Ergonomic Chair: Ergonomic Chairs for Spine Support

Ergonomic chairs, keyboards, and other devices have been all over stores and mentioned in many news articles. They are designed to help people have better posture, and by having better posture have less repetitive stress injuries to the hands, back, and knees.

Sitting for long periods of time, which is common place in many jobs today, can cause injury to the back or knees. This type of back injury can cause a lot of pain even when not sitting. A possible prevention for this pain is the use of an ergonomic chair. It is important to have proper back support at all times and an ergonomic chair will help people maintain the position of their spine and promote better posture. Many people’s back problems are in part due to poor posture.

Degree of Ergonomic Chair Support

Many different chairs are considered ergonomic, though to truly be an ergonomic chair it should have adjustable lumbar support, adjustable arm rests, adjustable seat height, and feel comfortable for the task at hand. Adjustable lumbar support is to help maintain a person’s posture encouraging the back to remain straight while sitting. The ergonomic chair is designed to support the lower back and therefore the spine regardless of exact posture because it will support the entire lower back area with proper adjustment, making sitting more comfortable.

The Importance of being Adjustable

Adjustable armrests are an important feature of any ergonomic chair that has arms. Not all ergonomic chairs have arm rests and for some situations the armrests are unnecessary. If armrests are desired, they should be wide, padded, and able to accommodate people of various heights.

Adjustable seat height is often standard for office and desk chairs, this of course wouldn’t be important for an easy chair style ergonomic chair. If the chair will be used in an office or at home in front of a computer, the adjustable height will promote proper posture, with feet flat on the floor. The ergonomic chair should feel comfortable for the task for which it is intended. As an example, someone using the chair primarily in an office setting would want a chair with a lower back, to allow freedom of movement between typing at a computer and answering a telephone if needed.

For another example, if a person were using the chair mainly for sitting in at meetings and for typing; the person would want a taller back to allow proper support for the upper spine and shoulders.

Everyone who sits as a large part of his or her daily routine should invest in an ergonomic chair. Having the chair will help to prevent spinal injuries and back pain associated with sitting for long periods of time as it promotes the proper back posture and spinal positioning.