Your back is aching, and it’s no wonder! You spend three-quarters of your day either sitting at the office or on a couch watching TV. But you don’t have to just grimace and bear chronic lower back pain. Proper posture, a good office chair and some simple lifestyle changes can bring relief... How much time do you spend sitting? If you’re like most desk jockeys, it’s as much as 40 hours a week at work. So if your office chair just isn’t right, your back health will suffer, leaving you with an achy spine, sore shoulders or stiff neck. “When a chair doesn’t support your spine, your muscles have to work harder, and you’ll feel fatigued at the end of the day,” explains Paul Cooke, M.D., a physiatrist (rehabilitation specialist) at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. After a while, the vertebrae in your lower back, known as your lumbar, won’t be able to maintain spinal alignment. That puts more stress on discs and joints, leading to more pain, he says.
Later, when you settle into your couch to watch TV, you may be worsening back pain. That’s because soft cushions offer even less lumbar back support than office chairs do. But your back health doesn’t have to suffer from long hours behind a desk and on spongy sofas. We asked back doctors and physical therapists for tips to finding the best office chair, relieving pain and even preventing varicose veins. Sit RightLumbar back support: The most important function of an office chair is to maintain proper curvature of your lumbar spine, Dr. Cooke says. Go Chair ShoppingIn the market for a new office chair? Luxury office chairs offer good support, says Dr. Cooke. Some also offer woven mesh seats for better air circulation, which helps keep the skin cool, he says. But you don’t have to buy a top-of-the-line chair to get good lumbar back support. Recline: When working at your computer, you probably sit upright. But if you’re reading, talking on the phone or conducting a meeting, you can lean back.
“A slightly reclined position relieves pressure on the spine,” Dr. Cooke says. Adjustable seatback: For upper-back support, the chair should be high and wide enough for your shoulder blades to rest on, Dr. Cooke says. Protecting Your Back at HomeAvoid the sofa. It’s not the best choice for sitting for long periods of time, says Dr. Cooke. “Most sofas don’t offer much lumbar back support, and there’s a tendency to slouch.” Instead, use a recliner or an easy chair with back support.Resist the urge to slump down in your chair during a “Real Housewives” TV marathon. “Have your feet on the ground,” Dr. Cooke says. “And sit far enough back in the chair so your seat makes contact with your thigh muscles.Yep, that La-Z-Boy is actually good for you. There’s less strain on your lumbar discs when you’re in a reclined position, and having your legs slightly elevated can improve blood flow, Dr. Cooke says. Expensive recliners, advertised as “stressless” or “back-friendly,” are fine, he says, but not necessary.
“Any comfortable recliner is good,” he says – just make sure it supplies some lumbar back support. Use pillows as props. Since most easy chairs don’t have lumbar support for your lower back, “use a pillow or lumbar roll to maintain curvature,” Dr. Cooke says.Best Gaming Chair Guide for PC and Desktop Gamers (Updated for 2017)We know that working at a standing desk leaves us with more energy at the end of the day. We know the increased activity level that standing for parts of the day gives us leads to firmer muscles and greater creativity. However, standing too long at a time leads to muscle fatigue and discomfort. The proper standing desk mat alleviates that somewhat, but for maximum benefit of working at a standing desk you should consider purchasing an adjustable height desk or include the right standing desk chair. The optimum height of a standing desk is elbow level. Your computer monitor should be positioned just above eye-level, so you don’t have to tilt your head up or down.
The ideal chair is one that allows working at the desk in a standing position with occasional lean or sit time. If the chair can be used without having to move the computer or the person from the work space, it is the most effective. Chair designers now make chairs that have as wide a height range as the desks they are designed to complement. Chairs are built to allow for or even to cause movement of the body while they are being used. Some are designed for full support in the traditional chair manner, and some are designed more to be leaned against than sat on. Some are inexpensive, and some are pricey. Here is a look at several chairs in a wide variety of price range, style and function. We will focus on these criteria The Chrome Drafting Stool by Flash Furniture is a surprisingly sturdy chair has a seat height that can be moved from almost 23 inches from the floor up to 31 and one-fourth inches. The seat is in molded high-density polymer with no cushioning and has a rigid plastic back rest that many people want in a different position.
There is a pneumatic seat height adjustment operated by a lever under the seat. A couple of reviewers mention the pneumatics take more weight than they have, so lowering the chair is problematical if you weigh less than 110 pounds. The chair is designed for a maximum weight limit of 250 pounds. One reviewer said her “big booty” is uncomfortable in the tractor style seat. Over 81 percent of reviewers give the chair a four or five star rating, saying it is easy to put together, looks good in many different decors, and is cheap enough that it fits the home office needs nicely. The chair comes in 11 vibrant colors, making it popular with the artist crowd. It is on gliders and not wheels, so it will stay put throughout the day. The Boss Caresoft Medical/Drafting stool has a seat cushion and back that are upholstered in easy clean vinyl and come in black or beige. The seat adjusts from 28 to 34 inches high; it can be used as a hop on/hop off standing desk chair for even the tallest of workers.
The seat is 16 inches wide and 16 inches deep. This chair is rated for a maximum of 250 pounds. Most positive reviews say it is comfortable, but reviewers wish the foot rest was height adjustable and that the back could be moved up or down. A reviewer says her doctor recommended working at a standing desk to alleviate stenosis, and she is finding the chair to be excellent for her issues. A six foot, 200 pound male says the chair at the highest point fits his desk height perfectly. Several people mentioned the chair rolls too easily making it a little scary. One said she ordered gliders to replace the wheels. Only 72 percent of reviewers give the chair a four star or higher rating. Many of the three stars are because the chair is too tall, though, a feature that would be sought out by other buyers. The chair has a Certified Green seal for having low VOC emitting materials. The Safco Metro Extended-Height Chair has a Greenguard seal. It too is certified as using low VOC emitting materials.
The chair has a contoured back and a thickly cushioned seat and comes in black or dark grey. The seat measures 18 and one-half inches wide by 17 inches deep. Maximum weight load is 250 pounds. The chair has five legs instead of the usual four and comes with wheels; alternative gliders are available. One reviewer says it is the most comfortable office chair he has ever had, and it gives excellent lumbar support. The seat height can go from 23 to 33 inches. One self-described tall person says it is not quite as tall as it needs to be for her standing desk. More than 89 percent of the reviewers rate the chair at four or five stars. They mostly all agree that the chair is comfortable. Many call it a quality chair. The Muvman Sit/Stand Stool is designed to keep you moving. It is a lightly-padded, molded plastic seat on a movable pole stuck into a stationary base that sits on the floor. The stool is innovative and sleek. It comes in four colors, but only black is available at Amazon.
The design includes a molded handle so it can be easily lifted and moved to another workstation or to a group meeting. It has continuous height adjustment via easy touch buttons under the seat, giving a range from 20 to 33 inches. It has a preset column tilt of 4 degrees. The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal have done articles on the chair and the innovative German company that designed it. Numerous design awards were won by the Muvman and its predecessor, the swopper. The stool is neither for sitting nor for standing but for sit/standing with motion. It is museum worthy. The stool is too innovative to have much history on Amazon; three people love it, three like it and one says the pedestal pushed through the base to the floor, but she is continuing to use it. A final person realized it was not what he wanted, so he returned it. It is obvious, remaining active while doing desk work is not a fad. Studies have linked sedentary office jobs with a shortened life span; many people are now trying to reverse the trend.