By Sally Ann Quirke | There are many types of lumbar support office chair available today. The quality of a lumbar support chair is very important, and in my experience, price does not always reflect quality. A lumbar support chair must have the lumbar support in the correct position for YOUR back. We all have a natural concavity in our lumbar spines at the base of our back, but each of us has a different size and shape to our curve. Therefore, your chair must be specific to your spinal curve and shape. A physiotherapist or physical therapist is the best person to advise you on the type, size and material of chair required specifically for your back and sitting posture. Do not spend money on a product without professional advice as poorly fitted lumbar support chairs can do more harm than good. So, where do you start in your search? You have a choice of two types of lumbar support chairs: An All-in Chair: Where your spine is moulded or sized to an inbuilt lumbar support in the chair itself.
These chairs, although effective, can be very costly indeed. Ihave included some examples of these chairs further down the page. A Portable lumbar support roll or device: Where you get a specifically shaped lumbar roll in your size, or a portable seat that you can place on top of your existing chair to support your lumbar spine. When it comes to advising my own clients, this is my device of choice generally - I prefer to start simple and cheap! (see more about Lumbar support rolls at the end of this page). At the very least - please seek professional advice before you purchase your lumbar support chair, as it may save you a lot of money and time. Frequently, training your muscles in active sitting to hold your back in position is the most effective lumbar support system of all!! Not ready to invest in a chair just yet? Read more about Lumbar Support Rolls. The materials contained on this website are provided for general information and educational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice on any particular individual situation.
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Christmas Greetings, Lebkuchen recipeAlternative Chairs Sit less - Stand morePerching, perching stoolsWinter Warmers, Anti-fatigue mats Use it or lose it, Orthomouse reviewSit-stand desks, New chair rangeHand & wrist pain, KeyslopeFaulty chairs, ChairTube Backs & monitor distance HomeBack HealthSetting up your office chair Setting up your office chair Instructions: Step by Step How to decide if you need a footrest How to decide if you need armrests Step 1 – Set Your Backrest All backrest adjustments should be done whilst seated in the chair. If you are not able to reach the lever, ask a team mate to assist. Loosen the lever/dial at the rear of the backrest (usually on the right hand side of the chair). Using two hands positioned either side of the base of the backrest, move the backrest up and down to obtain the correct position. The lumbar support of the backrest – outward curve of chair cushioning – should sit in the lumbar area of your back.
The backrest should be adjusted so that its convex curve fits into the curve of the lower back, centred about waist level. Once the chair is adequately positioned, lock the backrest into place. Some office chairs at the University of Melbourne have a different mechanism for setting the backrest height: Pull the backrest to the very highest setting then drop it to the very lowest setting. From the lowest setting point, slowly pull the backrest up until a suitable position is attained. Set the Backrest Angle Depress the control lever to change the angle of the backrest. This lever is usually the rear lever on the right hand side of the chair seat. NOTE: On a two lever office chair, this lever also adjusts the angle of the chair seat. Using your body weight, lean back against the backrest. Once you have set the backrest in a suitable position, release the lever. Most office chair users prefer setting their office chair backrest to approximately 90°
Step 2 – Set Your Seat Tilt Depress the control lever to adjust the tilt of your seat. On a three lever chair, this lever is often on the left hand side of the chair seat. NOTE: On a two lever office chair, this lever also adjusts the angle of the chair seat (see above). Shift your body weight backwards and forwards until you have positioned your seat in a comfortable positon. Once you have set the seat in a suitable position, release the lever. Most office chair users prefer setting their office chair seat so that it is flattened out rather than tilted too far backwards or forwards. Step 3 – Set Your Seat HeightOn most office chairs, this is the front lever on the right hand side of the chair seat. Raise/lower your chair seat so that your elbow height is slightly higher than the desk height. Use a footrest if you are unable to place your feet firmly on the ground when seated in this position. This will depend upon whether your desk is at the required height once you have adjusted your chair to suit your needs.
If the desk is too high and it cannot be lowered, then raise the height of the chair and use a footrest to raise the height of the floor by the same amount. Footrests should have height and angle adjustability and be large enough to permit some movement while supporting the feet. A footrest should not be so big that it clashes with the chair base. Using a footrest limits mobility so it is preferable to have full adjustability of the desk and chair to avoid the need for a footrest. Armrests are designed to allow people to support themselves when getting up or sitting down. They are suitable for people who perform a variety of tasks at a workstation, move frequently to and from their chair or sit back in their chair to talk to visitors. Armrests are less suitable for keying work. If the elbows are fixed on the armrests they can cause the shoulders to be raised into an unnatural posture. The desk surface can be used to support the forearms and reduce the effort of supporting the arms.