It’s no secret that office chairs aren’t always the most comfortable. Many people believe that they can cause back pain. But is this true?
And if so, what can be done to prevent it? This blog post will take a closer look at the relationship between office chairs and back pain and explore some solutions.
They are often overlooked as a potential source of back pain. However, how they are designed can strain the back and neck, leading to discomfort and even long-term damage.
Office chairs typically have high backrests and armrests, which can force the spine into an unnatural position.
Many office chairs have wheels, which makes it easy to roll around, but it also means that the chair is constantly moving and putting stress on the spine.
Chairs are often rigid and unyielding, making them uncomfortable for long periods.
For all these reasons, it is essential to be mindful of how your office chair affects your back health.
Related: Best Office Chairs for Back Pain
Sitting Causes Low Back Pain
Office workers who spend 8 or more hours a day sitting are all too familiar with the discomfort of low back pain. There are many possible causes of this pain, one of the most common is simply spending too much time sitting.
Back pain can most definitely be brought on by a poor office chair.
One of the causes of that is the tendency you have to lean forward when sitting in an uncomfortable chair, which adds to the pressure on your back.
Slouching can cause stretched ligaments and discs, which, in rare circumstances, may even result in a lifelong hunchback.
However, occasionally your bad posture also contributes to your back pain, making it more than just the chair’s fault.
When we sit, the curves in our spine are flattened, and the weight of our upper body rests on our lower back muscles and bones.
Over time, this can lead to inflammation and pain. Office workers are especially vulnerable to this problem because they often sit for long periods without a break.
To avoid low back pain, taking frequent breaks to move around and stretch is essential. Additionally, maintaining a healthy posture while sitting is important too.
Make sure that your office chair provides adequate support for your back. By taking these simple precautions, you can help to prevent the development of low back pain.
Related: Best Office Chairs for Neck Pain
Guidelines for Office Chair Setup
An ergonomic office chair can improve comfort in the sitting position and increase flexibility. There needs to be more than a suitable desk. The chair must be adapted to the proportions of the body to increase comfort and decrease stress on the lumbar spine. This guideline is crucial to help you keep a correct posture when sitting and for you to avoid getting back pains.
Good Posture Helps Reduce Back Pain
Establishing the ideal desk or workstation height is the first step in setting up an office chair. The primary factors influencing this choice are the kind of the job to be done and the user’s height in the office chair. The height of the desk or workstation can vary substantially, necessitating either a different ergonomic chair model or a different posture for the office chair.
The user can then adjust the office chair to fit his or her physical proportions after the workstation has been set up.
Here are 7 tips on how to sit properly at a computer.
- Your feet should be flat on the ground and your knees should be parallel to your hips or just a little lower.
- Sit up straight and keep your hips far back in the chair.
- A 100 to 110-degree angle should be used for the chair’s back’s reclining.
- Make sure the keyboard is in direct proximity and facing you.
- The monitor should be placed squarely in front of you, a few inches above eye level, to aid in keeping your neck relaxed and in a neutral position.
- Set your distance from the computer screen at least 20 inches (or an arm’s length).
- Throughout the workday, relax your shoulders and pay attention to whether they are rounding forward or rising toward your ears.
Choosing the Right Office Chair
Once the workstation is set up, the user may modify the office chair to fit their physical characteristics.
Finding the right ergonomic furniture can be difficult, whether you’re constructing a home office or an office space for your staff.
It can be difficult to focus your purchasing selections due to the market’s expanding product offerings.
At Posturion, we rely on providing you with the greatest ergonomic furniture out there to support our way of life. The correct ergonomic office chair is a crucial component in creating an ergonomic environment.
Here are 6 key recommendations distilled into a brief checklist to ensure that the workstation and office chair is as comfortable as possible and will put the least stress on the spine.
Elbow Length
Start by finding a comfortable seat as near to your desk as you can, keeping your upper arms horizontal to your spine. Put your hands on the desk (e.g., desktop, computer keyboard).
Adjust the height of your workplace chair up or down if your elbows are not at a 90-degree angle.
Related: Best Office Chairs Under $300
Knee Measurement
Verify that you can comfortably slip your fingertips beneath your thigh at the chair’s leading edge. You should use an adjustable footrest to raise your feet if it is too tight.
You must elevate the desk or work surface to adjust the height of your office chair if you are exceptionally tall and there is more than a finger’s breadth between your thigh and the chair.
Measuring a Calf
Try to fit your clenched hand between the back of your leg and the front of your office chair while pressing your bottom into the chair’s back. If it’s difficult for you to accomplish that, the office chair is bottomless.
You’ll need to move the backrest forward, add adequate back support (such as a pillow, rolled-up towel, or lumbar back support cushion), or buy a new office chair.
Low-back Support
So that you don’t droop forward or slouch down in the chair when you become tired, your bottom should be forced against the back of your chair, and there should be a cushion that causes your lower back to arch slightly.
The office chair’s low back support reduces the load (strain) on your back. Never slouch or hunch forward on your workplace chair since this puts additional pressure on the low back’s supporting soft tissues, especially the lumbar discs.
