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When you work from an office desk, people have a natural tendency to slouch and adopt uncomfortable postures. This can eventually cause strain and stress to your back. When this constantly happens, what results is worsened back pain, shoulder and neck fatigue, and posture issues.
A good chair can help you deal with the pain associated with your back, especially when you're constantly sitting. This article is to help you understand what type of office chair varieties are suitable if you live with back pain issues. Also featured is a list of our top 10 picks - all handpicked after thorough analysis - in hopes of finding your ideal ergonomic office chair.
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When you give a lot of importance to the work you do, taking care of your body might seem like a chore. And if most of your day is spent at an office desk, having a good office chair becomes crucial; this ensures your entire body is supported without causing any discomfort.
Read on to find what works for you when back pain is a major concern, yet working at a desk is mandatory.
When you spend a lot of time sitting in your office chair, it can add a lot of stress to your spinal structure. If you have back pain, an ergonomic office chair is what you need. This basically means it's designed for comfort. If you've already read through our ranking, you'll notice this popping up a lot in the product name.
It can extend adequate back support and improve your posture. Besides, it prevents you from getting into any compounding problems related to your back and spine.
Those with back pain need extra care while being seated for long in an office chair such as adjustable seat height, adjustable headrest, angular back support, adjustable armrests, and more.
While seated on an office chair, your thighs should remain parallel to the floor, and your legs should remain upright without causing the knees to bend uncomfortably. If your knees are in a position much lower or higher than your hips, it can induce stress on the back and induce further pain.
The right chair ensures that your feet rest on the floor while you are seated on it, and this can be accomplished with adjustable seat height. If it's a recliner chair, you can change the angle at which your seat is positioned to ensure that you are seated comfortably.
Besides supporting your height, the seat of a good office chair should be deep and wide enough to support anyone sitting on it. Standard office chairs come at 17 to 20 inches wide. 2 to 4 inches of space should be between the back of your knees and the seat while you rest with your back against the backrest.
Not all office chairs can support your back adequately. Go for a chair with lumbar support or a backrest that ranges from 12 to 19 inches in height. It curves inward and contours to your lower back to support your lumbar region, and locks the backrest in place.
If the chair has a reclining feature, consider the one with an angle of between 110 to 130 degrees. This ensures that your body weight receives adequate support without it adding pressure to your spine. This further relieves lower back pain and promotes good posture.
While seated on an office chair, you switch resting your arms between the armrests and the desk space. Chairs with adjustable armrest heights can support your arms and keep them in a comfortable position while working.
This prevents you from having to move around or slouch. The arms should also be resting on the desk comfortably rather than you having to bend too much to type.
At work, you often need to move about to reach out to things placed on your desk or around you. Hence, having a chair with casters can help you move around without having to get up from your seat. These chairs rotate and swivel, so you do not have to stretch out to reach the objects and strain your back further.
Office chairs have come a long way from their conventional design to those formulated after extensive research and consultation from health and fitness experts like chiropractors. A few types of chairs are meant to take the pressure off your back and distribute the body weight evenly, making them ideal to keep back pain at bay.
Kneeling chairs make you sit by sliding your hips forward to bring your neck, shoulders, and back into perfect alignment. They can come with or without a backrest. These chairs offer great support and reduce spinal compression as well as lower back and leg muscle stress.
The seat of a saddle chair has the shape of a horse’s saddle, so while seated, your legs drop naturally and are positioned wide - an ideal position especially for those with lower back problems.
The long term use of these chairs has been found to strengthen back muscles, which prevents you from slouching at work. Saddles chairs are also available with and without backrests, as well as in adjustable heights.
Some people with back pain find that a recliner chair is most comfortable for their backs. Those with a condition like degenerative disc disease find it comfortable in a recliner chair with their feet propped up on a footrest. These chairs are equipped with an adjustable footrest and a headrest to support the entire body.
These also come generously padded and can be reclined at various angles to give optimum comfort to the user.
These types of chairs might not be that common, but they are large enough to give the user proper support for a long time. It comes with a chair frame where you place an exercise ball as the seat.
The bouncing that happens due to the ball keeps the leg muscles busy, thereby stimulating circulation and reducing stress to the lower back.
Since you will be sitting on a ball, you will not slouch forward – a great way to improve posture problems. The balls for these chairs are available in varying sizes to suit different users. You can also modify the base frame of the chairs with casters to help to move around.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Price | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Homall High Back Computer Chair | $102.98 Low Mid | An Executive Swivel Chair to Comfort and Rock Your Back | ||
2 | Gaiam Classic Balance Ball Chair | $69.29 Low | Relieve Your Back Pain on a Yoga Ball with Flexible Seating | ||
3 | Hbada Ergonomic Office Recliner Chair with Footrest | $159.99 High Mid | Optimum Sitting Experience with a Recliner Designed for Office | ||
4 | DRAGONN Ergonomic Kneeling Chair | $108.95 Mid | An Angled Seat to Improve Your Posture | ||
5 | Hbada Swivel Chair with Flip-up Arms | $99.99 Low Mid | No More Back Hurting with this Space-Saver Ergonomic Chair | ||
6 | Jobri BetterPosture Multifunctional Saddle Chair | $120.00 Mid | Comfortable Sitting Redefined with a Riding-Style Saddle Chair | ||
7 | Safco Zenergy Ball Chair | $139.20 Mid | Keep Your Body Moving with Better Balance and Support | ||
8 | Smugdesk Ergonomic Office Chair | $119.99 Mid | A Multi-Functional Office Chair for Relief from Shoulder Soreness and Back Fatigue | ||
9 | Duorest Gold Ergonomic Office Chair | $349.00 High | Twin Backrests for Good Posture and Spinal Pressure Alleviation | ||
10 | Serta Ergonomic Executive Office Chair | $243.43 High Mid | A Leather Chair with Pelvic Tilt that Helps You Sit Longer |
Known for their specialization in gaming chairs, Homall brings you this sturdy and ergonomic chair ideal for those with back pain issues. Its high-density foam renders a well-cushioned seat that molds to your body's natural shape.
