Does It Take Time To Get Used To An Ergonomic Chair?

Uncomfortable or experiencing pain when you’re sitting in your ergonomic office chair?

As with anything new there is an adjustment period when you get a new ergonomic chair. However, it should not cause you pain. When you purchase a high-end ergonomic chair, like a Herman Miller Aeron chair, the manufacturer will teach you how to set it up so that you can start enjoying the benefits right away.

Sometimes, depending on the type of chair you purchased, there can be some time of adjustment and acclimation due to a more active sitting posture.

But this should be a situation you adapt to relatively quickly, and while a new experience shouldn’t cause you to experience pain or discomfort.

Sitting for lengthy periods of time isn’t what you want to do anyway, but in those times when you are sitting, you should be comfortable.

By the way – before we get too far along here, if you want to get more great ideas for your home office and connect with other home office hackers to make your space the best join my free private Facebook group, Home Office Hacks here.

Why is my ergonomic chair hurting my back?

If you’ve gone to the expense and shelled out your hard earned money on a premium ergonomic chair only to find out that it’s hurting your back, there is most definitely something is definitely wrong.

When you’re in a seated position, your feet should be flat on the floor and your arms should rest comfortably flat against your workspace surface for maximum comfort.

Your body weight should be evenly distributed between your legs and torso. If you feel any pressure points or if you notice any soreness, then you need to adjust your chair accordingly.

If you’re experiencing discomfort or pain when you’re using your ergonomic desk chair then it’s more than likely not set up correctly and you’ll need to adjust it.

But don’t worry – setting up your ergonomic desk chair is covered below. First though, let’s talk about how it should feel and what a proper sitting position should be.

How should an ergonomic chair feel?

Your new high-end ergonomic chair should feel like your body is being cradled.

It should alleviate pressure you feel on your back, hips, thighs, and legs.It should also provide support and comfort as you sit.

What are the best types of chairs for different people?

There are many different types of seats available for use in offices and homes. Each one has its own unique features and advantages. The following are just a few:

Ergonomic office chairs are designed specifically to help reduce stress on your body by providing proper support for your whole body – lumbar, legs, and back – and helping distribute your weight over a larger surface area.

Should your knees be above your hips when sitting?

Most people don’t ever get any real proper training about how to sit in a chair.

Think about it; when we were little our parents were just happy to be able to get us to sit upright without rolling over like Humpty Dumpty!

In order to be healthy while working at home at a job that requires lots of time in front of a computer or sitting at desk, learning how to sit correctly is vital.

According to the Cleveland Clinic’s article on Back Health and Posture here is the correct sitting position:

• Sit up with your back straight and your shoulders back. Your buttocks should touch the back of your chair.
• All 3 normal back curves should be present while sitting. You can use a small, rolled-up towel or a lumbar roll to help maintain the normal curves in your back.
• Sit at the end of your chair and slouch completely.
• Draw yourself up and accentuate the curve of your back as far as possible. Hold for a few seconds.
• Release the position slightly (about 10 degrees). This is a good sitting posture.
• Distribute your body weight evenly on both hips.
• Bend your knees at a right angle. Keep your knees even with or slightly higher than your hips. (Use a foot rest or stool if necessary.) Do not cross your legs.
• Keep your feet flat on the floor.
• Try to avoid sitting in the same position for more than 30 minutes.
• At work, adjust your chair height and work station so that you can sit up close to your work and tilt it up toward you. Rest your elbows and arms on your chair or desk, keeping your shoulders relaxed.
• When sitting in a chair that rolls and pivots, don’t twist at the waist while sitting. Instead, turn your whole body.
• When standing up from the sitting position, move to the front of the chair. Stand up by straightening your legs. Avoid bending forward at your waist. Immediately stretch your back by doing 10 standing backbends.

Source: Cleveland Clinic

Why does my office chair make my hips hurt?

If you’re hurting while at your desk in an ergonomic chair, chances are your posture is bad.

In addition to that, it could be that the strength of the muscles in your hips has deteriorated, which is not uncommon for people sitting a lot at their desk.

The solution is simple: Get up every hour or two to walk around. It will also help prevent muscle atrophy.

What angle should I position my body in my chair?

It’s long been held that you should maintain a 90 degree angle between your torso and your legs to ensure proper posture while sitting.

But that may not be the case.

Research has shown that a more reclined angle of 135 degrees could be the optimal angle for comfort and preventing degenerative disk disease.

Research presented by the Radiological Society of North America found the “optimal sitting position was with a trunk-thigh angle of 135 degrees. This position was shown to cause least ‘strain’ on the lumbar spine, most significantly when compared with an upright 90 degree sitting posture.”

How do I set up my ergonomic desk chair?

Adjust your seat height

It’s important to get the height of your ergonomic chair right. To do that, you need to set it at a level where your feet can rest flat on the floor to make sure you’re not cutting off blood flow by being too high or too low. For most people this means a height somewhere around 16-22 inches from the floor.

Adjust your seat depth

Your chair’s seat depth determines how much room there is between your bottom and the edge of the seat. If you find that your thighs and buttock area hit the edges of the seat, then your chair needs to be adjusted.

Adjust your lumbar support

Lumbar supports are designed to help keep your lower back in its proper alignment and can relieve pain caused by poor posture. Make sure that the lumbar support rests gently but firmly against your lower back so it can provide proper support.