Ergonomic chair

Why do we need a good chair? Can’t ordinary chairs be used just as well?
A cheap chair costs only a few dozen yuan, while an ergonomic chair costs hundreds or even thousands of yuan. What makes it so expensive?
The more comfortable a chair is, the more complicated it is. Today we will have a comprehensive understanding of ergonomic chairs;
From the headrest, backrest, armrest, cushion, gas column, material, and adjustment space, you can avoid detours and avoid stepping on thunder.

1. Sitting posture problem
1. Wrong sitting posture
There are several common sitting postures in the office; either leaning back or leaning forward, and the angle is too large; at this time, the neck and waist are under great force; if you often sit like this, you should be careful about your body.
But if you sit in the standard sitting posture for a day, although there is no problem with the spine, the muscles of the whole body can’t stand it, and the waist and back pain will come; so auxiliary objects are needed, such as cushions, headrests, waist pillows, ergonomic chairs and other products to reduce muscle pressure and relieve pain. If you work at a desk for a long time, you need a good chair to prevent occupational diseases from occurring early.

2. Why do we need ergonomic chairs?
Standing, sitting, lying, the more comfortable the posture, the less pressure on the spine?
Not exactly! The ranking of spinal stress postures: sitting>standing>lying!
When the human body is standing, the spine has four physiological curves, the cervical and lumbar vertebrae are convex forward, and the thoracic and sacral vertebrae are convex backward; at this time, the force on the lumbar disc is the weight of the upper body, which is normal. When people bow their heads and bend over, the force at this time is multiplied; the posture with the least force on the spine is lying flat, and the spine is in a stretched state.
The standard sitting posture has about 1.5 times the force on the lumbar spine of the standing posture;
When working at a desk, the force on the lumbar spine is about 2 times that of the standing posture;
When lying flat, the force on the lumbar spine is one-tenth of the standing posture, or less.
When sitting down at a desk, the lumbar spine changes from forward to backward, that is, the normal S-shape becomes an arch; the pressure on the lumbar disc increases, the lumbar muscles weaken, and various discomforts occur in the waist.

3. Who needs an ergonomic chair
1. Office workers who work 885 or 996 hours a day;
2. People who like to play computer games for a long time every day;
3. People who already have problems with the cervical and lumbar vertebrae, which can be relieved but not cured;
4. People who have high requirements for chair comfort;
Ergonomic chairs are a good choice and can solve the above pain points…

4. Key points for purchasing ergonomic chairs
1. Headrest
The headrest fits the cervical vertebrae, reduces the pressure on the cervical vertebrae, and prevents neck pain. Everyone has a different height, and the headrest is adjustable to meet the physiological curvature of the neck.
The height of the headrest is different when people lean forward and lean back, so the headrest should be wide and comfortable, and the height and angle should be adjustable. The support position is near the back of the head to support the cervical vertebrae; the shape of the headrest cannot be too flat, and there must be an arc so that it can fit the neck; at the same time, the headrest has damping adjustment, so it will not be too loose or shake, and it can adapt to the head position.
Of course, a headrest is not necessary; some foreign chairs have well-made backrests, which make people feel comfortable when sitting on them, and they do not have headrests.

No.2 Backrest
The closer the curvature of the chair back is to the natural curvature of the spine, the better (as shown in the left picture below); the better the fit, the more comfortable it is to sit on.

The lumbar pillow should not be too protruding, and should be in a curve. Otherwise, it will hurt the waist and easily cause the pelvis to tilt forward (as shown in the right picture below).

A better ergonomic chair has the black technology “seat-back linkage”, which can dynamically adapt the lumbar support point whether sitting or leaning back, and lock the comfort zone;
When leaning forward: automatically follow the lumbar spine, and the waist is supported;
When sitting upright: the lumbar pillow automatically changes its angle, so that the whole back can get balanced and comfortable support;
When leaning back: the lumbar pillow changes its angle, so that the pressure of the whole back is released to the support;

No.3 Lumbar support
The focus of the backrest is the lumbar support, which is also the soul of the whole chair. Not only should it be moderately soft and hard, but also provide sufficient support for the waist.
A good ergonomic chair has adjustable lumbar support in terms of height and depth, which can support the third and fourth sections of the waist. The benefit is that the lumbar spine maintains a natural curvature, which is ergonomics. Although some ergonomic chairs under 500 yuan have added lumbar support, they can hardly provide support.

No.4 Cushion
The cushion also needs to be adjusted in angle and front and back position.
When we use computers, we will unconsciously lean forward, especially those with myopia; a good chair can tilt slightly backward through the angle of the cushion, so that your center of gravity naturally moves backward and fits the back of the chair naturally, maintaining the normal physiological curve of the spine. Another icing on the cake function is the front and back position adjustment of the cushion; everyone’s thigh length is different, and those with short legs cannot lean against the back of the chair. At this time, the cushion needs to be adjusted backward; those with long legs need to adjust the cushion forward.
A good ergonomic chair has adjustable lumbar support in terms of height and depth, which can support the third and fourth sections of the waist. The benefit is that the lumbar spine maintains a natural curvature, which is ergonomics. Although some ergonomic chairs under 500 yuan have added lumbar support, they hardly play a supporting role.
The seat cushion also needs to be adjusted in angle and front and back position.
When we use the computer, we will lean forward unconsciously, especially those friends with myopia; a good chair can tilt slightly backward through the angle of the seat cushion, so that your center of gravity naturally moves backward and fits the back of the chair naturally, maintaining the normal physiological curve of the spine. Another icing on the cake function is the front and back position adjustment of the seat cushion; everyone’s thigh length is different. Those with short legs cannot lean against the back of the chair. At this time, the seat cushion needs to be adjusted backward; those with long legs need to adjust the seat cushion forward.
If you weigh more than 170 pounds, you can consider choosing a sponge seat cushion;
In addition, there are nylon, fabric and other materials. If you are fat, you can choose sponge or nylon. Although the lifespan is shorter, it can be more comfortable.

No.5 Armrest
Adjustable armrests can meet the use of various scenes and reduce arm pain.
The standard height of the table is generally around 75CM, and the armrests can be flush with the desktop. Adjusting the armrest too high will make you shrug, which will cause neck and shoulder pain over time; it should also be able to be adjusted lower to facilitate pushing the chair under the table.
The armrests of a better chair can also be adjusted left and right. When people type, their two forearms will form an inward angle, and it will be more comfortable if the armrests can be synchronized. Another function is to flip or move backwards, so that you can lean on it to play with your phone without sore hands and your neck will not bend down.