When shopping for the best ergonomic office chair, getting a chair that fits the user is of paramount importance. Not every chair labeled "ergonomic" has all the adjustment features necessary to truly be ergonomic. This guide will help you make a better selection.Use our chair selector tool and one of our fit experts will respond with personalized recommendations. We love to help people find exactly what works for their needs, and we typically respond within 1 business day. The mechanism controls how the seat and back move. It includes controls that are typically levers under the seat that the user can push, pull, or twist to adjust the chair. Some models may offer more than one choice of mechanism for the same chair. These two mechanisms are the most popular: Multifunction Mechanism This mechanism is preferred due to the wide range of adjustability it offers. The back and seat angles adjust independently of each other as well as independent of the tilt. This allows you to lock the chair into an infinite number of positions.
This type of mechanism will rock/tilt back from the center of the seat. The Neutral Posture NPS800 and the Bodybilt J3507 are two examples of chairs that offer this type of mechanism. Synchro-Tilt Mechanism - The seat and back are linked and tilt simultaneously as you lean back (typically the seat back tilts back two degrees for every one degree of seat pan tilt). Since there is less adjustability with this mechanism it is not as ergonomic as the multifunction mechanism. A chair with a synchro-tilt mechanism should have a waterfall front or flexible front seat edge or it may press into the back of the thighs when reclining. This type of mechanism also rocks/tilts from the center of the seat. The Raynor Ergohuman and the Allseating Cpod Chair are two examples of chairs that offer this type of mechanism. These are less common but may be appropriate for many applications: Task This is the most basic mechanism and adjustments may be limited to just seat height, seat height plus seat depth, or seat height, seat depth and back angle.
Task mechanisms do not offer tilt. As this discourages movement, a task mechanism is best suited for lighter duty such as a home office or conference room. Two examples of this type of chair would be the Ergocentric Saffron Apt and the Raynor Vigor RG33 Task Chair. The backrest should slide up and down to allow the lumbar curve of the chair's back rest to fit into your lower back (lorthotic) curve. A height adjustable lumbar support is a common substitution. This will also help fit the chair to your body type. Reclining in your chair supports the weight of your upper body and thus relieves some weight from you lower back. Many chairs have a locking back angle adjustment that will let you find your most comfortable reclined or upright position and then lock that position. Both lumbar disc pressure and back muscle activity are lowest with a supported recline angle of 110° - 130°. Reclined postures often are preferred (Grandjean, 1988). This adjustment knob allows you to adjust the amount of force required to recline to your body weight.
The Humanscale Freedom Chair and Liberty Chair are counterbalanced to the weight of the user and do not require a tension adjustment. The best lumbar support offers both vertical and depth adjustment. This is especially important if the user has lower back issues, or if multiple people will use the chair. The most basic lumbar supports are adjusted vertically as you raise and lower the chair back. A fixed depth lumbar is acceptable if it fits you well and does adjust vertically. A chair without either an adjustable back height or an independently height adjustable lumbar support may not fit many people. The chair base should have a minimum five spoke base. Four spoke bases tend to tip over when reclining back in your chair. Quality casters should glide freely over various floor surfaces. A headrest provides support for your head and can reduce the weight your neck must support. If you have neck issues, strongly consider buying a chair with a headrest.Important news usually calls for sitting down, but in this case, we'd like you to stand up.
That's because, as you may have heard, the sitting posture that's favored in most office environments can have a major impact on your health. Aside from stiff necks and carpal tunnel (that dreaded track pad!), sitting has been associated with everything from shortened lifespan to a greater risk of kidney disease. But just because you've got a desk, doesn't mean your job has to harm you. As this instructional video from Flikli attests, there are ways to prevent common injuries and offset the damage of a sedentary day. Here are some tips and tricks to get you started. Tell us in the comments -- how do you avoid the dreaded desk slump at work?Stop whatever you're doing and freeze. Now, evaluate your body. Does anything -- your neck, perhaps -- feel achy? And your wrists and fingers -- are they okay after all that typing and texting?While working long hours at the computer, you've complained about (and subsequently ignored) the toll desk work takes on your body. But it's easy to brush off the daily aches and pains when the solution is so unclear.
