7 Key Features to Look for in an Ergonomic Chair

A Kinesiologist’s top tips to help you shop for your perfect office chair, regardless of budget

Does your back seize when you reemerge from your office at the end of the day? Is your head floating forward a few millimetres with each passing month? Are your wrists cranky from the awkward angle you keep meaning to correct? Chances are that investing in an ergonomic chair is a good start to reverse these work-related injuries before they become more than you can tolerate.

Sitting is often referred to as the new smoking with health effects that range from; back pain-inducing, muscle-wasting, weight gain, mobility-degrading, lung-compressing, circulation-impeding, and pressure sore-causing, just to name a few! But if your livelihood depends on you being stationary in a chair, relax, there are solutions to decrease the negative impacts sitting may cause.

Avoid being swayed by fancy marketing that aims to convince you that “this certain chair” will immediately erase all of your aches and pains. Most unaffiliated movement professionals will agree that there is no perfect chair and that the best office chair is the one that fits you right. Just like skis need to be tuned for the athlete, and bikes need to be fit to the rider, your ideal chair should adjust to support you well.

In the first blog of this series; Is it Worth Investing in an Ergonomic Chair, I told the story of a client who endured debilitating back pain for nearly a decade before adjusting her working setup. By placing a stool under her dangling feet, she found support and thus relief that not only made working at the computer more comfortable but translated into long, enjoyable walks with her dogs.

Now, allow me to offer you some guidelines to follow in her footsteps— out of pain. In case a fancy chair isn’t in your budget I have included links to more affordable ergonomic tools that you can purchase to upgrade your current setup.

7 Key Features of an Ergonomic Chair

1. Seat Height + Tilt: An ideal chair will allow you to sit with your feet firmly planted on the floor. Your pelvis should be just a touch HIGHER than your knees, never below. The seat should tilt downwards to a maximum of 30 degrees encouraging your pelvis to tilt forward slightly (anterior tilt) giving your hip flexors space to breathe, and your back muscles a much-needed reprieve.   

2.  Seat Depth: There should be space between the back of your knees and the seat of the chair when your back is against the chair. If your knees are right against the seat, over time this may impede blood flow and cause pressure-related damage to this sensitive area. 

3.  Seat Width: Your seat should be wide enough that with your knees comfortably spread there is still extra room on both sides. You don't want a chair seat that is too narrow and forces you to adduct your legs (bring closer together) which will also impact how your pelvis sits and thus how your spine is stacked. Believe it or not that hunch in your shoulders can be related to how close your knees are squeezed together. An ideal sitting position is far from what is demonstrated by the royal duchess, instead imagine sitting like a ballplayer in the dugout or like a truck driver: knees comfortably spread, belly free, and feet flat on the floor. 

4.  Lumbar Support: Just above your pelvis is the lumbar curve of your spine, more commonly referred to as the lower back. It should naturally curve away from the back of your chair when your abdominals are relaxed (which they should be in sitting!). Look for a chair with adjustable lumbar support that can slide up or down, and inflate or deflate to perfectly nestle into support your lumbar curve. 

5. Chair Back Height: Ideally the back of your chair should reach the top of your shoulders so your thoracic spine and ribcage are supported. The high back provides proprioceptive feedback to your brain on where your body should be in space. If you feel your back is not touching the chair you are likely being sucked into cyberspace….and a poor posture. If you’re an infrequent sitter, a chair without a high back should be able to serve you well. But if you spend the majority of your day seated or deal with back issues already, find a chair that will support you well— especially when your body and awareness fatigue.

6.  Armrests: If you are typing or using a mouse, chances are you would benefit from the support of armrests. The armrests should be of a soft material to avoid pressure-related issues and meet your elbows and forearms at 90 degrees without requiring you to reach down or shrug upwards to accommodate. I recommend using a wrist rest to soften the contact your dainty wrists make with the unforgiving desk edge and alternating the hand that controls the mouse regularly.

7.  Wheels: I’ve noticed most office chairs have 5 wheels for stability. Personally, I don't like wheels, I like to move my tush and get up and down at any chance and if I am being completely honest, I think you should too. But, you know yourself better than I do, and if you are a creature of deeply ingrained habits and know that without wheels you will stretch and twist into awkward positions, simply to avoid having to lift your tush, then perhaps wheels may be a better option for you as they allow you to glide and turn without straining your spine. 

   For more advice on how to improve your work set-up, refer to Work Safe BC’s Guidelines on how to make your computer station fit you for more ideas for a healthy work environment. 

Unfortunately, the more adjustable options a chair offers, the higher the price tends to climb. But if you head out on a shopping adventure and spend some quality time testing a variety of chairs you may get lucky and find an affordable chair that matches your unique curves just right. Another alternative is taking the points mentioned above and using towels, foam, woodblocks, and other household articles to provide the support you need. Your setup might not look as good as a fancy Herman Miller Aeron chair but your body won't know the difference.

Healthy Habits To Support an Ergonomic Chair

Now you know 7 key features to look for when you shop for an ergonomic chair but now let me reinforce that HOW you use your chair remains the most important factor of all. In a previous journal, Better Health Means More Than Just Exercise I shared the following tips to combating sedentary time and finding more opportunities to move:

• Take movement breaks. I am a fan of the Pomodoro technique where you work for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute movement break and then repeat 4 times until you take a longer 30-minute break. Continue to repeat until the end of your day.

• Integrate active transportation into your life. Look for ways to be human-powered when possible. Walk instead of drive, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or bike instead of bus. If working from home now, walk before and after your work day to make up for the lost (active) commuting time.

• Set timers for screen time. If you’re a parent you probably do it for your children, well now it’s time to parent yourself too.

• Use technology to combat tech addiction. Recently I have been trying out apps that block websites that suck me into a cyber vortex. For the computer, I have stuck with 1Focus. For my phone, I have tried Freedom, Focus, and Quiet, but my preference has been to just set app limits in my system settings.

• Add some flavour to your mundane routines with new activities. Join a new class, instructional group, or sign up for online sessions that you’ve always wondered about. Now is a great time to sample because so many businesses are shifting online and offering free trials.

• Get your partner, roommate, or friends on board. You know what they say about a sinking ship… well don’t go down with them, instead throw a life preserver and lift each other off the couch and into action.

• Schedule lighter physical activities like yoga, the Feldenkrais Method®, ABM Neuromovement® or Tai Chi each day. Place as much value on meeting these goals as your intense physical activity goals.

• If Intense activity is dominating your schedule then try dropping a few sessions, or lowering the intensity to save energy for more nourishing activities that will calm and balance your busy life.

Do you want to improve your kinaesthetic awareness? So that you can be more aware of your posture and movement habits before they cause you pain? The functional movement meditations I share in the movementRX library is the perfect place to start. A supportive chair, a few movementRX meditations a week, and before you know it, you’ll be doing the limbo out of bed.