Ergonomic Office Chair Health Tips To Consider When Shopping

Most people do not even know what the word ergonomic means. The word ergonomic literally means human engineering. As relating to the specific application of ergonomics, it is the scientific study of the efficiency of people in the workplace

Humans have been trying to implement ergonomics into every facet of our life for the last sixty years. From cars to jet liners, from refrigerators to recliners, we have tried to implement ergo features into virtually everything, but especially into our seating. This is due to the fact that most people spend so much of their lives in a seated position.

You may want to consider the following questions and answers prior to purchasing your next ergonomic office chair.

What is a sliding seat pan, and why would I need one?

The sliding seat pan simply allows you to adjust your seat depth so that a wider range of the population, including short and tall people could feel comfortable. The seat pan should be adjusted so that it stops short of the backs of your knees. This gives your upper legs maximum support while preventing direct and constant pressure behind your knees. A shorter person will require the pan to be closer to the seat back while a taller person will require the seat pan to be slid away from the seat back.

Why is height adjustment so important?

First, the chair should adjust low for enough so that most women and smaller people can adjust the chair to the correct position. The correct ergonomic height position is as follows, using the length from the heel to the back of the knee, the seat height should be adjusted so you can put your feet flat on the floor. If your feet cannot reach the floor you may run the risk of restricted blood flow caused by increased pressure on your legs. Additionally, you may experience back discomfort resulting from the back being forced to support the addition weight of your legs.

Most men need the ability to adjust the seat high enough so that they are able to maintain ninety degree hip angle. If this is cannot be achieved, they may experience the same restricted blood flow and discomfort as the female whose chair is too high. When you sit in your chair, you should have the ability to place your feet flat on the floor. An ideal seat height range is from fifteen to twenty inches.

What is tilt synchronization and what make this a desirable feature.

Synchronized tilt allows you to lean back in your chair in a variety of degrees. A well made ergonomic chair should provide synchronized tilt so that for every two degrees you lean back in your chair, the seat pan drops by one degree. This is a critically important feature because as you lean back in your chair, you don not want to lose contact with the seat back. If your back loses contact with the chair back, it is difficult to maintain lordosis as described above.

I experience discomfort in my hips as a result of contact with the chairs arm posts. Is there a way to eliminate this problem?

This is a common complaint raised because the arm posts keep coming in contact with the hips. Hip protrusions are quite sensitive and when they come into contact with the arm posts for any extended period of time. People often complain of numbness, tingling, and pain in that area as well as in the lower extremities. This problem can be resolved in most cases by using arms that fully rotate and provide the ability to adjust up and down.

The purpose of our office furniture articles is to provide sound information and recommendations to assist you in making an educated decisions relating to the acquisition of your new office furniture and chairs. Thank you for reading our article today.