Ergonomic office chair – relief for your spine
If you’re working behind the desk, you’ve probably experienced some back, neck and shoulder pain from sitting too much or slouching on the chair. Physical therapists say that desk jobs are by far the most problematic and it’s people working at an office who are their most frequent patients. Since the pandemic started and more people switch to working from home, the problem got even worse – it’s rare for most houses to have a proper home office, let alone an ergonomic space that is suited to support the spine and back during long working hours. By changing your office chair, you can actually improve your posture and relieve your spine. How to choose the right one?
Find an adjustable office chair
Being able to adjust different parts of your office chair to better fit your body is by far the most important factor when you’re making a choice to buy a new piece for your home office. The ability to sit upright, with the backrest supporting your spine fully can affect not only your productivity and comfort levels at work but your overall health as well. Ergonomic office chair for back pain is not just a marketing gimmick made by office furniture makers – the idea of having an ergonomic, fully adjustable office setting is well-known in physical therapy and it is recommended to anyone and everyone who has to work at least 3-4 hours behind the desk each day.
The key element of finding the perfect office chair is adjustability. Ideally, you should be able to change the setting of the seat, the backrest, the lumbar and neck supports and the armrests and make them fit your body. When sitting upright, your feet should be touching the ground and lay flat, the back should be resting against the back of the chair and your elbows should be supported by the armrests while you’re typing. Additionally, the monitor should be on your eye level so that you don’t have to look down or up when working on a computer. There’s obviously room for movement and self-adjusting during the day – no one expects you to sit in the same position for 8+ hours. The idea is, however, that a good, ergonomic office chair for back pain supports you fully when you’re working and taking a break.
When the back pain begins
Ergonomic chairs are not the golden solution that fixes all your back pain problems. For the system to work properly, you need to adjust your entire desk setup and actively remember to sit properly in the chair. That being said, changing the chair to an ergonomic one can make a huge difference, noticeable even after one working day. Your back and neck won’t feel as strained, the spine will feel like it’s curving just the right amount and you will be much more rested, which in turn affects your mood, stress levels and motivation at work.
When the back pain from improper sitting arrangement begins, there’s no point in waiting for it to pass – it won’t unless you change something. Most people choose to visit a physical therapist or a chiropractor and they’re good options, but you need to think about the bigger picture. Whether you’re working from home or at an office, a properly fitted ergonomic office chair for back pain is a must. It’s the only long-term solution to relieve your spine and back. With time you’ll see that even trying to work from a standard dining-room chair and table at home doesn’t feel right. By making changes in your daily working setup, you’re changing your habits, adjusting your overall posture and setting yourself up to feel better, even after a full working week.