Many times, we write about what happens to us in everyday life with the intention of learning. This time, we have a colleague who suffers from lumbar problems and we have decided to buy an ergonomic chair for the office, one of those that provides virtues and benefits to have a comfort ten how much you feel.
And here comes the mess, because when you ask about ergonomic chairs to protect your back, you get an avalanche of information like crazy with hundreds of options (operational, collective, rotating, steering, desktop, etc) to buy a seat comfortable.
“Normally, between 60 and 70% of office furniture is ergonomically inappropriate. It is necessary to consider What does the position adopted by a person in his job depend on?”
From the manual and visual requirements of the task. Of the anatomical and anthropometric characteristics of the subject. Finally, the physical design of the work, that is, to a large extent, the characteristics of the chair.
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What lumbar problems come from chairs?
We spent 8-10 hours in front of the computer. If we multiply by our entire working life, they are many hours sitting. But… what risks will we have in the office? They originate mainly from two causes:
The first is by adopting bad postures.
In second place, for always maintaining the same position.
In both cases, there is a direct relationship between postural problems and their causes due to; the furniture, the organization of the environment and work. And if it is not clear, then we have the perfect scheme:
Tips for buying a chair that protects your back
It is necessary to prevent, it is the main advice on health, that is to say, to sit well. And as a reminder, back problems do not come when you are young, they come with advanced ages and here the remedy no longer works. So, take note of the following tips to buy a healthy office chair.
1.- Always opt for an ergonomic seat design
When you wonder … What should the design of an office chair look like? The quick answer is “comfortable.” But ergonomics and comfort, in reality, are two different concepts, although linked.
When we talk about a “comfortable chair” it will not reduce our pain, indeed, so that we DO NOT change our position for many hours. And there, according to experts, is where the greatest musculoskeletal ailments occur.
2.- You must look at how long you will be sitting
At first glance this may seem silly, and in fact, in many cases we do not know. But what we can recognize is that the manufacturers approve the chairs for the hours that we are going to be seated.
Chairs approved for sitting
- Many computer chairs or gaming chairs are only approved for daily use of 4 hours, instead of the 8 that are normally assigned to those of offices – agencies.
- An ergonomic chair serves to prevent occupational diseases, but also, we should exercise our muscles throughout the day.
- It is recommended that at least every 2 hours we get up and do stretches (back, neck, legs and arms) to avoid overloading the muscles and numbing the legs due to a lack of blood circulation.
3.- A good backrest in the chair is health
Back support is the main goal of many ergonomic chairs, but what makes a chair good in terms of back support?
Ideally, the work seat should do a couple of things to prevent neck problems:
- Provide back support with an incline of 90 degrees or up to 90 degrees.
- Include cushioning that pushes your back forward when you sit in the chair.
- As we see in the image, with these adjustable mechanisms we obtain ergonomic chairs to prevent cervical problems.
- Lumbar support is essential to prevent slouching and minimize the load on the back. With this in mind, in addition, the backrest of an ideal ergonomic office chair is between 30 cm and 50 cm wide.
- If the backrest is tilt back, the head will tend to go forward, which will equal to cervical pains in the long
From a technical point of view, the maximum pressure on the back is the most related to the appearance of discomfort problems, since maximum pressures above 40 KPa give rise to discomfort in most users.
Is the lumbar cushion good for something in a chair? It serves to prevent herniated discs and rest the vertebral discs.
However, according to experts, each case is different: there are people who have hyperidrosis and will need it, but other users, for example, who have a spinal rectification, will not need it.
If you are not sure you need it, it is better not to use it and consult the relevant doctor. He is the one who can best advise you!
4.- Adjustable arms do matter
We know, a chair without arms is cheaper and in reality, we practically do not use them. But are armrests necessary on office chairs?
The function of the armrest is so that the limbs rest and we can change our posture throughout the day or support ourselves to get up.
We should have a minimum height adjustment, although currently the chairs sell adjustable arms according to the different movements.
We can find them in different materials, although the most common are polypropylene or higher-end aluminum.
5.- Look for a seat that has horizontal movement and is curved
The horizontal movement of the seat serves to adapt the base both to the backrest and to the position of the knees. The cascading finished seats (curve down at the knees) prevent the seat from catching you behind the knees.
The tray where we sit should be smooth and contoured so that it does not cause compression on the buttocks and thighs.
For those of the higher end, other comfort systems are provided that will benefit the health in the chair.
The perfect furniture for an office is available here at Davis Furniture. Choosing Davis Furniture as your provider of beautiful pieces of furniture such as our Australian made office tables with unique colours and textures is a great choice that will surely exceed your expectations. Contact us now!