Chronic back pain plagues desk job employees, but it doesn’t have to be that way because there’s a quick fix. The reality is that if you work at a desk full time, then you’re spending on average 7 hours per day, 5 days per week, 50 weeks per year and that totals out to 1,750 hours sitting on a chair. The point being, the chair your sitting on matters – in fact, it matters a lot.
Most chairs are not functional – meaning, they’re more for aesthetics and design than they are for functional use. In fact, using conventional furniture for work purposes has terrible consequences on your health.
These consequences range from chronic lower back pain to a dramatic drop on productivity/focus. Desk jobs are a rather new thing – 100 years ago, nobody had one. So it’s no wonder that conventional chair designs don’t work well with desk jobs. If you’re enjoying this article, then check out our complete guide The Best Office Chair for Lower Back Pain.
The Solution – The Best Office Chairs for Lower Back Pain
In the late 1900s scientists recognized that there was a conflict between office workers and office furniture. This led to the birth of a new field of science called ergonomics. This new field of science focuses on studying the relationship between the human body and furniture. Furniture designed with ergonomic science is therefore known as Ergonomic Chairs, Desks, Kneeling Chairs, etc…
The conflict between workers and their furniture was so great that ergonomic design became federally mandatory across a variety of fields. But – not every company complies with these mandatory regulations and ergonomic science has far evolved since the regulations were first released.
Because of these two factors, there’s a high chance that your furniture is not up to par.
To beat chronic or acute lower back pain, you need a modern ergonomic chair. These chairs are specifically designed for long-term use and are contoured for the human body. Their features typically include adjustable height, adjustable tilt, tilt lock, height lock, adjustable headrest, mesh backs, 5 wheel base and a slight tilt forward.
All of these features are included to spread what’s called “postural stress” from your lower spine throughout the body. Conventional furniture does not spread that stress and it’s what causes acute or chronic lower back pain.
The balancing of postural stress leads to less pressure on the back and the prevention of lower back pain. On top of that, these chairs increase blood flow which has been shown to improve productivity and focus.
Playing Devil’s Advocate – Does Everyone Need an Ergonomic Chair?
Research has shown that almost half of the human population is predisposed to lower back pain but won’t necessarily develop it. However, this same research has shown that conventional furniture dramatically increases the chance of lower back pain developing in the more susceptible group while the other group stays just fine.
In short, bad chairs bring out the worst in people. This does mean that not everyone needs an ergonomic chair – just most people. Luckily, ergonomic chairs aren’t expensive; the cheapest ones start at a little over $100 while the most premium and luxurious ones cap at $1,000.
