Worker's tend to spend the majority of their day sitting in an office chair, shouldn't they be comfortable? A good ergonomic office chair is hard to find and even harder to choose. There are many factors to consider in finding the right ergonomic chair for your body type and workplace conditions. In example, a doctor has different ergonomic needs than a computer technician for the type of work performed. Start by considering your body type. The average office chair will fit the average sized person but larger and smaller body types may need special equipment or adjustment features. Considerations for a larger sized person are things such as seat height and depth adjustment as well as chair weight capacity. A larger sized person would also have to consider the arm adjustability in height and width, making sure that it gives them comfort ability and enough room for movement. A smaller sized person would also need to consider things such as seat height and arm adjustment as well as a foot-ring or footrest option in order to keep their body in ergonomic balance and feet firmly on the floor. Studies have shown us that the upright position, completely straight, is not the best seating posture. In fact, a reclined posture of approximately 100-110 degrees makes the chair start to work FOR your body. This decreases postural muscle activity and disc pressure on the lumbar region. Sitting in an erect postion is not the desired outcome, be sure that your chair has a tilt mechanism with reclining motion, preferably that locks in several positions. Take into consideration all of your workplace conditions, such as desk and computer monitor height, keyboard placement, foot space and hours of daily use. In order for any chair to truly work ergonomically, the workplace environment where it is located also needs to be adjusted and considered. To be truly ergonomic a chair needs to provide the user with constant movement. A high-end ergonomic chair will offer things like adjustment mechanisms and specially designed features that move with your body keeping the eye level constant whether completely reclined or in a more straight-backed position. This movement of the chair keeps your body in the correct posture whether reclining or sitting upright. This is important to maintaining proper health and blood flow and can be worth the money. Finding a great chair without going high-end and still having a chair with the right ergonomic features is also possible. Many economy or mid-grade models and executive style chairs have features needed for good ergonomics. Many features are available, such as leather, mesh, vinyl and fabrics, as well as headrests, footrings and frame color choices to pick a chair you also like to look at. Always remember that in order to have a truly ergonomic chair, an important part is to keep the proper heights for your workstation and office equipment. The office chair that you are looking for might be needed for use with multiple users and adjustability is the number one concern, or used with one person for long periods of time and lumbar support is the main factor. Please see the features listed on the chair you are interested in and make sure that the model that "looks perfect" is the right one for you ergonomically. |
