With a myriad of great chairs and determining factors, it’s daunting to choose the right chair! Despite many chairs claim to support the body, only a few have all the requirements to be the perfect chair for you.
So, how can you know you have found an office chair that is right for you? Here are four important considerations to take when choosing the right ergonomic chair.
The chair should be a perfect fit for you
How can you if the chair you want fits you? Sometimes a feeling is not enough. You should take a look at the measurements.
The seat pan should be 1 inch wider on each side of your body. You should be able to sit and touch the back of the chair with a gap of 1 inch behind your knees. Otherwise, it will restrict blood circulation and cause knee problems.
Even if you use a cushion shaped to fit your spine, that will only make the shape of the back of the chair redundant. The most important aspect of choosing the right chair for you is to ensure that it fits your body size.
The Back Seat Should Support You
Back support is what sets ergonomic chairs and ordinary office chairs apart. A right ergonomic office chair also should have the right height for you.
The back seat should finish above your shoulders. In case your office doesn’t check for a height adjustment setting.
Some office chairs feature height-adjustable backs to customize them according to your needs. Other chairs compensate for their lack of adjustability with an oversized backseat. That’s okay as long as the back seat can support you.
If you’re the only user a back that adjusts in relation to the seat pan is not truly necessary. This feature is only meant to set the length and depth of the seat pan for people of different heights.
Identify the right adjustable Lumbar Support
You’ll want to ensure you maximize the use of adjustable lumbar support. The back seat should fit into your lower back, creating a curve away from the back of the chair.
This curve in a chair back is a crucial factor for an ergonomic design. The key is not only knowing the right size for this curve -between 3.1 and 3.6 degrees. How can you recognize this curve in your chair?
You can start by trying a chair with built-in back support to see if you like it. Yet, the way you feel sitting on a chair in the first five minutes will drastically change after a few hours. Some bodies have a bigger curve at the bottom of their spine, while others are much flatter.
Instead, try this: sit fully back and press your back flat into a straight chair. Push your hand flat into the small of your back. If you don’t where that is, it’s between your lower back and the chair. Then you’ll know the curve your body needs.
The Armrests
The armrest of an ergonomic office chair is important if you spend a lot of time not sitting a desk. But even then, they need to fit you properly and be in the right position.
To start, the armrests need to be the right width. Too far apart, you will sit with your arms out at an awkward angle. Having your shoulders out to the side all the time will lead to should and neck fatigue in no time.
Next, your chair armrests need to support your arms at the right height. Too high armrests and you’ll be stuck in a permanent shrug position. Forcing the shoulders out of position will put stress on them as the baseline muscle tension increases.
In our next article, we’ll continue talking about more key factors to choose a chair that’s right for you: height adjustability, seat pan tilt, and the importance of having the right support for your body.