Your time in the office is 8 hours and most likely the time spent in your office chair would be at least 6 hours. How is that? Now if given the chance to pick your own chair, you have to look for one that is back friendly. Yes, an ergonomic office chair, if you would.
Given such long hours of work can affect your back, spine, or even your shoulders. But how do you pick the right chair when there are so many to choose? Just google and you’ll get hundreds of pictures of chairs along side other furniture like filing cabinets, sofa, and executive chairs.
Listed below the features to look for in a good ergonomic chair.
There are 5 of them. And you will get to be familiar with these as we will talk about these 5 in detail. Here they are:
- Adjustable Lumbar Support
- Mesh type
- Depth and width of seat, height adjustable
- Armrest and Headrest
- Tilt Mechanism and Recline
We’ll take up the first one.
Adjustable Lumbar Support for Ergonomic Office Chair
The lower part of your back is naturally curved. For a chair to be ergonomically designed, it must mimic the curvature of your back. But if you might have noticed, most of the chairs are just straight, I mean, the backrest is flat-out straight, no curvature.
This could potentially damage your back. Problems like herniated discs and spondylosis are the most common result. The lumbar support is intended to keep that natural curve of your spine.
And yes, you might see a lumbar support in every other chair, but they are not the same. This is not what you want. You don’t want a one type fit all lumbar support. What you want is an adjustable lumbar support. This is the type that reinforces and keep your spine aligned.
What Adjustable Lumbar Support Does
This adjustable lumbar support lets you change the curvature of the backrest to fit your body shape and posture.
Personalized comfort. Now what it does is it gives you personalized comfort. Yes, because everyone’s spinal curvature is different. Here’s how it benefits you. You can adjust the height and depth of the lumbar pad to match the natural curve of your back.
Less Strain. The natural curvature of the spine should be kept. In this way the muscles, the nerves and bony joints don’t have to work as hard.
Improved Posture. This one is impactful for me. When seated, there is almost always a tendency for me to slide into the seat and slouch. Why, it seems that your body feels rested in a slouch position.
When your lower back is fully supported because the backrest adjusts to your back’s movements, there is less tendency to hunch over or slouch. Good posture is about safeguarding your spine against long-term damage.
The Science Behind Lumbar Support
The lower back typically curves inward, which is called lordosis (yes, though I’m a furniturally – what a word! inclined individual, I also do some readings on this topic|). It is important to keep this curve for good posture.
If you sit for long periods without adequate support on your back, there is a strong tendency to slouch. This can alter the natural curve of your spine and put a lot of stress of your nerves, muscles and other bony elements of your back.
Applied Ergonomics (2018) published a study which says that chairs with lumbar support were way better at reducing stress and lower back pain than chairs without it. It also emphasized that a good lumbar support reduces fatigue and thus improves work productivity.
The design of the chair’s lumbar support varies. There’s the one-size-fits-all, then there’s the personalized support. According to the Journal of Physical Therapy Science (2017), the personalized lumbar support is way better than one-size-fits-all designs.
There is also this research from the Cochrane Collaboration (2011) on workplace interventions for preventing and treating lower back pain. It says that ergonomic adjustments, which primarily includes lumbar support, can reduce the risk of chronic back pain.
What to Look for in the Adjustable Back Support
There are some chairs with adjustable back support that are better than others. When buying, keep these things in mind:
- Height adjustment. The lumbar pad should be able to move up and down to fit the curve of your lower back. The change depends on who sits on the chair. If he is taller, the pad is moved upwards a bit as compared to a shorter person.
- Adjustable Depth: There are chairs that let you change how far the lumbar pad protrudes. See those people with deep curvatures of the back? This works well for them. Then there are some who may not have this body curves, the depth have to be adjusted.
- Firmness control. Look for chairs where you can change how stable the back support is. If it’s too soft, then you won’t get the support you need, and if it’s too hard, you might you may hurt your back instead.
- Built-In vs. Add-On Support: Choose the built-in type. This is more durable than just the add-on removable pads.
Top Chairs with Adjustable Lumbar Support
Here are my top 2 picks that got the adjustable lumbar support game. The first one is on the expensive side and the second is on the budget-friendly side.
Herman Miller Embody. The lumbar support is movable, as you move, it moves with you. This keeps your lower back comfortable. They called this tech “Embody’s Backfit technology.” This lumbar support instantly adjusts to your natural curve of your spine. Other competing brands must be adjusted. Since it follows your spine’s movement, this reduces stress and improves the flow of your blood. It also helps you from getting too rigid as it is okay to have movements. As among the high end in office chair category, the Herman Miller Embody’s lumbar system is a mix of science-backed ergonomics and innovative design. Most of the high end conference tables are also paired with these as conference chairs. If you spend a lot of time sitting and of course if budget permits, then get this one. It’s made for workers who spend a lot of time inside their cubicles office sitting down. It provides unmatched lower back support without the need to make constant adjustments.
Sihoo M57. Economical Comfort with Adjustable Lumbar Support. This is what the Sihoo M57 offers exactly—without going broke. As some of you may know the adjustable lumbar support is a feature usually reserved for more expensive ergonomic chairs. Only very few have this feature in the budget-conscious class. The Sihoo M57 lets you adjust the height and depth of the lumbar support, thus ensuring an exact fit for your lower back. Most of the budget-friendly chairs have fixed lumbar designs. The sturdy but flexible lumbar pad helps keep good posture, so less strain and discomfort results from extended work hours. The support of the lumbar part stays engaged as you lean back, therefore preventing gaps between your lower back and the chair. This is so good a feature as it prevents slouching. You know, slouching is one of main case of lower back pain among office workers.
Tips for Maximizing Lumbar Support
Now the best chairs won’t help your back if you simply don’t know how to use it correctly. What you need to do to get the most out of your adjustable lumbar support is as follows:
- Adjust as Needed: Change the adjustments as necessary. Throughout the day, alter the lumbar support so that it matches your posture. This is necessary especially if this is the first time you use the chair.
- Pair with Good Habits: Well, you might be confident that you have this beautiful, adjusted chair and you can sit there all your office hours. You still have to take good advice from my good chiropractor (yes, I have one). He said take breaks, stretch every 30 – 45minutes, and maintain proper sitting posture to balance your chair’s support.
- Consult an Expert: If you’re unsure how to adjust your chair, ask an ergonomics expert or an office furniture guy for guidance. Well, the shop attendant where you bought your chair may be good in selling but may not be the best adviser in the proper use of the chair to get a healthy back.
For now, that is all about the lumbar support which is one of the most important feature of an ergonomic office chair. In the next post we will untangle the mesh in mesh office chairs. Yes, in the Philippines, the mesh type is better suited over the foam padded seats.