4 Office Chair Features You Can’t Do Without

If you work in an office, you know that sitting all day hurts your back. And it’s not only pain. Sometimes, you may feel that stiffness not to mention your legs tired.  

Ultimately, all these pains, aches, stiffness, and tiredness can be attributed to poor ergonomics, poor body awareness, and a poorly designed office chair.

So, when you know your job requires sitting for long lengths of time, you need to choose the perfect ergonomic office chair. If you can’t control what chair you get, there are some tips on what to look for in a proper ergonomic chair.

4 Office Chair Features You Can’t Do Without

#1: Adjust Seat Height:

As long as you are sitting on an ergonomic office chair, you have the ability to adjust the seat height. While it doesn’t seem so, this is one of the most important office chair features. 

The reality is that if your seat is too low, your elbows will be below your desk surface. So, you’ll need to stretch out to reach your desk, phone, and keyboard which can quickly lead to issues such as shoulder pain and carpal tunnel from leaning on the desk or over-reaching. In case your seat is too high, you may start to slouch or have poor posture from typing all day. Your feet won’t be on the floor either, contributing to your back discomfort.

Discover the best office chairs for posture in 2020.

#2: Your Office Chair Should Have The Right Width and Depth:

The truth is that one of the office chair features that most people tend to pay less attention to is the seat width and depth. They tend to assume that all seats are the same and they only look at the cushions. However, this isn’t true. 

The reality is that an office chair that is not wide enough for your hips or deep enough for your backside will not provide adequate support. 

You should always try to sit with your back against the seat and your knees should be about 1-2 inches from the front of the seat, so you can get at least 2 fingers between the back of your knee and the front of your seat. 

If you are a very tall person, finding a seat that has an adjustable depth setting is important so that you have good weight distribution between your butt and your thighs. The same is true if you are very short, the seat should be able to be retracted so it doesn’t push into the back of your knees.

Take a look at the benefits of an ergonomic office chair.

#3: Lumbar Support Is Crucial:

When you need to sit for many hours in a row, then you need to ensure that the office chair that you are sitting on had the right lumbar support so it protects your back. To ensure that you maintain the natural inward curve or the lumbar curve of your spine, you need to make sure that the chair you are using includes an adjustable lumbar support. 

While lumbar supports can be purchased as accessories, adjustable ones are best for those who sit for extended periods of time on a regular basis. 

How to pick the best ergonomic office chair for you.

#4: Armrests:

We keep seeing many people working at the office that simply don’t use armrests. However, when you are trying to sit with a good posture to prevent all those pains and aches we mentioned above, you need to ensure that you use them. However, you need to place them at the right height and angle to fit your body and allow you to sit in a good posture. 

Simply put, you should be able to be comfortably seated, with your back against the seat and your feet on the floor with your arms supported adjacent to your trunk, shoulder in line with the elbow supported on the armrest intermittently, without it pushing your shoulders upward.