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What is an ergonomic chair?

The key feature that differentiates an ergonomic chair from standard office furniture is adjustability. More positional and sizing adjustability allows you to more effectively setup the chair for your size, shape, workstation and daily work tasks. Traditionally, highly adjustable furniture has mostly commonly been used by individuals suffering from back pain. In the last 10 years however, there has been a massive growth in the number of companies and individuals investing in well designed, ergonomic chairs to try and prevent back pain and other musculoskeletal conditions occurring in the first place. More (toggle)

Armrests: Height and width adjustability enable you to position the armrests just below the level of your elbow (at 90 degrees) for maximal support during typing. Rotational armrests enable you to change the angle of rotation of the armrest which is useful for people who tend to slightly rotate their shoulders when typing.
Backrest angle: This feature allows you to change the angle of the back rest within a set range. Small changes in backrest angle can make a big difference to the amount of force that goes through the spine and so it is becoming increasingly popular to make small changes in backrest angle during the day. Some backrests will also have a free flow mode which allows the backrest to follow your movements.
Seat Depth adjustability: When sitting, it is important to have enough of the thigh supported on the cushion without the cushion butting into the back of the calf. Seat depth adjustability allows the user to optimise this position. A good quality ergonomic chair will typically boast this feature.
Inflatable lumbar supports: Inflatable lumbar supports allow you to manually inflate and deflate the lower part of the back cushion in order to increase or decrease the level of support at the lower part of the back (lumbar spine).
Seat Rocker: A number of ergonomic chairs now also incorporate rocking mechanisms. Based upon the principles of swiss ball sitting the rocking feature allows users to gently move during sitting. This "active sitting" concept enables the body to stay in small amounts of constant motion and is great if you tend to fidget!!
Please feel free to view our ergonomic chair videos which demonstrate a number of these features.
To speak to one of our physiotherapy specialists about ergonomic chairs please email, phone or use the contact us form.