Choose the right sitting option.
Desk chair
- Stable chair with 5 legs in star shape.
- Height adjustable seat, ideally pneumatic: your feet should be on the ground, hips higher than knees. Your arms should be bent at right angles with your shoulders relaxed.
- Seat angle tilt adjustment: a 5° to 15° forward tilt promotes good posture and makes slouching difficult.
- Good seat cushioning with ‘waterfall front’ and breathing fabric to support the thighs and prevent pressure on the back of the knees.
- Back support with height, depth and angle adjustments. The back support should aim at supporting the base of the thoracic spine (ribs) to prevent slouching and poor breathing.
- Armrests that support the weight of the arms. They should be height and width-adjustable and padded. Armrests can be useful as long as they don’t prevent you from getting the chair under the desk. Armrests that are too high raise the shoulders. Armrests that are too low make you lean forward. Adjust the width to keep the elbows close to the body.
- A reclining mechanism to lean back and relax the spine.
Stools versus chairs
You might consider using a stool instead of a chair.
Some experts argue that
1- since we don’t need back support when standing, we shouldn’t need one when sitting; allow the pelvis and legs to provide the necessary support.
2- as chairs are designed one-fits-all, they can provide the wrong support and create stress.
3- Slouching is more tempting when there is a back support.
When sitting on a stool, you are more likely to stand and move around to rest your back, rather than slouch or lean back as you might in a chair. Moving is healthier for your body than sitting.
A new generation of stools has appeared on the market. They are designed to let the spine find its natural position and gently rock the body as you sit, increasing disc hydration and decreasing back muscle tension.
As we all come in different shapes and sizes, shop around and find your ideal seat. It is worth trying out different chairs and stools before buying and worth investing in a very good one, as you will spend many happy and not-so-happy hours on it!