Anatomy of the Perfect Office Chair
May 07, 2014
Have you ever considered that a good office chair is comparable to a competent personal assistant? Both provide you with daily support and do it so well that you can’t do without them. An ergonomic office chair makes it easier for you to do your own job.
Look for the following features when you buy your next office chair:
Height Adjustable Seat
A pneumatic adjustment lever allows you raise or lower the seat to match your own height.For ideal comfort when seated; your thighs should be parallel with the floor. Many chairs can be too low or too high depending on where they were designed and manufactured.
Always trial a chair for at least 24 hours prior to purchasing the item to ensure this is the correct chair and no uneven pressure is formed on your back.
Adjustable Backrests
An office chair ought to allow movement of the backrest to suit your task. When the backrest is attached to the seat it should have forward and backward movement with the seat, while a backrest that is separate from the seat should be height adjustable as well as tilt adjustable. A locking mechanism is useful for holding the back in place so that your seat doesn’t unexpectedly tilt backward.
Lumbar Support
The backrest plays the important role of supporting the spine. The contour of each person’s spinal column is as unique as a finger print soit is essential to find a chair that fits your natural spine shape.
To avoidslumping, the lower back should be supported to keep it slightly arched. This is necessary for injury prevention to minimize tension on the lumbar discsin your spine.It is best to test this feature on a chair before you buyit to ensure the lumbar support is located in the correct area for you. The Ergo Air SP3ILS & Arena range of seating features an air adjustable lumbar support for those with injured backs.
Sufficient Seat Depth and Width
A good office chair needs to be both wide and deep enough to allow you a comfortable seat. A taller person will need a deeper seat but a shallow one will suit you best if you’re not so tall. When seated on a shallow seat, a taller person has inadequate support and may experience higher contact pressure under their thighs. Pressure behind the knees results from sitting on a seat pan which is too long and if you ‘perch’ on the edge of a chair you have no benefit from the back support. When seated with your back against the backrest it is preferable to have 2-4 inches between the seat and the back of your knees. There should also be a function for adjusting the seat tilt forward or backward depending on your preference. A seat slide mechanism is also available to have the one-chair-fits-all solution.
Material and Seat Foam
A breathable material is desirable if you will be sitting for prolonged periods of time. A breathable fabric such as mesh will reduce the heat pressure points when seated for longer periods of time.
The seat foam needs to be a comfortable balance between soft and hard. After a few hours a hard surface will prove painful while one too soft will not give you enough support.
Our postulated dual density chair foams assist to reduce pain and numbness by providing softer foams under the spine and the firmer foams around the edges. A few chairs that have dual density foams are the Jadex, Integra, Capital, and the Summit
Armrests
Armrests on an office chair take stress off your upper back, neck and shoulders. Adjustable armrests can be positioned to support your arms so you will be less likely to hunch. It is critical to ensure the arm rest have enough adjustability to cater for your ergonomic seating position.
Adjustment Controls
All the adjustment controls of an office chair should be near at hand. You ought to be able to go higher or lower, tilt or swivel the chair while remaining in a comfortable sitting position.
Swivel and Castors
For full efficiency you should be able to rotate in your chair and reach other areas of your work space with ease.
Chairs on casters provide excellent mobility. Be sure to choose the casters designed for your type of flooring - hard surface, carpet or a combination of the two.