Chairs that Won't Wreck Your Back?

texatut asks: "I'm sure many of you are familiar with this secenario. You spend 10-12 hours a day in a crappy chair, and your back pays the price. I know there are chairs there that cost in excess of $1000 that alleviate the problem, but that's a lot of money to pay for a chair. I wanted to ask you all to give recommendations and opinions on chairs that are in a slightly lower price range, say, below $600. My back thanks you in advance."

Ahem, 10-12 hours?

[Txiasaeia (581598)]

I know this isn't what you're looking for, but WonderChair or no, you *still* need to stand up every half-hour or so and walk around. If you're sitting in a chair for more than four hours at a time and your back hurts, well, it's not the chair's fault.

Having said that, I'd get one with lower back support - makes it a lot easier to sit for a stretch and still be productive. Check out a few ergonomics diagrams available on the net and set up your work space accordingly - your entire body will thank you.

Try...

[Jeremiah Cornelius (137)]

One of these [libertyforum.org]!

Re:Ahem, 10-12 hours?

[photon317 (208409)]

I use a little tool on my gnome panel that reminds me to take a break from the keys every hour. When the time comes it covers up my screen with a 5 minute countdown timer, at which point I get up and go for a walk. Without it I always end up going way too long without taking a break.

It's called Dr Wright, homepage is http://www.imendio.com/projects/drwright/

There's a gentoo ebuild for it in the standard tree in gnome-extra.

Re:Ahem, 10-12 hours?

[pbox (146337)]

All these ergonomics stuff is available in my IKEA chair. It is their higher end, cost me like $250. I have not had any backproblem since...

Get the VERKSAM or NOMINELL models.

more uselessness from ximpul

[ximpul1 (607679)]

many ppl slouch, pull in their shoulders and bring their faces closer to the screen when using a desktop computer so.. stop doing that (where applicable)

Just spend the money

[antifoidulus (807088)]

to get a girl to sit on your lap while you sit on a cheap chair. You won't even think about your back(or work)!

Herman Miller Aeron

[wdr1 (31310)]

Get an Aeron [yahoo.com]. and you back will love you forever for it. You can get new ones for just over $600 and probably less if you can find one used (try craigslist).

I have one at work and at home. They're terrific. Once you use them, you'll never want to go back.

HTH,
-Bill

Re:Herman Miller Aeron

[Fallon (33975)]

Aeron's rock, I bought one for use at home and have never regetted it.

They are definatly not the cheapest option out there, but compared to the money most of us toss at computers every year or 2, it's very worth while. It's a very well constructed chair, and I expect mine to last over 10 years (only minor scuffing after 2 so far).

$1,000-2,000 every 1-2 years for a new computer, compared to $600 ever 10 years for a spine saving chair. If you start looking at the numbers it gets a lot easier to push off an

Re:Herman Miller Aeron

[transiit (33489)]

Or don't.

I find them to be scratchy and horrible. Nothing special as far as ergonomics go. Remember, Herman Miller also gave us the cubicle. Way to go.

At home, I've got a ~$100 chair picked up from the local office products store. Checked out all of them until I found one I liked.

At work, I've got some ergonomic wonder, but my company is also just large enough to freak out if they think we'll have grounds for an RSI lawsuit, so they'll readily accomodate us if we start complaining.

The best advice here is to take semi-regular breaks. Regular exercize probably wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, either.

-transiit

Re:Herman Miller Aeron

[tod_miller (792541)]

Heard about the Aeron and the dot bomb growth of this eccentric chair, and as many people hate it as love it.

I suggest buying a cheap chair, and snapping the back off.

My office chair in my new job was IKEA shit, and since I daren't lean back on it, I tend to sit in the correct posture, slightly forward on my seat.
Also I leave the feet on my keyboard (its feet, notmine) down, so my wrists stay straight. (8 hous a day with a 20 degree deflection in my wrist? (not jokes please) that would cut off all my nerv

Change often

[hoggoth (414195)]

Don't always sit on a chair.
Sit on an excercise ball [fitter1.com] for a while.
Sit on a kneeling chair [sitincomfort.com] for a while.
Shift positions a lot.
Get a headset [hellodirect.com] so you don't have to hold a phone to your head.

Do back exercises every morning and every night. Sit ups, "superman"s (extensions).

And of course, get up and walk around every hour.

Personal Opinion

[by Anonymous Coward]

Dude,

Get off your butt and go to a store and try sitting in some different chairs!

