Ergonomic chairs for back pain are probably the most welcome investment that you could ever choose if you are a sufferer of back trouble, aches or injury. This post looks into choosing the right chair for you and your budget.

This is part of our ongoing goal to help office workers, managers and business owners improve their office life,  morale and productivity. Besides wider furniture and design tips which help improve well being, morale and productivity, we also focus on specifics which improve your time at work.

Like in this this blog post answering;  “How do ergonomic office chairs work?”.

That post will give you some helpful information, but here’s something to help you choose a chair that’s right for managing your back pain.

 

Know Which Ergonomic Features To Look For

As a reminder, not all chairs which have adjustable features can be called an ergonomic chair. Ergonomic chairs are about also offering support and resistance to the user in order to make sure their body isn’t put under excessive strain.

It should also be noted that best practice for using an office chair properly is to adjust the settings depending on how you are working, how you are sat and make sure you keep the chair optimised for the here and now.

But it’s also probably true that you  won’t need a fully ergonomic desk chair to manage your back pain. Instead, you will only need the adjustable ergonomic features which let you manage your own personal back pain.

These ergonomic features are key for managing back pain:

• Adjustable Lumbar Support
• Integral Lumbar Support
• Sliding Seat
• Seat Depth Adjustment
• Seat Angle Adjustment
• Height Adjustable Backrest
• Independent Seat And Back Adjustment

Choosing a chair with these features should mean that you can alter the seating position to relieve the tension and offer support to where your back needs it.

But we suggest checking with your physio or GP about how best to manage your back pain in an office chair. You have to make sure that what is initially the most comfortable isn’t in fact exasperating the core of the problem. It might be that the correct position and chair setup is a little uncomfortable at first, but will get better in the long run.

Double check with a professional advisor if you have back issues. Here’s a general guide to how you should sit:

Consider The Cost & Fit For Your Office

It’s likely you will have to make a call between balancing the amount of money you want (or have available) to spend on your desk chair and the need to manage your back pain. The more complex the amount of ergonomic features in a chair, the more complex the engineering – and therefore the higher the cost.

Which chair you use could end up being dictated by budget as much as anything else.

Another factor which is unrelated to your physical difficulties is the style and size of the chair. Make sure you choose a chair which physically fits into the space it’ll be being used without causing a trip hazard or being an obstacle to passers by.

And make sure you choose a design style which suits your desk setup and other nearby furniture. Especially if you’re in a client facing seating position.

 

Use A Height Adjustable Desk

Many of the problems associated with back troubles can often be alleviated by standing up or walking around. This makes the advent health boosting standing desks and adjustable height desks a welcome relief to previously chair-bound office workers.

With a simple adjustment of your desk, the chair can be put to one side and you can relieve your back pain by standing up whilst you work. Once the time comes that you need to be seated once again, you can readjust the height of your desk and stay comfortable.

Standing desks are also proven to help counteract the statistically proven health negatives that being a permanently seated office worker brings to a person.