Sitting too long in an office chair can lead to back pain. It also causes existing back pain to worsen. The main reason for this is that sitting in an office chair is a static posture. This posture puts a good amount of stress on the back, shoulders, arms, and legs, with the most stress on the back muscles and the spinal desk as well.
Sitting in a chair in the office for long periods of time increases the tendency to slouch in the chair. This tendency can stretch the spinal ligaments and strain the spinal discs and surrounding structures. This wrong posture causes back pain over time
How to Setup Your Office Chair
One of the most used chairs in the office is the ergonomic chair. Its proper use can help increase back support, maintain good posture while sitting, and facilitate sitting as well.
It is not enough to simply sit on an ergonomic chair, it is necessary to adjust it to the body proportions according to the sitting position of the people.
Suggested Reading: Why Use Ergonomic Chairs?
Establish the desired height of the person’s desk or workstation before adjusting the office chair. To make this adjustment first one must know the type of work of the person and height of the person.
The arrangement of the table or desk in the office will further help in adjusting the office chair according to his or her physical proportions. Listed below are the most important guidelines to help ensure that the office chair we use is comfortable for us as well as causing the least amount of stress on the back.
Measure how the chair you are using makes your sitting comfortable with these things
Thigh measure
Make sure that the fingers can slide freely under the front thigh while sitting in the office chair. If your arms are tight, elevate your feet using the adjustable footrest. If you are tall and have more than a finger’s width between your thighs and the chair, you may need to raise the desk or work surface along with the chair in the office.
Elbow measure
First of all, sit comfortably next to your desk and work so that your upper body is parallel to your spine. Allow your hands to rest on surfaces such as the keyboard and mouse. If your elbows are not at 90 degrees while sitting, raise or lower the chair you are sitting on
Calf measure
Push your back against the chair and try to make your fists on the back of your thighs and on the front of the office chair. If you can’t do the above then the sitting chair is too deep. The solution is to adjust the backrest of the chair forward as well as place a lumbar support cushion, pillow or rolled up towel for low back support or buy a new chair.
Low back support
Your back should press against the back of the chair. Also it is good to use some form of cushioning to slightly arch your lower back. When using it, you should avoid leaning forward and sitting down as much as possible. A low back support is essential to minimize the strain of prolonged sitting. Leaning your body forward and sitting down like that puts more pressure on the lumbar discs in our back.
Resting eye level
When you are using the computer, sit straight in your chair and close your eyes and look straight ahead. Your gaze should be at the center of the screen when you open your eyes. You may need to raise or lower your chair if your gaze is off center. This will reduce the strain on the spine.
Armrest
By raising the armrest of the office chair, your arms will be slightly elevated. Using an arm rest on your office chair can help ease the strain on your upper back and shoulders. This will reduce your tendency to lean forward from the chair.
Suggested Reading: A Comprehensive Guide to Office Furniture
How to Reduce Your Back Pain
No matter how comfortable we are in the office chair, sitting for too long is not good for our back. This causes back pain and muscle strain. It is also good to stand up for 5 minutes when sitting for long periods of time.
Things to keep in mind when you are buying a chair, try to buy it from a good office chair supplier. Good quality office chairs provide a good seating position. We are one of the leading office furnitureIf you are someone living in Dubai then you can reach us.
Suggested Reading: How To Buy Office Furniture Dubai