There are hundreds of chair designs out there and I've sat in a variety of crappy chairs. If you want a good one, you are going to pay for it. The reason office chairs cost so much is because they are built to last a long time. We've got chairs that are over 20 years old from Steel Case. Generally, I am not pleased with the newer chairs and actually prefer the old ones. But they don't work for fat people because you can't sit down if you can't get your ass past the arm rests. Heck some fat folks ordered these chairs with arm rests the slide to the sides to accommodate their fat assess.

Want to save money? Look for used office furniture shops, you could get a great chair for a whole lot less then what they cost new.

Re:Personal Opinion

[bluGill (862)]

That isn't a good idea. He is looking for a chair to sit in for 12 hours a day, 5(7?) days a week. 10 seconds per chair isn't enough to know which will work. Indeed a chair that is uncomfortable for 10 seconds may come out best after 12 hours! (unlikely, but how do you know?)

Test them out

[xanderwilson (662093)]

Get to OfficeMax or wherever and sit in the chairs. I know people who have loved those expensive Aeron chairs and people who have hated them and you won't know until you try. Check their website and find a dealer near you.

Also pay attention to posture and computer/monitor/keyboard position, and take regular breaks (with and without stretching) from the chair.

I walked into a Discovery Channel store not too long ago while traveling. They had a removeable lumbar support that you can attach to any chair. Didn't try it and YMMV, but it was about $60.

Oh and you might be able to find a $1000 chair on Ebay or Craig's List, or a local used furniture place for $600 or less. Businesses that go belly-up can have many expensive chairs on the cheap.

Alex.

Re:Test them out

[walt-sjc (145127)]

Have you actually done this? The chairs at all these warehouse style office supply places (Office Max, Reliable, Staples, etc.) SUCK. They are all very cheaply made, use foam that compresses to paper thickness (too low density), have ZERO back support, etc. These stores don't even carry nice chairs as stock items. Some better models are availbale from the catalog, but most of those suck too.

What you really need to do is go to a dedicated office furniture dealer where they carry quality stuff with good warr

Re:Test them out

[xanderwilson (662093)]

Have you actually done this? The chairs at all these warehouse style office supply places (Office Max, Reliable, Staples, etc.) SUCK.

Yup. That's why it's important to test them out. No matter how good and expensive they look in the catalog, there's no way of knowing their quality and how appropriate they are for an individual's situation until you test them out.

I agree that a dedicated dealer of furniture and/or office furniture is a better bet. But at an Office Max type store you'll be able to figur

adjustable desk

[wiswaud (22478)]

at work we have desks that are adjustable in height. if i find myself uncomfortable at some point in the day, i'll just lift the desk (we have spring-loaded and motorized versions, both almost effortless to operate) and work standing for a while.
does wonders.

Get a Swiss Ball

[stinkyelf (558533)]

Your back will hurt a lot for the first 2 weeks as the muscles develop strength, persevere and take a break when it becomes too much. After a little while like this your back will be strong and posture good.

The important thing with a swiss ball is the height of it, when you sit on it your knees should be slightly below your ass.

Make sure you get a good strong ball, the cheap ones simply do NOT work.

I have a mediball pro 65cm which is good for my height (186cm), and haven't had any complaints in the couple of years that I've been using it.

Re:Get a Swiss Ball

[der_joachim (590045)]

You are not the only one. The Belgian singer An Pierle always plays the piano while sitting on a Swiss ball.

To go back on topic, here is a cheap alternative to expensive 'ergonomic' chairs: get an old chair and remove the back rest and the arm rests. Now your body will have to actually work to keep itself upright. I had a colleague who used to sit like that and he said that it helped alleviate his back problems.

der Joachim

just purchased.

[quiddity (106640)]

a Ca$170 chair from Staples. Am very happy with it. improvements on the previous office chair were:
-shorter seat. having 2" clearance behind my knees, instead of none, means i get up and wheel about more easily.
-smaller wheelbase.
-detachable and/or adjustable arms. not part of structure, and only a single post holding them up, so less to get in the way of cushions or jackets etc. wish they were padded though.
-adjustable seat tilt
-seperate adjustable back tilt.
-both with an any-angle tilt-lock.
-adjust

Just a simple tip..

[hookedup (630460)]

Take your wallet out of your back pocket when working. it makes quite the difference..

Word That.

[Syncdata (596941)]

Two reasons to never put your wallet in your back pocket.

#1. If you're an average office guy, and spend a decent part of the day in a chair, be it in a car, or in the office, that wallet is throwing off your center of balance while sitting. Keep it in your inside jacket pocket.
#2. Roughly 95% of the worlds populace carries the wallet in the back pocket. Thieves know exactly where it is, and can snatch at will. Keep it in your inside jacket pocket.

