Adjusting Your Office Chair – The Ultimate Guide

When you need to be at your desk for a very long time either working or studying, you need to know everything you can about adjusting your office chair. After all, adjusting your office chair will not only allow you to have a better sitting posture and improve your overall health, as it will also prevent you from having those terrible back, neck, and shoulder pains.

So are you ready to learn everything you can about adjusting your office chair? Let’s get started…

#1: The Height Of Your Workstation:

The first thing that you need to do is to make sure that your workstation is at the right height. In case your workstation allows you to do this, you should stand in front of the chair and then adjust the height of the workstation so that the highest point is below the kneecap. Then, sit on your office chair and ensure that your elbows form a 90-degree angle. 

#2: Look At Your Feet:

When you are sitting on your office chair, your feet need to be flat on the ground. In case you’re petite, you should definitely consider buying a footrest so that you can keep your feet in the right position. 

Discover the best footrests on the market.

#3: The Distance Between The Front Of Your Office Chair And Your Calf:

Now, you’ll need to measure the distance between the front of your office chair and your calf. In order to know if you’re adjusting your office chair the right way, you will need to clench your fist first and then try to pass it between the back of your calf and your office chair. It should only have space for your fist to pass, neither more nor less. 

In case it’s too tight and your fist can’t pass, then your office chair is too deep. So, to start adjusting your office chair, you need to bring the backrest forward. In case there is too much room besides your fist size, this means that you will need to adjust the backrest backward instead. 

#4: Adjusting The Height Of The Backrest:

The main goal of adjusting your office chair in terms of the height of the backrest is to ensure that you have a firm support on your lumbar area (the lower area of your back). All you need to do is to try to move the backrest up and down until you feel this support in this area of your back. 

Please notice that only some office chairs allow this type of adjustment. 

Discover the best office chairs for lower back pain.

#5: Adjusting The Angle Of The Backrest:

While the height of the backrest is mainly important for your lower back area, adjusting the angle of the backrest allows you to support your entire back while you are sitting in your favorite posture. 

There is no specific angle degree that you can point out as the best one. So, what we advise you to do when you are adjusting your office chair in terms of the angle of the backrest is to slightly move it back and forward until you reach a good point for you. When looking for the best angle, you should also pay attention to your monitor.

#6: Adjust The Armrests:

While not all office chairs have armrests, and while only some allow you some type of adjustment, we are still going to tell you the best way that you have when you are adjusting your office chair. 

One of the key aspects to have in mind is that your elbows should barely touch the armrests when you have them at the 90 degrees angle that we mentioned earlier. In addition, you should make sure that you can swing your arms freely. 

In case your office chair has armrests that are just too high and it doesn’t allow you to adjust them, then you should simply remove them.