The high back support comes with an adjustable headrest to support your head, neck, and shoulders, and a cushioned lumbar support gives extra comfort and support while leaning back.
The 90-180 degree recline function with angle adjuster and tilt locking is impressive. Those who love some swaying can use the rocking function it offers.
Some reviews suggest that it is hard to assemble the product. Besides, a PU leather seat cover can be a bit uncomfortable for some. Those who are on the heavier side should use some extra cushioning for adequate comfort.
This chair might look a little informal for an office environment, but you cannot ignore the comfort and health benefits it brings along. It was created by health and fitness experts to offer you the ergonomic support your body needs while being seated for long.
With every micro movement your body feels with the ball, the caster wheels help it roll and reach things on your desk. The micro movements keep your body engaged and moving all the time, thereby encouraging fitness and increasing your productivity!
However, this chair is not great for those taller than 5 feet 11 inches. People who are shorter than the specified height can reap the health benefits that the chair is advertised with.
This recliner from Hbada is designed specially to alleviate disc pain while at work. The back of the chair comes in upholstered frame with breathable mesh to fit the curves of your back perfectly and to reduce fatigue on the back.
The adjustable seat height, the recline feature with lock function, the 30-degree rotatable headrest, and the arms with back recline angle add to the great features of this chair. Besides, the seat cushion slopes slightly to induce less pressure on your legs while seated.
The downside is that the chair is not suitable for those who are over 5 feet and 10 inches tall. Also, you should watch the seat and the back as lint and dirt can cling onto it.
Inducing no compression to the spine, this kneeling chair is a great choice for those wanting to improve their posture and comfort their back. It also supports your knees, shins, buttocks, and legs with even weight distribution.
According to some reviews, the casters wiggles at times despite front wheel locks. Also, taller customers said they had discomfort resting the legs on the seat, as the feet touched the floor while doing so. Try sitting on a kneeling chair before you invest in one.
This swivel chair for Hbada comes with flip-up armrests to push the chair under the desk when not in use - a great space-saving design - along with adjustable seat height and a high-density mesh back.
The chair looks like a great buy for those who are not on the heavier side, although the product claims to support people weighing up to 250 pounds. The chair padding, according to some reviews, is not enough to support prolonged sitting.
This ergonomic saddle chair from Jobri features a waterfall-edge saddle seat placed firmly on a strong tubular steel frame, allowing legs to hang freely without added back pressure.
However, the padding does not seem enough to give you comfort for long. Some reviewers have expressed discomfort due to this, especially while sitting on it for hours. But it's overall a good item for your home office for the price you pay.
The ball is placed on 4 immobile legs for stability and can help you maintain good posture and strengthen your back and core muscles. With just the feet, the chair stays at 20 inches tall, and with the legs attached you can prop it up to 23 inches tall.
The anti-burst exercise ball comes with a manual air pump so you can easily inflate it according to your convenience - a space saver design, without a doubt! However, the absence of caster wheels and the limit to height adjustment have been found to discomfort some of the reviewers of the product.
This chair from Smugdesk is a multi-functional chair with its 3-position tilt and lock function, the adjustable armrests, the adjustable headrest, and 360-degree swivel - all at a great price!
Impressively, the chair comes with thick padding and the waterfall design ensures even pressure distribution between your legs and back. The nylon casters facilitate easy moving around to get files or other things away from you.
According to some reviews, the thick padding seat is a bit hard, especially for office use. Those wanting some extra cushion should add a soft chair pad to alleviate any discomfort it might cause. Also, be warned that you need to purchase the wheels separately!
The twin flexible backrests in this ergonomic office chair keep the backbone free of pressure, especially when reclining. Most interestingly, the width and height of the backrests can be individually adjusted - a great way to properly support your back and relieve any pressure to the lumbar vertebra.
However, some reviews state that the seat padding is thin and is not that comfortable. Besides, the armrests may not be long enough to rest your forearms comfortably.
Serta brings to you this ergonomic chair with deep-layered body pillows as padding, as well as adjustable headrest, armrest, and seat height to transform your long office hours into comfortable ones. The armrests are also padded, so your arms will not feel sore after resting on it for long.
The back has lumbar support with active seating technology that tilts with you when you lean forward or backward - just right to ensure you get the back support that you need and maintain a healthy posture.
Some reviewers complained about discomfort with the attached lumbar support as it is immobile, although the manufacturer advertises with a pressure-relieving pelvic tilt that can help those with back pain.
Although an ergonomic chair is a good choice to alleviate back pain, it is unhealthy to remain in a static position for long. To avoid muscle strain at the back, try standing or walking for a minute or two every 30 minutes and doing simple stretches.
Moving around and stretching can help in keeping your muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons flexible and comfortable. This promotes good posture and relaxes you, which in turn can increase your productivity.
Also recommended is a good 15 minutes’ walk every few hours, which improves blood circulation and promotes better flow of blood to the spinal structures.
Now that you have in mind, the the best and most comfortable chair for your office, why not enrich its ambience with some add-ons and accessories?
No. 1: Homall |High Back Computer Chair
No. 2: Gaiam|Classic Balance Ball Chair
No. 3: Hbada|Ergonomic Office Recliner Chair with Footrest
No. 4: DRAGONN |Ergonomic Kneeling Chair
No. 5: Hbada |Swivel Chair with Flip-up Arms
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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