How many of us work in offices? I am willing to hazard a guess that most people reading this article will be office workers. It seems like the majority of articles written these days are about how to make your own furniture, or how to build it out of pallets, or whatever.* Sure, that might be an interesting topic for some folks, but let’s face it – most of us have jobs where we sit down for eight hours a day behind a desk. That means our backside is sedentary for eight hours straight – what could go wrong with that?
Turns out there are quite a few things that can go wrong with sitting all day long at your desk which you need to know about before you head off to the furniture store.
a standing desk, but it can cost a few hundred dollars, and that’s a tough sell for a beginner to the world of alternative seating furniture.
The backrest is curved – that means that your spine doesn’t have to fight against gravity trying to keep you upright. That means no more sore back! But there’s two other things I want you take note of as well… first off, how far do your legs have to stretch out just so they’re flat on the floor? How much space do those poor ankles have to occupy? The second thing is how high up are those arm rests? If your shoulders don’t rest comfortably on them then theres going to be a lot of tension in your neck and back. You don’t want that!
You might be thinking, “But my current office chair is the same height as this one!” – well… tough luck. This modern seating unit is adjustable to many different heights, allowing you to sit down at the desk without craning your neck upwards or downwards.
The Orion Chair is an ergonomic dream; with its lumbar support, mesh back (for breathability) adjustable arm rests along with the height adjusting capabilities, it’s pretty much perfect for any home office worker. It has everything you need all in one place so there’s no clutter taking up space on your newly organized tiny desk or small workstation.
In addition, the mesh back allows air to circulate around your back for a much more comfortable experience when sitting at the desk for long periods of time. And it even comes in a variety of colors! If you’re looking to add some zest and/or color to your office without sacrificing comfort or style, this is definitely the chair for you.
At only $150-200 , depending on where you buy it from, this chair is not only a steal – but a bargain as well – especially compared with other ergonomic chairs that can retail at almost double the price! With its sleek design and fine craftmanship, it’s hard to deny that Orion Chair has been one of the best purchases for office workers looking to add a little bit of oomph to their anemic office life.
This chair, with its adjustable seat height is ideal for those who has the tendency to tiptoe when seated at their desk – making it easier for them to reach their keyboard and mouse (which makes all the difference in the world). And like most ergonomic chairs, this can be easily adjusted with just one hand. That said, you would think that Orion Chair was tailor-made for me; but no….
I’ve seen people fall asleep on this chair before. I don’t know if they got used to sitting down too long or they were just really tired – which happens with most office workers anyway since very few people get enough sleep nowadays. After all, we need to work long hours and still find time for errands and our personal life (and the ever-important weekend routine).
That said, I wouldn’t say that this chair is necessarily bad – it’s just not built for short people with a short body frame. Don’t get me wrong though; you can test drive any office furniture before buying. It might be a good idea to go back home, check your height and compare your measurements with the product specs of the chair you want to buy. In addition to that, sit down while wearing your usual clothes or uniforms – depending on how often you’ll be using it of course. So if you’re going to spend most of your day seated in front of a computer, wearing your business suit or anything related to work you might as well highlight the importance of being comfortable not only during those 8 hours from 9-5 but also when you’re going back home.
In our industry there’s a special term that defines this situation: ergonomic disaster. This refers to an unhealthy working posture that leads to a wide range of physical issues and pains in the neck, shoulders, back and upper limbs. And guess what? Ergonomic disasters are one of today’s most common workplace injuries – probably, because we spend many hours sitting down hunched over the keyboard typing away.
If you need proof for how much can go wrong with bad office furniture take a look at this checklist I’ve compiled for you:
– Lower back pain or stiffness
– Acute or chronic neck, shoulder and arm pain
– Cervical disc herniation, cervical radiculopathy
– Neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome from brachial plexus compression
The above is only a small sample of the many aches and pains associated with bad office furniture. Luckily, there are some easy steps to take to avoid having any of this happen to you. For example: Make sure the top edge of your computer monitor is at eye level when seated at your desk. You can simply check this by looking into a full length mirror – if the image in the mirror shows that your head is tilted up or down, adjust the height of the monitor accordingly.
Lumbar support of your chair should hold you up in a position that allows your legs to drop straight down. If the lumbar support forces you to lean your back away from the chair, it is too high and will not relieve any pressure on the lower spine which often results in headaches.
Sit with both feet flat on the floor, without crossing your legs . A footrest can be used if necessary to increase comfort. Also – do not sit with one leg curled under you or hanging off an edge as this places pressure on one side of your body and affects circulation.
Adjustable arm rests are very important for good working posture because they allow you to relax shoulders yet still hold your arms up in a comfortable position .
Back Support – the backrest should be adjustable vertically or horizontally so you can find the angle that allows your head to rest comfortably against the back without slumping your shoulders forward. If it is too low, it will force you to sit forward in order to have any support. Too high and you will feel like you are leaning backwards with nothing supporting your lower back, resulting in pain at best or falling off of the chair! You need just enough lumbar support to keep your spine slightly arched in an upright sitting position.
Tilt mechanism – Ensure you are sitting straight when testing out how much function this feature has because when improperly adjusted, it can do more harm than good. The tilt mechanism should not put you into a full recline position, nor should it be locked in the upright position. A good starting point is where your legs are at about 90 degrees to your thighs and comfortably bent when your feet are on the floor.
After testing out these four basic key areas, you will know if this chair is right for you or whether or not another chair might better fit your needs. It’s always best to test out more than one option; it may take several tries before finding the perfect spot of comfort!
The four most important things to consider when buying an office chair:
• Lumbar support – With just enough support that will keep your spine slightly arched in an upright sitting position.
• Seat height – Make sure your feet are flat on the floor, and you have a 90-degree bend in your knees.
• Seat depth – Your bum should fit nicely into the seat so it’s not hanging off or sitting on hard material.
• Back support up to mid back as well as arms – When the chair has good armrests that you can use without compromising your lower back position; this will keep you from hunching forward and it helps with blood circulation!