If your seating isn’t set up to suit your needs, it can cause you to sit in awkward positions with incorrect posture. This can lead to discomfort, back pain and upper limb disorders.
Common seating issues include:
- Lack of lumbar support
- No armrests
- Uncomfortable padding
- Inability to adjust height or tilt
- Wheels vs. legs – not being able to roll or rolling too freely
- Swivel movement too sensitive or too stiff
Solution – Finding the right chair for you
Workplace seating is often overlooked, but is one of the main contributing factors to discomfort and flare-ups.
When searching for your ideal work chair, ask yourself the following questions:
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Will the chair be comfortable over long stretches of time?
It’s important to remember that, in most roles, you’ll be required to work from your desk for a large portion of the day.
Whilst it’s key to take regular breaks to move around and stretch your muscles, you’ll spend a lot of time sitting down. Be sure to keep this in mind when assessing your seating options – what’s comfortable for 15 minutes may not be comfortable for a number of hours throughout the day.
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Does the chair provide adequate lumbar support?
Try to find a chair that’s fully adjustable in terms of being able to change the height and tilt of the seat and backrest in order to suit your needs. It’s important to find a chair that provides adequate support for the thoracic spine without restricting upper-limb movement.
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Is the seat pan deep enough to prevent strain on the legs and lower back?
The size of the seat itself needs to be wide enough to accommodate people with a larger build.
It also needs to be deep enough to allow taller people to sit comfortably without placing strain on the legs and lower back, whilst not being so deep that shorter people can’t use the backrest.
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Is the padding suitable?
As a minimum, there should be at least 2cm of foam padding on your seat. In some chairs, the padding is moulded to support the base of the spine and to gently cup the outer edge of the thigh.
There are a range of models available, all providing different types of padding in different areas to relieve pressure from certain parts of the body. Be sure to explore all of your options and consider the main areas you experience discomfort when selecting your new chair.
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Does the chair have armrests, and are they adjustable?
Whilst having armrests on your chair can make working at your desk more comfortable, they aren’t essential and in some cases can actually make your posture worse, encouraging you to lean to one side if they’re not set to the appropriate height.
The main drawback of having a chair with armrests is that they tend to collide with the desk before you’re close enough to establish a good working posture. As a result, armrests should be short (i.e. no deeper than your torso).
Your armrests should also be height adjustable and padded to allow for a comfortable working position.
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Does the chair allow for comfortable movement?
You should also consider how much/little you’ll need to be able to move around in your chair (i.e. would you prefer a chair with wheels or a chair without?).
If you’re opting for a chair with wheels, there are a few other things you’ll need to take into account:
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- Size
If the wheels are small and you’re working on a carpeted floor, they’re more likely to get stuck and become difficult to move.
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- Flooring
If the flooring beneath your desk is hard, such as laminate flooring or linoleum, and you require more stability when moving from a seated to a standing position, you should avoid using a chair with wheels.
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- Control
If controlling the movement of your chair is something you’re concerned about, you could try placing a hard or soft mat under your desk to help with controlling the movement of the wheels on your chair. Self-locking wheels can also present a challenge, so make sure your new chair doesn’t have this feature.
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Will you require a footrest to work comfortably at your desk?
When working at your desk, you should be able to place your feet flat on the floor with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
If this position doesn’t come naturally for you due to your current workspace set-up, it might be worth introducing a footrest to use at your desk. This can help you to maintain a good posture by taking the strain off your thighs.
Take the right measurements to find the perfect fit
When it comes to finding the right chair for you, it’s important to consider all of your options and, where possible, try before you buy.
If you’re purchasing a chair online, taking the following measurements can help to determine whether or not a chair is the perfect fit:
- Popliteal fossa to buttock
- Seat pan to apex of lumbar curve
- Elbow height to seat pan
- Hip width
