How to Choose an Ergonomic Office Chair?

Whether you are establishing an office or upgrading a workplace for your staff members, navigating the world of ergonomic furniture can be overwhelming. The increasing number of products available on the marketplace makes it challenging to narrow your purchasing alternatives. One crucial feature of building an ergonomic workspace is selecting the best ergonomic office chair. In this post, we break down what an ergonomic office chair is, why it deserves the investment, and what are the crucial criteria to try to find when going shopping for one.
 

What is an ergonomic office chair?

Why do I need an ergonomic office chair? Is it worth the financial investment?

Yes, we know, ergonomic office chairs are more pricey than your basic office chairs. But think about it as a financial investment in your or your employees' health and productivity.

The foremost, and non-negligible, reason to buy an ergonomic chair is health. Spending too much time sitting in your chair has actually been shown to put you at a greater threat of establishing a variety of serious disorders. More specifically, sitting in a non-ergonomic chair can cause the development of musculoskeletal disorders, which affect your muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments, and nerves from the absence of upper back support. It can adversely impact your posture, causing pressure on your spinal column and foundation, leading to pain in the back. It can also limit blood flow, which can lead to deep vein apoplexy, and problems like cervical spondylosis. The ideal ergonomic chair will adhere to your body shape, support a correct posture, keep your joints and tissues in a neutral position, and permit proper hip and hips alignment. This lowers your danger of injury and stress, will give you more energy, and let you focus without distraction and discomfort.

Ultimately, what you are getting by purchasing an ergonomic chair equates directly into your work. If you are an employer contemplating providing your employees with ergonomic chairs, The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries conducted a convincing research study. They took a look at 4000 users who switched to ergonomic furnishings in the workplace and found that absenteeism was minimized by 75%, error rate by 56%, and time on task was increased by 40%. By making the work environment of your staff members much safer, you are increasing their engagement and offering a more versatile environment that can uniquely get used to every worker. And if our forecasts are right, employees searching for a task will prioritize a growing number of offices that worth the wellness of their employees. Furthermore, ergonomic chairs are frequently premium furnishings that will last longer and stand up to years of wear and tear.
 

What to look for in a good ergonomic office chair?

You will find lots of chairs on the marketplace that recognize as ergonomic, however do not satisfy all the needed criteria. If you are going to invest in an ergonomic office chair, make certain you consider the following points to gain from the very best ergonomic support:
 

Adjustability

What makes a great ergonomic office chair is how you can easily change it to your needs. Everybody is various, so every chair needs to be able to adjust to its distinct user. Think of who will be using the chair, in what context, and make sure it is adaptable to every function it will serve. The majority of the following requirements consist of the adjustability of a chair's different parts.
 

Seat height

A great ergonomic chair will allow for the seat height to be changed from 15 to 22 inches off the flooring. This range suits individuals that are 5' to 6' 4" high. At the appropriate height, your feet should be flat on the flooring, with your knees at a 90-degree angle. This will reduce stress on your knees and back region. A chair with a pneumatic modification is ideal as you can correct the height being in the chair, but a chair with a spinning system will work to change the seat pan height.
 

Seat width

The standard seat size is in between 17 and 20 inches large to provide adequate area for thigh assistance. Each user requires to be sitting conveniently on a quality seat pan, with at least 1 inch on either side of their hips, but not so wide that their arms require to extend to touch the armrests.
 

Seat depth

On a right ergonomic office chair, the seat needs to be deep enough for the user to sit with their back against the backrest however leaves a space for 2 to 4 fingers in between completion of the chair and the user's knees. A minimum of 3/4 of the thighs need to be supported by the seat. Try to find chairs with a seat that slides, which lets the user slide the seat in and out while sitting in the chair.
 

Lumbar assistance

The presence of excellent lumbar support, and its adjustability, is a vital requirement. The lumbar spine supports and stabilizes the upper body, consisting of the neck and head. The chair back-rest permits truncal motion, protects the spinal cable, and controls leg motions. Its concave curve helps to even weight distribution, which lowers the concentration of stress. Being in a chair without lumbar support tends to flatten that curve, which leads to reduce back pain.
 

Backrest

A common back-rest is between 12 and 19 inches wide. It requires to support the natural curve of the spine. An ergonomic office chair should promote vibrant sitting rather than fixed posture to increase blood flow. It should, therefore, allow its user to attempt different recline postures to alleviate some weight from their lower backs. Pressure on the lumbar discs and muscle activity are at their least expensive with a reclining degree that is in between 110 and 130, depending on the physique.
 

Seat and backrest materials

Search for materials that are comfy for prolonged durations.

1. Make sure the seat pan padding is made from high-quality foam. On many ergonomic chairs, insufficient cushioning and low-grade foam can cause misalignment in the hips, imbalance, pain in the back, tiredness, and discomfort.

2. Avoid unbreathable synthetic materials. Cloth material on the seat is comfy and breathable, and leather is easy to tidy.

3. A mesh backrest keeps its users cool by keeping the air streaming, and easily contours the body while spreading the weight across a big area.
 

Armrests

The armrests need to be adjustable and even detachable if possible. The perfect height of armrests is from 7" to 10" above the seat pan height. They should be broad and comfortable so that the elbows and lower arms can rest lightly on them while typing.
 

Motion and stability

The chair requires to move and turn quickly so that its user can reach anything on their desk without straining. A chair that permits movement likewise promotes a vibrant position and increases blood circulation. Additionally, it requires to be steady. For this, an ergonomic office chair requires to have at least 5 spokes. And make certain the wheels are of high quality, so no damage is done to the flooring surface. Also, examine its weight capacity to validate it's proper for its user.
 

Production and warranties

Your ergonomic office chair will go through years of wear and tear, so make sure it comes with a great service warranty. You may likewise wish to examine where it is made (the closer to home the better!), how sustainable it is, and any accreditations it may have.
 

Price

Ergonomic office chair prices range from $200 to $2,000.
 

Conclusion

By now, you'll understand that we are passionate about ergonomic office furniture. We believe that working in a healthy environment promotes well-being, productivity, and fulfillment. And since we spend so much time in it, an ergonomic office chair is typically the entrance item into the world of ergonomics. It helps sustain us throughout the workday and minimizes, even removes neck and back pain. We hope this information will allow you to make an informed choice.