Whether you work in an office or away from home, taking care of your body is just as important as taking care of your job. And if you spend most of your day at a desk, that starts with setting up your workstation. If you run a small business, chances are you don’t have the resources to hire an ergonomics expert to come in and optimize your workspace.
Second, office chairs are not a one-size-fits-all item, so it’s important to find one that offers adjustable features like chair height, back support angle, and armrests.
The material of the chair is another feature to consider. Most high-quality office chairs offer a padded or mesh back, but the seat cushion and headrest (if applicable) should also offer enough support to promote proper posture. The optimal point of quality and price seems to be between 200 and 300 USD, although there are many exceptions to the rule. The best budget chairs start around 50-75.
Top 5 Best Office Chairs For Back Pain And Heavy Weight 2023
1. Herman Miller Embody Chair – Best Office Chair Overall:
Features:
- Perfect for your back
- Improves your posture and your productivity
If you want a luxurious chair with every bell and whistle, the Herman Miller Full-Length Chair will not disappoint. Although its price is high, it offers practically everything that can be asked for in an ergonomic chair. It’s beautiful, comfortable, adjustable, and holds up well with normal wear.
This chair includes six ergonomic features designed to better support your spine. Proper positioning, improves blood and oxygen flow, making you feel better and improving concentration and relaxation at your desk. The material and padding keep you cool and comfortable no matter how unpredictable your office HVAC system is.
The chair has a 12-year warranty and is tested for up to 300 pounds. It comes with an aluminum base on wheels and is available in a variety of colors. The high back and adjustable settings make it ideal for people of a wide range of heights and sizes.
2. AmazonBasics Mid-Back Mesh Chair – Best Value Office Chair:
Features:
- Modern rocking chair with armrests
- Backrest with a mesh covering, which allows…
- Padded seat to provide greater comfort…
Back pain is a very common problem, especially for those who work sitting in an office for many hours. Although it seems that in the sitting posture everything is rest, the reality is that we overload our backs.
For this reason, it becomes essential to have an ergonomic chair for back pain that suits us. So that it offers the necessary rest to our back so as not to overload it. It is estimated that 85% of people over the age of 50 have suffered episodes of chronic back pain. It is one of the main reasons for sick leave in companies for a reason.
Sitting all day can cause severe spinal problems, carpal tunnel syndrome, neck and back pain, constant headaches, and other health-related problems. The use of a chair for back pain can help us avoid it.
Not all chairs on the market are the same; therefore, sometimes it is worth investing more to ensure their durability and their effect on our health. But what should we take into account when choosing a chair for back pain? We are going to see the characteristics that it must fulfill.
How To Select Best Ergonomic Chairs For The Office?
The best ergonomic chairs are those that support our backs well; We must especially take care of the lumbar area, which is the one that suffers the most tension. An ergonomic chair will help us maintain a healthier posture and thus avoid back pain.
To achieve this, it is not enough to have a chair for back pain; We must also maintain the correct posture to help us achieve it. But it has been shown that the use of an ergonomic chair that adapts to our back allows us to avoid discomfort, helps reduce absence from work due to injury, and generates an improvement in work performance.
Therefore, your choice becomes a very important decision. That is why we are going to tell you what you should take into account when choosing your ergonomic chair for back pain.
Characteristics Of A Chair For Back Pain And Heavy Weight:
The first feature to consider in a chair for back pain is that it is stable; therefore it is best to choose a star base with five supports. A healthy chair for our back must have an adjustable backrest. Through a mechanism that is normally located on the side of the chair. This mechanism allows the backrest to be adjusted to the needs of each moment and to fix it according to the position we wish to adopt.
The seat must also be adjustable. The height of the chair must also be adjusted according to the user. It will not be the same for a person of 1.50 as for one of 2 meters. We will also need adjustable height and angle arms; in this way, we can adapt it to our measure perfectly, and our arms will rest and suffer less tension.
These must be made of a resistant material that can support our weight when we sit down and stand up. Finally, we can incorporate a headrest, which is usually optional in most ergonomic chairs. The headrest allows us to support the cervical area in moments of relaxation.
Which Is The Best Material For Ergonomic Chairs?
We must check that our chair for back pain is made of suitable materials for its use. First of all, we must take into account the upholstery; this is the part of the chair that we have in contact with the body and it must be of good quality.
Although there are many types of upholstery, it is worth investing in a durable, resistant, and breathable one. The back of the chair will receive intensive use and must be made of material that absorbs perspiration.
Also Read: Best Office Chairs
Normally, all ergonomic chairs have different types of breathable fabrics. These have a good level of resistance to abrasion to guarantee their continued use in the office. There are also grid-type fabrics that allow better breathability.
The type of foam with which the chairs for back pain are made is also important. Injected foams offer higher quality as they last much longer without deforming; This way you will get more comfort and convenience. When sitting down, it should not be deformed if not adapted to our body.
The material in which the chair is made must also be resistant. Some have aluminum coatings which give them greater lightness and resistance. The chair must support our weight for a long time. That is why it is important that the material in which it is made is resistant.
