Home Office Chairs Protect Backs

Computer Seating on a Budget Can Save Back Pain and Stress

Oct 25, 2008

Cheap home/small-office chairs can cause back pain, pinched nerves and muscle strain. Chairs designed to ergonomic principles are worth any extra cost by aiding health.

People who work from home or run businesses in small offices can spend long hours in their desk chairs or computer chairs. Extended sitting in badly-designed chairs causes musculo-skeletal injuries by failing to support the body properly.

Ergonomic Office Chairs

Proper support maintains the correct curvature of the spine without which the disks of the spine can bulge, to irritate and pinch nerves and cause muscle spasms. Proper support also reduces pressure under the thighs that can restrict blood flow.

A fully ergonomic chair, that is adjustable and designed to fit the body closely, can be expensive. However, chairs are available that provide at least some degree of ergonomic design within a tight budget.

Comfortable Seat Height

One important component is seat height adjustment. The seat should place the sitter's feet flat on the floor with the thighs horizontal.

In modern chairs, the seat is supported by a piston inside a cylinder with a spring (a 'gas lift'). As the sitter operates a lever and partly stands, to take weight off the seat, the spring pushes the seat up and air is drawn into the cylinder. When the person sits, the weight is supported by the air pressure. When the person operates the lever while seated, air is released and the seat lowers gently.

Comfortable Seat Padding

The seat padding should allow a person to sit comfortably for one or two hours. Cheap padding will wear out in a few months.

The front edge of the seat should curve downwards (a 'waterfall front') to prevent pressure under the thighs. In the best seat pans, the sides curve up slightly to support the side of the buttocks, which spreads the pressure under the seat bones.

Prevention of Back Pain

The back rest should follow the natural curve of the spine. It should be adjustable in height. In the most common small or home office chair -- a ‘task chair’ -- the back supports up to just below the shoulder blades. Managers' chairs and executive chairs have higher backs.

The best designed chairs allow the seat and back to tilt so the sitter can sit at a comfortable angle (a slight recline) and move. A lever on some chairs locks the tilt or releases it to allow the sitter to rock. Movement is important to promote blood flow and to flex the disks. Prolonged periods of inaction during which disks do not flex cause the disks to harden, leading to degenerative disk disease that results in nerves being pinched by bone.

The most ergonomic chairs have a mechanism that synchronizes the back and seat, so that the back tilts for two degrees for every one degree of seat tilt. This reduces pressure under the thighs as the sitter reclines.

Arm rests are best adjustable in height and movable down when the person is operating a keyboard, and up to rest the arms.

Affordable Prices

Chairs researched for this article were listed by retailers at prices, at time of writing, from approximately US$80 to $500.

In between this price range is a Global Group chair with Memory Foam® seat padding, height- and width-adjustable arms, seat and back adjustments, multi-tilt lockable mechanism, tension adjustment, and back-height and -angle adjustments.

A lower-priced Global ergonomic operator chair has a contoured seat and back with lumbar support, back and seat height and angle adjustments, and arm height adjustment.

At the lower point of IKEA's price range is a swivel chair with height adjustment, adjustable tilt tension and a mesh backrest. At the upper range is a chair with adjustable height, backrest and seat depth, adjustable, lockable, synchronized tilt and adjustable armrests.

Better Business Productivity

The temptation for someone setting up an office at home or in a small business is to purchase for price. It is an error. Investment in an ergonomic chair can prevent painful back injury and muscle spasms. It can also increase productivity by helping people concentrate longer.

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The copyright of the article Home Office Chairs Protect Backs in Small/Home Business is owned by Thomas Kelly. Permission to republish Home Office Chairs Protect Backs in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.