The lowest part of the spine naturally slopes inward toward the belly, right above the buttocks (the lordotic curve). By merely bridging the space between the lumbar spine and the seat, a lumbar back support maintains the lower back’s natural inward curvature and aids in the promotion of good posture.
Without lumbar support, maintaining the right posture is more challenging, and the big muscles in the lower back and lumbar spine must work harder to keep the right curvature and alignment. The muscles that keep the spine in this posture gradually deteriorate with wear and tear, and as a result, the head and upper back lean forward to make up for the weakening of the lumbar muscles. In an office chair, it’s natural to slouch and/or lean forward.
So it is essential to choose a chair with good lumbar support.
Resting Eye Level
Sit comfortably with your head looking forward and close your eyes. Open your eyes gradually. Aim your eyes in the middle of your computer’s display.
To relieve pressure on the upper spine, you should elevate your computer screen if it is higher or lower than your line of sight.
Armrest
The office chair’s armrest should be adjusted to raise your arms at the shoulders barely. Utilizing the armrest on your office chair can help relieve some pressure on your upper spine and shoulders and reduce the likelihood that you will slump forward in your chair.
What Makes A “Bad” Office Chair?
A comfortable, ergonomic chair may improve your posture, and back discomfort can be eliminated. You can decide if the office chair you’re presently using is “good” or “poor” by looking at many different variables.
Here are 4 indicators of a poor office chair.
No Ergonomic Support
Your chair’s backrest is crucial in assessing if it is of high quality. You can utilize a good office chair if the backrest is cozy and does not stress your back. Your chair’s backrest should also have some flexibility. It should provide lumbar support that would help you maintain good posture.
It would be best to have unrestricted back-and-forth movement to avoid feeling limited or constrained. A decent office chair will support your spine’s natural position. But the backrest is just one component of ergonomics.
If an office chair does not provide ergonomic support for your elbows, hips, and knees, we consider it “poor.” An “excellent chair” should also have a sturdy headrest and armrests.
Creaking
It’s probable that your chair is creaking if you’ve been sitting in it for a time. These groaning noises indicate that your chair is worn out and that you should get a new one.
This is because irritating, creaking chair noises may seriously impair your ability to focus. You will need more time to concentrate on finishing your task.
If anything is constantly squeaking, furthermore, if the chair is squeaking, its support and ergonomics are no longer giving you the comfort you need. It’s time to update!
Uncomfortable Chair Materials as a Result of Age
One crucial element affecting a chair’s comfort is its material. Nowadays, it is highly uncommon for you to find a wooden chair, yet some businesses still provide wooden seats for their staff. Sitting on a wooden chair may be unpleasant, particularly for a long time.
Bad padding
The quality of a chair is also significantly influenced by the foam inside of it.
If your chair lacks enough padding or foam, you could feel uncomfortable and eventually get back discomfort. Additionally, there shouldn’t be an excessive amount of foam because that can eventually create hip pain as well.
Hip pain can also be brought on by inadequate padding if your seat’s surface is too rigid.
Simply put, you’ll feel more uncomfortable the more constrained your motions and unnatural your seating position are. This is one method of determining whether or not you are seated in a poor chair.
FAQ’s
What do medical professionals say about bad office chairs & back pain?
Medical professionals emphasize back posture and back stability. The two experts agree that poor office furniture can damage the spinal structure and cause tension in the lower back. Investing in a comfy desk will help you support your body without discomfort and will help you work longer hours.
What is the problem with sitting for too long?
As everyone knows, sitting in the wrong seat is likely to cause problems. This happens when sitting and lumbar disc pressure increases by 33% in a sitting posture. The bad chair may cause poor posture and stress on joints and muscles, resulting in pain and stiffness. Primarily, the problem arises from the position of your seat. A person’s weight sitting down in a chair can cause more tension in their joints, muscles, or discs. It also pushes back problems as well as muscular tension.
Why does my chair make my lower back hurt?
When seated, the lumbosacral disc on the back of your spine is threefold heavier than when lying on the floor. If a chair is not adequately supported, the back of the chair may cause poor sitting posture, which will affect the joints in the spinal muscles.
Can a lousy office chair cause back pain?
Working at the office desk for long periods can be costly to your comfort. It’s pretty dramatic, but it is true. Proper office furniture can damage your body, creating lousy posture in the workplace, uncomfortable working conditions, and, ultimately, pains or injuries. It is already challenging for you to work late at work, but as you get back home, it makes you uncomfortable.
How can I reduce back pain?
Sitting for a long time in a desk chair is very painful and worsens a back problem. Generally, sitting is a static position that stresses the spine, shoulders, arms, and hands and may cause unnecessary stress to the back muscles. People tend to sit up and recline on the chair for a long time. This posture is likely to cause overstretched shins.
Conclusion
Overall, it is essential to understand that the wrong office chair can cause back pain. Therefore, it is wise to invest in an ergonomic chair that offers both comfort and support. It is also essential to practice proper sitting posture and take frequent breaks while working to reduce the risk of back pain. Taking care of your health should always be a priority, and investing in a good office chair can make all the difference.
