Humans were not built for sitting hunched in front of a computer screen for hours. And that is something we are spending more and more time doing - when we are not sitting in a car or slumped in front of the telly. Back pain affects 60 per cent of adults and costs British industry an estimated £5 billion a year. If you are self-employed and using a computer at home, posture-related pain is a real threat - to your well-being and to your income. It could pay dividends to give your work station a revamp and invest in a good office chair. When it comes to choosing a chair the key word is adjustability. 'Ergonomics depend on the size of the operator,' says Tim Hutchful of the British Chiropractic Association. 'The chair needs to fit your body shape.' So look for a chair that is as adjustable as possible. Seat height and back recline are not enough. Look for a seat that tilts and slides backwards and forwards to take into account the length of your legs. Lumbar (lower back) support can cause more harm than good if it is in the wrong place for your body size, so a height-adjustable backrest is ideal.
You should be able to fix arm rests to support your forearms at desk height, too. If your budget will run to it, a chair with a free-float mechanism, allowing you to move around while seated, is a fine thing. Don't choose an 'executive' leather chair. With the seat slanted you could slip forwards. Advance Seating Designs makes fully adjustable Opera chairs to fit most body sizes. If it hasn't got one to fit you, it will make one. The Opera 20 range (from £373) has a free-float 'rocking' mechanism. Look out for discounted ex-display and end-of-line chairs. For an extra £22.50 it will deliver the chair, set it up and teach you how to drive it. The best office chair on a limited budget is from Ikea. The Verksam swivel chair adjusts and costs just £155. There are a lot of inexpensive things you can do to make your work station back-friendly. If you are working on a laptop at home, Hutchful recommends investing in an extra keyboard to plug in and propping it up on telephone directories.
Hand towels can be folded to create a seat wedge and a lumbar support such as the Rest-a-Back (£26.74) from BackChairs Direct can be fixed to your non-ergonomic chair back. 'Populations who squat rather than sitting on chairs don't suffer from back pain. I blame the Pharaohs for starting to sit on thrones,' says Michael Arding, designer of the 'pelvic posture' chair. 'Even in a chair with lumbar support the pelvis automatically rolls back causing a sharp bend in the lower part of the spine which leads to lower back pain.' Rather than lumbar support, the base of the backrest on the Task pelvic posture chair from Pledge (from £347) supports the iliac crests at the back of the pelvis, thus maintaining the spine's natural curve. Adrian Preston, managing director of Want Don't Want discovered the pelvic posture chair following severe lower back problems eight years ago. He swears by it. 'Now I feel as good at the end of the day as I did at the beginning,' he says. The main thing to remember is that our muscles and joints were not made for keeping still, so get up and move around at least every 20 minutes.
Advance Seating Designs www.asd.co.uk 020 8578 4308BackChairs Direct www.backchairs-direct.co.uk 01732 459190; British Chiropractic Association www.chiropractic-uk.co.uk 0118 950 5950 5-Year Furniture Protection Plan 3-Year Furniture Protection Plan Used & new (32) from $63.88 Ghost Chair with Arms in Transparent CrystalDetailsIkea 302.290.77 Tejn faux sheepskin, white FREE Shipping on orders over . Buy "Ghost Chair with Arms in Transparent Crystal” from Amazon Warehouse Deals and save 65% off the $183.00 list price. Create a beautiful and artistic statement with the Louis Inspired Ghost Chair. This chair will lighten up any room and provide a grand statement. The transparency of the chair allows it to take up less space visually as with a solid chair. The versatility of this chair makes it look great in any contemporary indoor setting, but suitable for outdoor seating as well. Showing off this masterpiece will also not break your budget, but will just look like you did!
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You spend hours at a time sitting at your desk, so you want to have the most comfortable chair you can get for your money. If you get aches and pains while you work, it might be time for an upgrade. This week we're checking out five office chairs that offer the best combination of value, comfort and ergonomics. The Aeron chair set a new standard for ergonomics and comfort when it was first released, making it one of the most famous office chairs in the world. It also set a new bar in terms of cost: new models having a starting retail price of $1200, although they can usually be found for less if you buy second-hand. The Aeron's design is so popular that companies around the world order them by the hundreds, and the chair even has a permanent instalment at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It was initially designed in 1994, so even though it still looks modern and comfortable, recent studies have pointed out that the Aeron may not be the best ergonomic choice over long sitting sessions.
But there's no doubt the Aeron is comfortable, adaptable, highly customisable and still has a huge fan base. The Embody is Herman Miller's next-generation office chair, and it was designed by one of the original designers of the Aeron. It takes a more modern approach and hones in on ergonomics and full back support. Any complaints about the Aeron's ergonomics were largely addressed in the Embody, which can be independently adjusted and moved separately from the base and arms. It's still a pricey model at over $1700, but it's easily one of the most comfortable chairs you'll ever sit in. The back conforms to your shape using what Herman Miller calls "Pixelated Mesh" and multiple points of flexibility all along the length of the chair back. Some people complain the Embody has subpar lumbar support and more complicated settings compared to the Aeron, but most will tell you it's the best chair they've ever owned. The Steelcase Leap earned praise for affordability, superior construction and customisability.
It's a bit more of a task chair than others, but the design makes sure your whole back is supported. Its design includes a special breathable foam padding that airs itself out through special slots that ensure you won't get too hot during long work sessions. Rather than conform to you, Steelcase designers give you individual control over everything from the arm height to the seat depth. They retail for around $1000, but they can be found for less, especially if you buy second-hand. I was lucky enough to sit in a Leap every day at my last job, and it's just as sturdy and customisable as the marketing promos say. The Raynor Ergohuman series was designed primarily for people who sit in their chairs for long periods of time. The design may not win any artsy awards, but its customisable components, add-ons and independent control over the seat height, arm height, headrest and rocker tension are impressive. It has breathable mesh and leather upholstery, a high back and comfortable headrest.
The Ergohuman also features a slightly wider seat pan than most chairs, and it's ideal for taller folks who want decent back support. Raynor just unveiled the Ergohuman v2, which offers a number of improvements in design, ergonomics and weight capacity. The v1 will run you around $900 at retail, while the v2 has a list price of around $1000. The $399 IKEA Markus is a high-backed chair that comes in a variety of colours and your choice of leather or padded fabric. The Markus lacks some of the features and customisability you'll find in the others, but it has been praised for being remarkably comfortable (I was thinking about getting one myself before I got my Embody). It's height adjustable with tilt and lock, but don't expect to independently adjust the armrest or change the seat depth. The curved design, mesh back and shallow seat pan enforces good posture, making it a great bang-for-your-buck office chair. This week's honourable mention goes to the simple exercise ball for its comfort (once you're used to it), flexibility, and the fact that it naturally enforces proper posture.