There has been a huge shift recently in the office furniture world toward ergonomics. Workers compensation, leave time and disgruntled employees can be costly to a company’s bottom line. Companies are trying to keep their employees comfortable, healthy and productive. Ergonomics can help to achieve these goals by properly positioning key furniture items in places to work best with the environment around them.
The most important aspect to an ergonomic workstation is the ergonomic office chair. Having an ergonomic office chair is crucial in avoiding pain and tension if you will be seated for 4+ hours per day. Poor office seating can cause pain in the knees, buttocks, thighs, lower back, neck and shoulders. Ergonomic office chairs position your body in the correct ergonomic position which consists of having your knees and elbows at 90 degree angles with your feet flat on the floor or a footrest. It is also a good idea to find a chair that provides good lumbar support for the lower back.
There are some very important functions to look for on an ergonomic chair. Most ergonomic chairs will feature a height adjustable seat and many will also offer a seat depth adjustment. The seat height adjustment will allow you to move your knees to a 90 degree position and the seat depth adjustment allows the user to slide the seat to a point between 1-2” behind the back of the knees. This provides the most support to the back of the thighs. Also look for an adjustable backrest with proper lumbar support. Your lumbar area is the curved region in your lower back. It is important to find a chair that will help to promote this natural curvature of the spine. Lower back pain is the leading cause of discomfort due to poor office seating.. If the chair you are seeking has armrests, then make sure they are adjustable. Fixed armrests will often force the user to raise their shoulders, putting unwanted stress and tension in the upper back, neck and shoulder area.
There are many different styles in ergonomic seating and we have chosen manufacturers that offer a large variety of these styles. Many executive office chairs are designed to be ergonomically correct with adjustable headrests or high backrests. New materials have emerged like mesh back chairs that have become incredibly popular in the ergonomic chair field. NOTE: We do not recommend sitting on chairs that feature non-padded mesh seats for longer than 5 hours per day. This can lead to pain and discomfort in the tailbone region. We also have leather office chairs that meet ergonomic standards for users that prefer the upscale look that leather offers. Our most best ergonomic office chair has become the Ergohuman by Eurotech / Raynor. The Ergohuman chair is avable in mesh, leather and fabric and you have the option of adding an executive, ergonomic headrest. |
