Sizing Up the Right Petite Chair for Smaller Users Just as with those individuals who are taller or heavier than the average body, petite people have a difficult time finding a chair that fits properly. Most chairs, even when adjustable, are designed to fit the 5th – 95th percentile. A 5’2″ female is technically right at the 5th percentile, but will still find that most chairs are really not scaled properly. An improperly sized chair can present genuine health risks. A seat that is too deep can create circulatory problems for the lower legs. A properly fitting seat has two to four fingers’ width of space between the front of the seat edge and the back of the knee. Too high a seat can also cut off circulation to the lower extremities; however if seat height is the only fit problem, a foot rest is a quick and inexpensive fix. Many chairs have a seated height that starts anywhere from 16″ to 19″ or more. Given that the correct seated height for a 5’ tall person is 14″ and only 15.5″ at 5’4″, too high a seat is a common problem.
Arms that are too far apart limit support for the shoulders and arms. Proper support of the arms is part of the solution to prevent hand, arm, thoracic, and neck problems, so improperly placed chairs arms can rule out an otherwise great chair. In addition to these fit issues, the lumbar may hit in the wrong place and the headrest miss the head if the chair back cannot be adjusted to fit the smaller person. Note to heavier people: a heavier, short person might not need as shallow or narrow a seat as their hips will require a larger space to fit comfortably and may be perfectly suited for a standard sized chair, provided it is equipped with a shorter cylinder to offer a lower seated height range. Great chair options for petite ladies Three chairs we’ve found that fit an amazing range of bodies are the Steelcase Amia chair, Steelcase Leap chair, and the Steelcase Think chair. In addition to having a generous seat depth range, these seats are narrower than many, and the standard arms can be slid inward, close to the body.
These chairs are especially well suited for corporate environments where one chair may have to fit many users over its lifetime. Neutral Posture, Bodybilt, Ergocentric and Via all offer chairs with the option of a small or even extra small seat. Seating Inc. has several models that offer a petite version that is scaled to fit a smaller body. Thus it is possible to offer an entire office a uniform appearance while fitting different body sizes. All of these companies offer arm options as well, that at a minimum are width adjustable. Some models have arms that will pivot inward or offer a double pivot, allowing the user to bring them closer to the body. Some of our favorites In addition to the Steelcase chairs named above, The Ergocentric GeoCentric chair is comfortable, well built and an excellent value. The Neutral Posture XSM Petite chair is designed for the ultra-petite, under 5’ tall person and can work well even for an extremely petite person – as short as three feet tall.
I’m 5’1″ and bought a Neutral Posture NPS8500 chair for my personal use (without the headrest) and absolutely love it. A great home office chair at a budget price is the ErgoCentric Saffron Apt chair, which starts just above the $200 mark. The Bodybilt J2406 chair or Bodybilt J3406 chair are the ultimate in comfort and are highly customizable, making them the best choice for those with serious pain issues. All of these can be customized into a drafting stool with height adjustable foot rings for leg support to accommodate a taller desk or a sit to stand workstation. In summary, just as with any other body size, getting a chair that fits the body correctly is the key factor to all day comfort and injury prevention. While it is more challenging for the petite person to find a good chair, there are excellent options out there. Ergonomic Chairs for Petite People Your Complete Guide to Ergonomic ChairsMost typical adjustable office chairs utilize a pneumatic cylinder to easily raise and lower the height of the seat for the user.
The pneumatic cylinder functions by releasing air when the user pulls the appropriate lever while sitting on the chair, and springing back up when the user pulls the lever while standing. But when the seal on the cylinder fails or internal mechanism becomes damaged, the adjustment no longer works properly. Fixing this common problem requires only a hammer, little expertise, and a replacement cylinder. By purchasing a new pneumatic chair cylinder on eBay, buyers can save both time and money compared to buying from the manufacturer. Whether complete or partial failure of the pneumatic cylinder occurs, cylinder replacement remains the easiest, most sensible solution. If the chair does not move from the lowest setting, users can assume complete cylinder failure has occurred. If the seat slowly sinks over the course of the day, then only partial cylinder failure has occurred. Repair of the leaky cylinder, however, is not usually practical. If the height adjustment of the chair works fine but the seat wobbles, this indicates a problem with the base or wheels.
In this case, users should simply tighten all screws at the base and replace damaged parts. In cases involving cylinder failure, the manufacturer of the specific chair can provide a replacement cylinder, usually with installation instructions. If the chair has an active warranty, the manufacturer may replace the cylinder at no cost. Since these cylinders have a standardized size across the industry, eBay vendors also offer many standard pneumatic cylinders that fit just about any pneumatic chair, often at prices lower than the manufacturer offers for chairs without a warranty. The following table lists the common symptoms, diagnoses, and solutions for pneumatic desk chair repair. Chair locks in position and does not rise Chair slowly sinks with use, but does rise Chair wobbles, but rises and adjusts properly Problem with wheels and/or chair base Tighten parts at base and check for damage, replace damaged parts As the table shows, basically two categories of issues exist: problems with the pneumatic cylinder and problems with the base.
Adjustment troubles indicate a cylinder malfunction, while stability issues mean the problem resides at the base. Replacing a faulty desk chair cylinder requires only some basic tools and know-how. For this task, users need a hammer or heavy mallet and a new replacement cylinder. Aside from that, this process requires no additional parts or tools. The pneumatic cylinder connects to the chair seat without any hardware. To remove it, first turn the chair upside down. Then firmly tap the area round where the cylinder connects to the bottom of the seat while holding on to the base. Users should take care to tap evenly on all side of the cylinder. Eventually, the connection loosens and the cylinder comes out. Just like the upper connection, this lower connection has no hardware involved. They cylinder simply wedges into the base assembly. To remove it, hold the base upside down. Firmly tap on the exposed portion of the cylinder until it disconnects from the base. It falls to the floor, so put down padding if necessary to prevent damage to the floor from the metal cylinder.
Since no hardware exists, installing the new cylinder takes only a few simple steps. First, put the base on the floor right side up. Insert the bottom of the new cylinder into the hole where the old cylinder fit, pushing in firmly. Then, with the seat on the floor upside down, push the connected base and cylinder into the hole at the bottom of the seat firmly. Set the chair upright and push down firmly. Test the adjustment mechanism to make sure it works properly. Since all standard pneumatic cylinder desk chairs use the same width cylinder, buyers find many suitable options on eBay by searching for " pneumatic cylinder chair replacement ." Height and color, however, vary from one cylinder to the next. For the best results, buyers should purchase a new cylinder of a similar height and color to the original. By replacing a desk chair's broken cylinder, users can save money without much added effort or time. But in some cases, when the chair itself has substantial wear, it makes more sense to replace the entire piece of furniture.