Re:Word That.

[aminorex (141494)]

Word to other muggers: Marsupials keep their wallets in their gestation pouches.

Re:Word That.

[Eneff (96967)]

And for the 95% of us who don't wear a jacket...

Stuff it inside your pants. That way, if a theif goes for it, you're getting your money's worth.

How much for a new spine?

[meanfriend (704312)]

...there are chairs there that cost in excess of $1000 that alleviate the problem, but that's a lot of money to pay for a chair.

But still a lot less than the price of wrecking your back in 5 years. Really, if you are sitting 10-12 hours a *day* in the same chair, then you are spending a tremendous amount of time in front of your computer and you better get the best ergonomics you can.

Really, if you are willing to spend $600, then you are already considering some high end chairs. Find the one that feels the best and dont worry so much about the price (assuming it doesnt cost $10K or something crazy). They are built to last and will serve you well for years to come.

Non-office chair

[drivers (45076)]

I used to have back pain at work, and I got sick of fiddling with the settings of poorly made office chairs trying to get them to relieve my back pain. (Also, I asked for the same office chair I bought for myself at home, which was only $100, but my work was too cheap to buy it for me.) I started using what I would call a guest chair. Basically it is a solid chair: no wheels, no adjustments. Just a solid wooden frame with cloth coverings, a wide and deep (front to back) seat and armrests with a low back. I think the key here is solidity. It doesn't give way to weight or creak at all. You know how when you sit in a cheap office chair something gives way, and it creaks when you shift positions? Not in this chair. Since then, no back complaints. I think that in most chairs you tense various muscles to compensate for the lack of support. I suppose it depends on the exact chair, so at least try something beside "computer" chairs.

Re:Non-office chair

[TykeClone (668449)]

Sounds kind of like what I've got - except I've got the wheels and can lean back. I especially like the rigid back - it helps the back.

The Bank I work at has about a half a dozen of them and a bunch of people "upgraded" a couple of years ago - I didn't. As a matter of fact, I was able to appropriate on for home.

I did some looking on e-bay, and found that you could get this kind of chair for about $50 or so. It kind of has a 70's look, but what does you butt care?

From experience

[Anna Merikin (529843)]

I was born with a (minor) case of scoliosis, so my back is VERY sensitive. Here's what I found --

1. Back problems (aches) due to fatigue are helped most by strengthening the abdominal muscles, which are what keeps the back aligned.

2. A straight back chair is best, but only if you put your feet FLAT on the floor. Otherwise, they are a pain (literally.)

3. Soft padding is a no-no. Maybe gel is good, I haven't tried it.

4. The backrest and seat should be adjustable for angle and height/reach. Change positions often.

5. I made my own perfect-for-me seat from a wrecked Thunderbird with the inflatable seatback option. I took the passenger seat (it was less worn) to a welding shop and had some straight pieces added for legs. It is adjustable, inflatable, durable, comfortable and cheap.

6. But most of the time, I compute on a yoga mat on the floor with the keyboard in my lap. Half Lotus works for me.

Re:From experience

[Gid1 (23642)]

I was born with a major case of scoliosis, and have had to have a pretty major operation to correct it. I agree with pretty much everything you say here.

It seems to me, however, that there are a lot of common fallacies with regards to back pain. I know that for me, swimming, sleeping on a hard bed, those kneeling chairs, etc. are all TERRIBLE for my back, no matter how good they are for other people. In fact, after any of those activities, I can barely walk.

With regards to chairs, I bought an Aeron a w

knee chair/stool

[justanyone (308934)]

A friend of mine had a chair that you sat with your butt on small part, then tucked your knees under and on a kneerest. It was supposed to be way better for his back.

Of course, I couldn't relax much in it, and when I slouched it really made me tired, and after a while my knees hurt too.

They are called "knee chairs" and links to manufacturers / resellers are here [vitalityweb.com] and here [pricegrabber.com].

Of course, there's always the option of

• mount monitor on one of those extension arms like the Dentist X-Ray tube, hooked to the ceil

a great chair

[kevinbajan (656377)]

Try the Sum chair from All Steel Office http://www.allsteeloffice.com/sum/launch.html/ [allsteeloffice.com] (flash warning). I have one myself. Very comfortable and adjustable, and comes with a lifetime warranty to boot.

