Anatomy Of An Office Chair

By: Nick Telford

The office chair is ubiquitous in every part of the office- in cubicles, the CEO's room, conference rooms, thecafeteria, the reception area and more. Whatever the area, the purpose is singular - to sit down in a comfortable and healthy manner.

The office chair is no longer just another piece of furniture. A lot of thought and science goes into designing office chairs. This is because a wrong selection of office chair can be harmful for your health.

The principles of ergonomics are frequently used to provide a pain free work environment. Here are some key points to look out for in a well-designed office chair:

1. Chair Height

The height of the office chairs should be easily adjustable. For this, the office chair has to be fitted with a pneumatic adjustment lever. The lever should be able to move your chair height between 16 to 21 inches from the floor.

This is important so that the user can sit according to the height of the table. The office chair should not be too high or so low, that the user is slouching or straining at the table. Elbows should be at a 90 angle to the table. The feet should be flat on the floor.

An important thing is to ensure that the knees are at a lower height than the hips. This encourages the natural 'double C' curvature of the spine that provides upright support to the body.

2. Chair width and depth

The office chairs should be wide enough to support users of any size. Usually, the office chair width should vary between 17 to 20 inches. The chair depth is the area from the front of the seat to the back.

The office chair depth should be big enough for the user to sit back against the backrest with 2 to 4 inches left between the knees and the seat of the chair.

3. Armrests

Adjustable armrests of office chairs allow the users' elbows, arms and shoulders to be rested comfortably.

4. Backrests

The backrest of the office chairs should vary between 12 to 19 inches. Again, like all parts of the office chair, the backrest should also be adjustable enough to move forward and backward as the user desires. A small cushion can be placed against the small of the back to provide a natural curve to the spine.

5. Swivel

Work in the office requires moving around the desk area - moving from the computer to the file cabinet or reaching out for the phone. The office chair should be able to rotate to enable the user to do all these things without putting the body through difficult contortions.

About The Author

Nick Telford worked in office environments for more than 30 years. A few years ago he developed back problems, and discovered it was due to bad posture in his chairs. He decided to research office chairs, and find out exactly what is the best way to sit for 8 hours a day or more... now he's written a series of article to help others.