A Guide to the Best Ergonomic Chair

Human brain performs various functions starting from the basic regular activities relating to the five senses to the challenging problem solving, decision making, comprehending new concepts, facing challenges, coping up with pressure and the list goes on. Put the humans in an office environment, the demand for efficiency of these cognitive functions increases manifold. Hence a need of a structure conducive to the functioning of brain both in conscious and subconscious level becomes essential.

The subject of ergonomics has great use when we consider the best ergonomic office chair. Ergonomics is the study of designing equipments which can maximise the user’s productivity and ensure safety giving them most comfort and ease. Ergonomics can help us find the best chair if we take all of its areas of research under consideration while hunting for that perfect chair. Those specialised domains are:

·         Physical ergonomics: A chair needs to support the back so as to make it possible for a human to sit eight hours a day and deliver its best work. It should ensure that the design of the chair is such that it doesn’t cause strain and prevent injuries due to prolonged sitting.Muscoskeletal disorders have been discovered as one of the leading work hazard. A poorly designed chair can provide an awkward work position which later leads to difficulty in working and serious consequences in some cases.

·         Cognitive ergonomics: As most of the work has been digitalised, the best ergonomic chair needs to make it easier for workers to function mentally and interact with machines and gadgets well.

·         Organisational ergonomics: However perfect the chair be, sitting for long hours have been found to be as hazardous as smoking, so the organisation itself has to design such policies and create an environment of cooperation, so as the work burden is shared among all equally and hence increasing the productivity level of company.

Characteristics of a good ergonomic chair:

·         Easily manoeuvred: A movable chair is anyday better than a fixed one. Chairs with maximum pedestals in the base would be highly stable and provide an easy movement. The friction between the wheels and the office floors should be taken into consideration. The wobblier the interaction is, the more tedious it will be in future.

·         Accommodating armrests: Needless to say, an armrest is a must for the chair. A lack of it will lead to a bad posture and strain the elbows and the wrists. An ideal chair would adapt to any body type, short or tall by adjusting the armchairs. Cushioned and broad armrests are highly recommended.

·         Seat pan: The most essential part of the chair would be the seat pan and it should be such that it evenly distributes weight, spacious and comfortable. It should provide enough depth so as there is thigh support and the knees don’t have to bear the brunt of extra pressure. It should be padded enough so as to make it last for a long time.

·         Adaptable Height: The height of the chair should be such that the feet reaches the ground and the knees are not unlevelled and the thighs lie parallel to the ground. Also it’s advisable to make sure that one can adjust the height while sitting without much hassle.

·         Back support: With growing number of complaints relating to back pains and discomfort near spinal areas, it is most important to check for the back support provided by the chair. Firstly you should be able to recline and move freely without feeling any kind of strain. It is also important that the lower back is given optimal support. Too much of support in the lower back is as bad as too less .You should not be forced to sit tilting forward. The support should preferably be padded and amendable.

·         Headrest: One should look for optimal head rest; neither too big nor too small .The comfort level is dependent on amount of padding and extent of flexibility given by this feature.

With growing markets, online and offline, the best ergonomic office chair is not only easily available but also cost effective. Hence there is no reason why all offices should not have this type of chairs.