How to Properly Adjust Your Ergonomic Office Chair to Fit Your Workstation

Are you experiencing stiff and aching joints? Do your back hurts and your neck is sore? Your office chair may be causing all these problems. The thing is, typical office chairs aren’t designed to properly support the human body. They are just made to sit your butt on and that is why you don’t feel very comfortable when you are using them. To avoid developing or compounding more serious issues, you should consider getting yourself an ergonomic office chair.

An ergonomic office chair is a tool that, when used right, can increase back support and help maintain a good posture while sitting. It has all the necessary features including headrest and backrest that support your posture while sitting. However, simply buying an ergonomic office chair is not enough. To be effective, ergonomics chairs need to be adjusted to the proportions of the individual’s body to boost comfort and minimize aggravation to the spine. Here is how you do.

The first thing you need to do to set up your ergonomic chair is to decide the desired height of your desk or workstation. This decision should be based on the type of work you do and on your height. Different desk heights may require different positioning of the chair or a different type of ergonomic chair. Once you have established the height of your desk or workstation, then you can adjust your chair according to your physical proportions.

Elbow Measure

Sit as close as you can to your desk (so that your upper arms are aligned to your spine). Next, rest your hand on your desk. If your elbows are not a 90-degree angle, then adjust the height of your chair up or down.

Thigh Measure

Check if you can move your fingers under your thigh at the leading edge of your chair with ease. If it feels too tight, use an adjustable footrest to prop your feet up.

Calf Measure

Push your bottom against the chair back and check if you can pass your clenched fist between the front of your chair and the back of your calf. If you can’t do that easily, that means your chair is too deep for you.

Low Back Support

Press your bottom against the back of your chair. A cushion should be there to cause your lower back to arch slightly so you don’t slouch down in the chair.

Resting Eye Level

You should seat in a position that allows you to look at the centre of your computer screen. If your computer screen is lower or higher than your gaze, raise or lower it to reduce strain on the upper spine.

Armrest

Adjust the armrest of your ergonomic chair in a way that it just slightly lift your arms at the shoulder.