If you're lucky, your company might offer its employees ergonomic consultations. But, if you're among the majority without such luxuries, it's time to take matters into your own hands.Obviously, talk to a doctor or ergonomic specialist before making any changes, but we talked to a couple of ergo experts, and this is what they recommended. Scoot your chair away from your desk and sit down comfortably. For many people, it would look a lot like sitting in a car. Your feet are on the floor in front of you; your hands are in your lap; and your shoulders relax as you lean back just a bit. Your behind...is behind you.This is called your "natural posture." In it, your vertebrae are stacked, your entire back moves as you breathe, and your pelvis is positioned so that your spine is stacked properly.Memorize this natural posture. Since we've been taught to "sit up straight" and "tuck in" the tailbone, it won't be an easy change. If it helps, take Esther Gokhale's advice and pretend you have a tail.
With this in mind, you can start building an ergonomic workstation that supports this posture.Building around the natural posture, the keyboard and mouse should be positioned in a way that keeps your elbows to your sides, and your arms at or below a 90-degree angle. This way, the muscle load is reduced and you're not straining.Position your keyboard 1 to 2 inches above your thighs. For most people, that probably means employing a pull-out keyboard tray. Alternatively, you can lower your desk, but the keyboard tray is a preferred method. The keyboard should ideally be positioned with a negative tilt -- down and away from you, so that your arms and hand follow the downward slope of your thighs. That being said, never use the kickstands provided underneath most keyboards.Ideally, your keyboard and mouse should be shoulder-distance apart and as level as possible. A couple of things will help you achieve this.First, consider purchasing a keyboard without a number pad, as the number pad puts the letter keys -- your primary input tools -- off-center.
As for keeping the mouse and keyboard level, you might want to raise your keyboard with some DIYing, or get a flatter mouse.Setting up your screen, or screens, doesn't have to be complicated. Arrange them in this order, and you'll be set.If your screen is too far away, you'll start doing something ergonomics experts like to call "turtling," or craning your neck. Place the monitor too far away, and you'll find yourself extending to reach it. To find the sweet spot, sit back and extend your arm. The tips of your middle finger should land on your screen. If you have two monitors, set them up side by side (no gap), and place the secondary monitor off-center. Those who use both monitors equally should center them both. Now, sit back and extend your arm and pan in an arch. As you pan your arm, your finger tip should almost always touch the monitors. Use the same logic when placing other items, like a document holder or a phone.To adjust the height, try this ergo trick: close your eyes. When you open them, your eyes should land on the address bar.
If not, lower or raise the monitors using the built-in option, with risers, or with a book. You can also check out this guide for more on height adjustment.Finally, tilt the monitors down just a smidge to avoid reflections.Your chair is your best ergonomic friend. It supports your back, your bottom, and your posture. There are many chairs to choose from, but only a few important things to look out for.Think back to your natural posture. With your tailbone sticking out just a bit, and your vertebrae in their slight curve, the lumbar portion of your spine points in toward your belly. To help you sustain this posture, find a chair that offers good lumbar support.When you sit down, there should be a little space between the edge of the chair and the back of your knees, about the size of your fist. Depending on the chair, you might be able to adjust the seat depth accordingly.When you sit, your feet should be on the floor (not dangling) in front of you, and your thighs should be slightly below your hips.
Shorter folks might need to use a footrest, while extra-tall types might need to adjust the height of the desk.If you ever find yourself tucking your feet behind you, sitting on one leg, or in another funky position, you chair needs to be adjusted.After all is said and done, there's one final piece that you can't simply set-and-forget: physical activity. Take a break at least once an hour to walk around the office or stretch. If it helps, set an hourly alarm as a reminder.No matter how ergonomic your workstation is, stretching your body is the only thing that can combat the health issues that arise from prolonged sitting. To guide this article, we turned to Alan Hedge, a professor at Cornell University who has been teaching, researching, and consulting on ergonomics for over 30 years. This site, one of the first ergonomics sites on the Internet, offers a wealth of information on ergonomics.Prafulla Mukhi Prabhu Venkatesh, an ergonomics consultant and physiotherapist who has been practicing since 1992, also guided this piece.