease of mobility would
be most important. Instead of getting a quality chair
adjustable for one person, consider getting a chair
that has quick access to adjustability. Look for
things like:
- Height adjustable seat and back
- Fully adjustable
armrests, or office chairs without arms.
- Multi position tilt locks
What is an ergonomic chair?
An ergonomic office chair is designed to make your
workstation a safer and healthier place. While ergonomic
chairs can help a variety of people, keep in mind
that just because a chair is labeled “ergonomic” does
not mean it’s a perfect fit for you. A chair
becomes ergonomic when it specifically suits a particular
worker or a particular location. A short, slim person
may need a chair with a different height and different
armrests than a tall person. For an optimal seat
height, divide the user’s body height by 4.
Keep in mind that this number can be adjusted based
on a person’s torso-to-leg ratio.
Also remember that the office chair is only the
beginning to an ergonomically correct workstation.
The chair should be in direct proportion to the desk
or work surface, and should have proper document
holders, lighting and other tools that will allow
the person to have total flexibility throughout their
work day.
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