Chair With Armrests Or Without Armrests?
In the specific case of chairs for back pain, the answer is clear: better with armrests. The vast majority of ergonomic chairs have adjustable armrests; this allows them to be adjusted in size and distance for greater freedom and comfort for the user.
The possibility of resting the arms is one of the principles of ergonomics, and it is that the arms are often used a lot in office work. For this reason, having a place to support them helps to prevent them from being burdened or fatigued. These types of chairs are more recommended when you spend long hours sitting.
The armrests serve as support for the arms if they start to get tired of typing or writing. In addition, these must support our weight when we sit down and get up from the chair. The armrests are support pieces, so they must be resistant.
How To Know Which Chair For Back Pain And Heavy Weight Is The Most Suitable?
Choosing the right chair for back pain can be very difficult. There are a lot of options and models on the market.
That is why we tell you what are the main elements when choosing a suitable ergonomic chair. Also thinking that it will last a long time helps you to have a better posture and avoid constant back pain. You must verify that you meet the following requirements:
- It has a star base that will give it stability and prevent swaying.
- The lumbar support is S-shaped to collect well and give you comfort.
- You can adjust the height of the seat according to your taste or needs.
- The backrest is also adjustable both vertically and backward and forwards, so you get maximum comfort.
- The wide seat, so that you are not compressed when sitting down.
- The material in which the chair is made is resistant and durable and will support your weight well.
- The seat and backrest material is comfortable, breathable, and abrasion resistant.
- It has an adjustable armrest
- Possibility of incorporating a headrest if you wish
How To Choose The Best Office Chair For Heavy Weight & Back Pain?
Chairs for people with spinal problems must have different support compared to conventional office chairs. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account certain aspects of making a conscious purchase; among them:
- Check that the seat allows freedom of the popliteal fossa; that area behind the knee and its joint must remain free of pressure and this is achieved by measuring that the seat of the chair for back pain has an adequate depth.
- The support and support of the back should allow the natural curvature of the spine to form. Likewise, it should have support or cervical support. The advantage of this type of support is that, if it is not included in the ergonomic back chair, it can be integrated without great difficulty.
- The most appropriate thing is that the chairs for the back have adjustable properties in terms of height; Ideally, the chair should allow for alignment of the spine and correct angular placement of the feet and knees. The adjustable height also applies to the backrest and armrests.
- A resistant base is another aspect that should be verified when choosing the best chairs for the back. The most ideal thing is that it be wide, stable, and suitable support to release the tension of the legs during periods of work activity.
Choose Special Chairs For Heavy Weight & Back Pain:
In the case of a subject as special as chairs to rest your back, it is important to highlight that in offices around 60% of the furniture usually has inadequate ergonomic characteristics; which makes it clear that these are seats, desks, and other furniture that contribute minimally to relieving back pain.
However, there are chairs that have special characteristics to alleviate this type of discomfort. Some of these important characteristics when choosing chairs for the back are:
- Comfortable arms or armrests, made of soft material and with an adjustable system.
- Adjustable headrest and backrest.
- Reclining backrest for a higher level of comfort; ergonomic and with lumbar support.
- Swivel base with 5-blade wheels, preferably made of polished aluminum, colored or in.
- Synchronized mechanism to lock system in working position.
- Built-in lumbar cushion to prevent herniated discs.
- Seat with waterfall finish to rest the popliteal hollow.
- Adequate support capacity for the volume of considerable weight.
A conventional office chair will generally not have the minimum characteristics that a back chair deserves. Therefore, the ideal is to check before purchasing the furniture, that it meets the requirements and characteristics mentioned in this post.
Which Chairs To Avoid Back Pain?
The idea is to have ergonomic and back pain chairs even if the discomfort has not appeared; The best thing is to have chairs to avoid back pain.
Having a chair that allows you to adopt the correct and natural position to rest your spine will help you take care of possible back pain. Therefore, choosing a chair with lumbar support is the best option.
Although it may seem incredible, a chair that has armrests made of hard and rough material will cause the person to unconsciously avoid rubbing their arms with this part of the chair, causing the adoption of forced and unnatural postures to avoid hurting the arms. . To avoid this, the ideal is to choose a chair that has padded armrests and upholstered with a material that is soft to the touch and to the touch.
If it is a chair that has a fully padded, ergonomic design, with an adjustable backrest and built-in lumbar cushion; With all certainty, you will be in front of one of the most suitable chairs for back pain.
If you choose a chair with good lumbar support, in addition to avoiding back pain, you can minimize muscle fatigue by always adopting a correct and comfortable posture; which will be beneficial to reducing the chances of suffering from spinal deformity.
Likewise, an ergonomic chair that allows the adoption of correct postures will help you maintain the good health of your spine, allow good blood circulation in your legs and facilitate your motor activity. This, without a doubt, will positively influence your performance levels and work productivity.
We hope this article has helped you. If you want more information about ergonomic chairs you can consult our website or visit one of our stores. There are specialists who will advise you so that you feel much more comfortable, and relaxed and help you improve your performance and your health.