In the early days of the pandemic, interior designer Nicole Fisher and her husband behaved much like many of us, working from home and sitting awkwardly in a dining room chair. Six months later, their lower back is screaming “Enough!”
So Fischer’s husband suggested they buy an ergonomic work chair for their home in Hudson, New York. At first, Fischer refused. “Aesthetically, I don’t like them,” she admits, but agrees that she is very uncomfortable. Then she saw the light. Or rather, she felt the light, and she no longer had lower back pain. “It was the greatest decision ever,” the designer said of her Herman Miller ergonomic chair.
Let’s call it the change of atmosphere in our sitting posture. It’s part of the overall Healthy Home movement, says San Diego-based designer Jamie Gold, author of Designing for Wellness: A Guide to Optimizing Home Health, Fitness, and Wellness. “Before the pandemic, people were saying, ‘What is healthy design and why should I care?’ Now it’s “My house is not for me!”
As many of us continue to work at least partly from home, we need a place with more support, the Wall Street Journal newsroom said. There is no doubt that pain is a driving force: A 2021 study found that 46% of people working from home experienced more upper back pain during the pandemic than when they recorded their office hours before Covid.
In fact, sitting in the wrong chair for eight hours a day (or, to be honest, 10 hours) a day can cause “a whole bunch of back problems,” says Rahul Shah, a spine and neck surgeon from Vineland. New Jersey. A chair not only puts extra stress on our vertebrae and discs, but it can also cause sagging, pushing our spine away from its ideal neutral spine position, where your back doesn’t bend forward or backward and sag, he said. maintains its ideal S-shape.
So, everyone knows that squatting is not good, but what kind of posture is good? “The basic rule is that your head should be higher than your pelvis,” says Dr. Shah. Otherwise, your muscles will have to work overtime to get your head back on track.
That’s where an ergonomic home office chair can be a game-changer, says Dr. Karisa Harris Adamson, director of the ergonomics education program at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. “Studies show that features like forearm support or seat tilt can help reduce low back pain,” she says.
One of the best things ergonomic chairs do is adapt to your body. Dr. Shah explains that if you can sit straight on your back with your pelvis, hips, and knees bent at 90 degrees, and your feet fully on the ground so you have a solid foundation, you’ll know you’ve found a winner. He doesn’t like kneeling chairs because they don’t have back support, push the pelvis too far forward, and put pressure on the knees and shins over time.
Besides checking your posture, what else do you need to keep in mind? Before clicking “Add to Cart”, check out the following expert guides:
Most, including popular options like the Branch Ergonomic Chair, allow adjustment from 17 inches to 21 inches (some, like the Herman Miller Aeron and Humanscale Diffrient World, adjust more). This ensures that your feet are flat on the floor. “If your legs are in the air or in front of you, it’s hard for your back muscles to keep you upright,” says Harris Adamson.
Some models, such as the Onda Chair and Branch Ergonomic Chair by Via Seating, have adjustable depth, which is handy if you’re short or tall. To test if the chair depth is right for you, sit back and see if you can fit two or three fingers between the front of the seat and the back of your knees. If yes, then it is perfect. No room for two fingers? This means the chair is too deep, compresses your veins and cuts off circulation to your calves, or causes you to slide forward without back support, Harris Adamson explained. If the seat is too shallow (more than three fingers will fit), your femur will be subjected to additional stress.
If you don’t know how to use it, you are not the only one. “We have to teach people how to use inclines,” said Harris Adamson with a laugh. Key takeaway: “You don’t want to move forward. If you’re doing precision work, you want to stay upright.” When you read or use Zoom, lean back from time to time to give your back a rest.
This is especially important if several members of your family will be using the chair. Most chairs can support 200 to 400 pounds, but some less. If you don’t see the load capacity listed on the specs, it’s a red flag.
When you work at a computer or perform other delicate tasks, your arms should be bent at a 90-degree angle to avoid pain in your shoulder, arm, or wrist. In an ideal world, you would find an ergonomic chair with adjustable armrests, but your desk can provide that arm support as well. “Your arms make up about 15 percent of your body weight,” says Harris Adamson. “If you don’t have armrests and are struggling to keep your arms upright, then more weight will put pressure on your cervical discs. Your neck muscles have to work hard to keep your arms in this position.”
Based on our research, the ergonomic chairs below showcase a very important ergonomic box, one of which also caught the attention of the Wall Street Journal newsroom for its sleek design.
The Aeron is definitely a worthwhile investment, but it’s built to last and lighten the load. Not only does it come in three sizes, but it is also highly adjustable (seat height, seat tilt, lumbar support and armrests). This is handy if you are sharing your settings with a partner or child. If you’re having trouble choosing from six color options, consider a version of the Onyx made from plastic waste found in the ocean. In terms of weight capacity, the medium and large can hold 350 pounds, while the small can hold 300 pounds.
