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How to Choose Good Ergonomic Office Chairs
Buying is an art but not when it comes to ergonomic chairs. Beauty has no place in choosing ergonomic office chairs. If you are setting up a new office or refurbishing an old one, you should be looking for ergonomic office chairs as they will improve your health and reduce fatigue.
To help you to choose an ergonomic office chair, you should check whether the chair will meet the following criteria:
Does the seat pan feel comfortable and fit your shape?
When you sit in the chair, the seat pan should be at least one inch wider than your hips and thighs on either side. The seat pan should not be too long for your legs otherwise it will either catch you behind the knees or it will prevent you from leaning fully back against the lumbar support. Most ergonomic office chairs have a seat pan with a waterfall front that prevents the seat from catching you behind the knees. The seat pan should also be contoured to allow even weight distribution and it should be comfortable to sit on.
An ergonomic office chair should have an adjustable height to meet the needs of all users. You should be able to adjust the height of the seat pan so that the front of your knees is level or slightly below level and your feet are firm on the ground. In most cases there should be no need for you to use a footrest. The mechanism to adjust seat height should be easy to reach and operate when you are seated.
Ask yourself if your ergonomic office chair has a comfortable back rest.
Many chairs have cushioned lumbar supports that can be adjusted up and down and forwards and backwards to best fit your shape. If the chair will be used by multiple users then this level of adjustment may be required. If the chair has a fixed height lumbar support and it feels comfortable when you sit back against this, and you will be the primary user of the chair, then a fixed lumbar support may be acceptable.
When you sit back against the lumbar support, does your ergonomic office chair give you ample space for hip room? Insufficient hip room can make you sit too far forwards on the seat pan so that you will not have enough thigh support.
Ergonomic office chairs should come with armrests. It is considered ideal if the armrests are broad, contoured, cushioned and
comfortable. While sitting, can you easily adjust the height of the armrests and can you move the armrests closer together or further apart? Can you easily move the arms out of the way if you need to do this?
CONCLUSION
So, if you are shopping for ergonomic chairs, please avoid judging by color and leather covers. Look at the design, sit in it, and see how long you can be in that seat for 12 hours without strain.
Author: Edwardo Trafficante