Just to be clear, we're an office furniture and seating company. We love to sell new ergonomic chairs. That being said, you might not need one just yet. With a few proper adjustments you'll likely be able to get more out of your current seating situation. From adjusting the height of your chair to tweaking the angle at which you work, the 6 adjustments show here might just prolong your need for a new chair and save you a little money in the process.
1.) Adjust Chair Height
First things first, you've got to analyze your chair height. Even if you've got the best new office chair on the market, if it's set too low you'll be restricting blood flow in your legs. Restricted blood flow can lead to cramping and fatigue. If your chair is set too high you'll be straining to compute. The perfect chair height is slightly different for everyone as we are all different for everyone. You want your chair set to a height that allows your thighs to rest flat across the seat with your feet flat on the ground, thus creating a 45 degree angle. This creates stability, optimal blood flow, and support.
2.) Adjust Chair Arms
Even many of the basic ergonomic office chairs manufactured in the last 5 years come standard with height adjustable arms. Your chair might even have width adjustable arms with swiveling arm caps. Setting up your arms for healthy computing is essential. Your forearms should be flush with the arm pads and level with your keyboard. Proper arm height will reduce muscular effort in the neck and shoulders to minimize risk of pain throughout long work days.
3.) Adjust Tilt Tension
Your chair tilts from a pivot point underneath the seat. The tilt tension knob (typically located underneath the front edge of your seat) controls the rate of recline. You don't want your chair set so loose that it creates a falling feeling every time you lean back. Alternatively, you don't want your tilt tension so tight that straining is required to rock gently throughout the work day. A little rocking motion in your personal task chair is a good thing. When you lean back and forth on your chair back, your muscles are active, working, and effective. It's when you sit stagnant for long periods of time that fatigue strikes!
4.) Adjust Seat Depth
If your chair has an adjustable seat, you definitely need to use it. It's an awesome weapon in your ergonomic arsenal against discomfort. The seat depth feature allows you to slide your chair up behind your thighs for additional knee support. If there's a wide gap between the back of your knee and the office chair when sitting naturally, it's a problem!
5.) Adjust Lumbar Support
Shoppers always want a chair with an adjustable lumbar support. The problem is, they seldom use the adjustment feature to improve comfort. The "set it and forget it" approach to office chair comfort isn't going to work regardless of what chair you use. Like all chair features, the lumbar support needs to be adjusted to your specific body type to provide optimal support. Adjusting the lumbar area of your chair will increase or decrease the curvature of the chair to fit the profile of your lower back. If you perform all of the adjustments above, your lumbar will need to be tweaked as well. If you don't have an ergonomic computer chair with an adjustable lumbar support feature, lower back pads are available at a fraction of the cost of an all new chair.
Bonus Tip: Take Short Breaks
Lat but not least, you need to take short breaks. Even the most advanced office seating solutions are not intended to be used around the clock without short breaks. As you sit for hours on end, even the best posture habits suffer. Take a 5 to 10 minute break once an hour to stay refreshed. Walk away from your desk, get a drink of water to stay hydrated, and stretch out your muscles to get the blood flowing!
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