This stylish chrome and mesh find is the model that saved Fisher. While it doesn’t have all the ergonomic bells and whistles the Aeron has, Setu is designed to move with your body (what the company calls a “moving spine”). As Fischer reports, “The thing that flexes my back and makes me sit up straight is the key to my lower back pain.” back and hips. It’s easy. If your desk is parked in the living room, you’ll appreciate the believable design that Setu brings. You can customize it with colors for the upholstery, frame and base, “and have fun with it,” Fisher says.
This mid-century modern find features basic amenities such as soft padding, backrest and height adjustment. While the armrests don’t move up and down, they are removable so you can throw them away if they don’t fit the height. In addition, the company offers a 60-day trial so you can test this solid model. This is a particularly chic selection of white ergonomic office chairs, but if faux leather isn’t your thing, opt for Italian leather (around $200). It can hold up to 400 pounds.
According to Nora Fenlon, ergonomics expert and commercial director for Via Seating, in 2020, people are going to furniture stores with scholarships in hand, looking for a chair as comfortable as the one they use in the office. So, Via, a commercial office furniture manufacturer based in Las Vegas, introduced several US-made ergonomic chairs to the domestic market. Fenlon is working on Via’s Onda, an all-mesh figure made from copper-impregnated fabric that may have antibacterial properties. “It’s a self-disinfecting chair,” she said. “We designed it for the healthcare industry, but after Covid, people are starting to focus on their own health at home.” Legs 4-way stretch fabric with loops and a waterfall construction for maximum comfort. Choose from white or black braces, four shades of mesh, and medium or high back styles. The Onda weighs 300 pounds and comes with a 12 year warranty.
There’s a reason go-to home retailers from Pottery Barn to Room & Board stock this compact, mid-priced ergo classic: It blends an industrial minimalist design by famed designer Niels Diffrient with a slew of feel-good features. There’s a reason go-to home retailers from Pottery Barn to Room & Board stock this compact, mid-priced ergo classic: It blends an industrial minimalist design by famed designer Niels Diffrient with a slew of feel-good features. Есть причина, по которой ритейлеры от Pottery Barn до Room & Board могут приобрести эту компактную эргономичную классику средней ценовой категории: в ней промышленный минималистский дизайн знаменитого дизайнера Нильса Диффриента сочетается с множеством приятных на ощупь функций. There’s a reason why retailers from Pottery Barn to Room & Board can stock this compact ergonomic classic in the mid-range price category: it combines the industrial minimalist design of renowned designer Nils Differient with a host of tactile features.从Pottery Barn 到Room & Board 的家居零售商购买这款紧凑、中等价位的人体工学经典产品是有原因的：它融合了著名设计师Niels Diffrient 的工业简约设计和一系列令人愉悦的功能。 From Pottery Barn to Room & Board 家居 retailers bought this compact, mid-range ergonomics classic product because it combines the famous designer Niels Diffrient’s industrial simple design and a series of exciting features. Розничные продавцы товаров для дома от Pottery Barn до Room & Board покупают эту компактную эргономичную классическую модель средней ценовой категории по одной причине: она сочетает в себе промышленную простоту известного дизайнера Нильса Диффриента с множеством восхитительных функций. Home goods retailers from Pottery Barn to Room & Board buy this compact, ergonomic mid-range classic model for one reason: it combines the industrial simplicity of renowned designer Nils Differient with a host of exciting features. They include an elastic mesh panel that conforms to your back, a simple lumbar support as part of the chair’s shape, and a frameless front seat designed to not interfere with circulation in the thighs. And, as a bonus, Diffrient World leans towards our mechanism (it works both physically and mentally). It can hold up to 300 pounds.
“You want a chair that moves with you,” advises Harris Adamson, and this ergonomic workhorse does just that. Not only can you adjust almost everything, including seat height, seat depth, armrest height and lumbar support, but it also gives you three reclining options. Wait, can we lie down? Is it bad for the spine? No, it’s actually important, says Harris Adamson (she likes to do it on Zoom). “It changes the force of gravity through the spine, reducing the muscle activity needed to stay upright, so it allows your back to rest.”
If you’re trading in a converted kitchen chair, you know it all depends on how you feel under your seat. “Ergonomics” from Branch took the gold in this category with a 3-inch plush high-density foam seat. You also get seven-point adjustment, which means you can change the height, seat depth, tilt and tension, armrests, and lumbar support (removable) for customization. If you don’t like light blue, go for gray or black seats and white or black frames. Designed in Italy for less than $350, it reinforces Gold’s point: “You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on something supportive, but you do want a chair that’s well made and fits you well.”
If you’re upgrading, here’s a better way to get cash or credit on your old device instead of keeping it in your desk drawer.
Post time: Sep-01-2022