Ergonomic Office Chair Principles

When choosing your next home office work chair, Dr. Nik, suggests following these chair principles to find the right fit.

1. Good lumbar support
   * This hugs your natural lower back curve preventing you from slouching and rounding it out.
   * It must fit your body height and shape, or be adjustable in order to fit your body.
2. Adjustable seat height AND seat angle
   * Ideally want your hips a bit higher than your knees, and the seat angled downward a bit, which opens up your hips thereby putting less strain on your lower back.
   * You also want the height to allow your forearms to be level with the desk surface.
   * If when you are sitting at this height, your feet are not flat on the floor; you'll want to get a foot rest.
3. Adjustable armrests height (unless it's just right as is for you)
   * You want your forearms resting so your shoulders are relaxed. As opposed to being supported to a height that your shoulders are shrugged up by your ears.
   * However, note that if the arm rests do not allow you to get close enough to your desk (because they hit the desk surface) - this could lead to postural problems when you need to be really close.
   * That being said, it's a good idea to scoot your bum forward from time to time and change your sitting posture - so if the amount of time you need to spend close to your desk is less than 50%, I wouldn't worry about this. If you spend most of your time very close to your desk surface, you may want to not have arm rests at all.
4. Appreciate seat size
   * You want 2-3 fingers width between the edge of the seat and the back of your knees - too much more or less will affect your overall comfort level.
5. Sturdy
   * Some chairs are just a bit too 'springy' or floppy - you want it to be sturdy; this includes the back rest, so it supports you up rather than giving way and allowing you to lean back far.
6. Ability to "unlock" the base of your seat so you can lean way back and have your feet up on the desk.
   * It's good to have a change in posture every 30min so that you share the load of sitting posture on varying muscles; having this option is a nice way to change your posture when you just need to be reading off the screen.

Dr. Nik Dukovac
Family Chiropractor