The importance of ergonomic office chairs
Office workers spend many hours sitting at their desks, so the suitability of their chair is very important. Sitting down for long periods puts a strain on spines, legs and even on your neck.
Here are the main reasons why you need to get serious about ergonomic chairs.
Posture support
According to the ergonomics team at Cornell University, sitting for longer than 20 minutes is likely to have a negative effect on your body.
If Office fit out companies provide an ergonomically-designed chair it will adjust to support the individual user’s body. Adjustable heights are especially important to accommodate different leg lengths and prevent unnecessary strain on the lower back.
Comfort is vital
You may not think that sitting down can make you tired but it can! Fatigue is a real issue when you are sitting in an uncomfortable chair. You tense muscles that could be relaxed and they soon get worn out. This can lead to niggling aches and pains that can be hard to cure.
Neck problems
Reaching forward to work at a PC can cause tension in the muscles in the neck. A good chair provided by office fit out companies can help with this. It can be designed to position you close to the keyboard so you do not have to reach too far forward. Some even have head supports so that you can rest your head back. This prevents a build-up of fatigue in the neck muscles which can lead to inflammation and pain.
Maintaining a spinal curve
We all have a natural curve at the base of the spine called the lumbar curve. If you have a chair that supports this curve, you can adopt a more natural posture when you are working. The best chairs are provided with a lumbar support which presses against your lower back and keeps it in a healthy position. The best ergonomic chairs have adjustable lumbar supports. You can move them up and down to fit into the exact spot where your lumbar curve is.
Don’t forget the arms
Arms are often forgotten when it comes to office chair design but they do a lot of work at the keyboard. There is an optimum position and angle for hands to use a mouse and keyboard and incorrect positioning causes aches. Arm-rests can help with this.
