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.High back patient chairs come with flexible backs and a solid construction to last a lifetime (with many a manufacturer providing a matching warranty). That said, many of them lack the luster that creates an inviting healthcare environment. In this week’s Top Ten list, we found our favorite patient chairs that have their proportions of popular features, physical dimensions and subtle elegance kept in check by an unmatched durability to keep them flexing and tilting for comfortable years to come. Top Ten: Patient Chairs of Proportioned Perfection. PRICE: Available upon request “Viejo’s gently sweeping upholstered arm is further defined by a sophisticated wood facing,” describes Paoli of their elegant patient chair in the Viejo collection.
Also in a bariatric chair, the smooth lines and lack of angles offers an inviting seat for the utmost “psychological and physical comfort”. With a full line-up to back up their Amico patient chair, Carolina makes matching lounge seating, ganged lounge seating, guest seating, bariatric seating, multiple seating, sleepers & recliners. The sophistication of this healthcare collection goes beyond the hospital or clinic walls and accomplishes a aesthetic worthy of other applications such as corporate and educational settings. Using the same principles as the Herman Miller task chairs, the Nala patient chairs incorporate ergonomics and innovative technology to “dramatically improve a patient’s healthcare experience”. Featuring a Harmonic Tilt, the Nala gives the patient control of its back and seat movement for maximum comfort. Offering a lightweight solution to therapeutic seating, the Warren sled base patient chair is also made using a hygienic mesh fabric, making it easy on the eyes (and even easier to clean).
Made from an alloy-spring steel frame with a comfortable lumbar support, the Warren patient chair allows for a rocking motion even with its supportive, flat base. The Outlook Sequoia patient chairs feature a clean look that comes with contemporary, flat armrests and legs made from a tapered solid Maple wood. Designed to fit into every type of healthcare setting - from the lounge to the patient room - Nurture manufactures the chairs with a subtle elegance in single, two and three seat, bariatric and patient high-back models. Offering a stylish seating collection, Stryker Medical’s Symmetry II chairs come in patient and lounge chairs to offer a comprehensive selection that creates a uniform look within a healthcare facility. The ergonomic design of its lumbar, leg and hip support are manufactured within its high quality structure that can be cleaned quickly, retaining a modern edge year after year. Going for broke, Nemschoff created the Hadleigh patient chair as an “adjustable back chair”, or ABC, to give the patient as much comfort as possible.
Given its lifetime warranty, the Hadleigh’s durable construction of a spring seat and solid maple structure also feature low formaldehyde emissions with upholstery that take deep cleaning and heavy use with grace. MANUFACTURER: Sitconf Commercial Seating Dimensions: 40.5”H x 24.5”W x 27”D Smooth and supple, the upholstery and wooden construction of the Scope patient chair comes with a high, flexible back, and can easily match the Scope collection’s arm chairs for lounge settings. Made by Sitconf Commercial Seating, the collection takes a sophisticated, minimalist approach to classic healthcare chair design. The gentle curve of the Briar Motion patient chair by KI is enough to draw a person in. While seated, its structured steel frame, laminated plywood back and white Maple hardwood arms will keep you loving the durable feel and flexibility provided by its foamy cushions and movable backrest. MANUFACTURER: Brandrud/ Herman Miller Without giving too much credit to Herman Miller’s task chair designs that inspired the ergonomics of the patient chairs (like Nala, above) the comfortable Centé Tilt chair is a lightweight seat that assists caregivers and patients alike.