Steelcase Leap

[SteveOU (541402)]

I've got a Steelcase Leap chair. First the office bought one for me, and then I would up buying one for home. Cost me $700, which may be more than you were looking to spend. Comes with a lifetime warranty on the mechanics (pneumatic cylinder, etc) and the cushions are user-replaceable.
It is very adjustable...arm height, arm width, arm angle, chair height, seat depth, and seat edge. Plan on spending at least a week (took me 2) to get it set right for you. And then don't let other people muck with your settin

Re:Steelcase Leap

[Parsec (1702)]

I spend a lot of time in a Steelcase Sensor (high-back with adjustable arms (try this link [steelcase.com])). It's fairly comfortable for my 6'2" frame.

Although I would have probably gone with the Leap if I had the option three years ago.

Re:Steelcase Leap

[silvwolf (103567)]

I'll second this. Some of the newer areas at work have these in all the cubes. I love going to those places to work on the workstations! Even though the chairs aren't adjusted for me, they're still way more comfortable than any other chair I've tried.

My current chair at home is falling apart so I started looking around for a good deal on a Leap. I've quickly looked at some of the local retailers listed on Steelcase's site, but couldn't find any prices on them. No real discounts found on Froogle either

Try a Lovesac. It's Groovy.

[Radical Rad (138892)]

It's not a bean bag chair [lovesac.com], but it's kinda similar. I enjoy the 6 foot diameter sack covered in polar bear fur. The three babes [lovesac.com] are optional but recommended. I could only afford one. I would have had a picture of me to post ala a 'Baby on a bearskin rug', but my camera is broken. My gf's camera is the old school variety and we weren't sure if the lab would develop a picture with a man's buttocks in it.

justify the cost

[austad (22163)]

Really, if you think about it, you probably only spend one or two hours a day in your car, but you probably paid an obscene amount of money for it. Spending $1000 on something you spend half your life sitting in seems cheap to me.

In any case, I was going to pick up an Aeron, but I came across a Herman Miller Ergon made in 1975 for $40. It's pimpin' 70's orange, and it's super comfy. I've heard that they have lifetime warranties and will actually send someone out to fix it if it breaks, but I haven't had to use that yet.

Recently I've been seeing some Aeron knockoffs. I'm not sure who makes them, but they seem fairly good. Not nearly as well built, but the one or two hours I sat in one, it was decent. All of the chairs they sell at Office Max/etc are crap. Don't waste your money.

I'm still probably going to buy an Aeron. The mesh on them is great for keeping you cool if your office/room is warm. Plus, no one can do that Tabasco trick on you if you have the mesh (where you put tabasco on their chair, and it wicks up when their ass sweats and gives them an ass rash).

Re:justify the cost

[Seraphim_72 (622457)]

Plus, no one can do that Tabasco trick on you if you have the mesh (where you put tabasco on their chair, and it wicks up when their ass sweats and gives them an ass rash).

I...am utterly speachless. What have people done to you?

Re:justify the cost

[Parsec (1702)]

I've tried the Aeron and found the front edge of the seat (the hard plastic surround) pushed into the back of my leg too much to be comfortable. Find somewhere to try this chair out, it might not be for everyone. (Of course it is possible I just didn't fiddle with the settings long enough.)

forget the char, do some tai chi chuan

[dunkelfalke (91624)]

after the work, or during the break. much better effect for your back and overall health than an overpriced chair.

Why are there so many crappy chairs???

[TheLink (130905)]

To the people saying it should be worth spending thousands of bucks to save your back. Why should you have to spend thousands to do so?

Why are so many chairs crappy? Why are so few people making decent chairs for decent prices? Just sit in some chairs for a few minutes and it's obvious they are crap.

I thought the US folk have lawsuit happy people?

Strange.

Given the amounts some of you are willing to spend why don't you buy a TFT screen, suspend it from the ceiling, and then work lying down flat on your b

Regardless of chair I use...

[FleaPlus (6935)]

Regardless of what chair I'm using, I've noticed that I tend to subconsciously curl up into a fetal position whenever my mind is focused on something. This probably can't be good for my back. Does anyone else have this problem, or know of an effective way to stop it?

Re:Regardless of chair I use...

[Eideewt (603267)]

I'd recommend that you just take a break now and then, uncurl whenever you notice you're doing it, and make an effort to curl in slighty different ways each time you curl. Curl to the left one time, and the right next time. As long as you don't stay scrunched up for a long time, I'd say that the frequent movement will do you good. I do this occasionally as well, but not often enough for me to worry about it.

The Le Corbusier Lounge Chair

[Frantactical Fruke (226841)]

The Le Corbusier lounge chair [arno.org]
It takes a bit of getting used to having your keyboard in your lap and the screen on a stool next to you, but it sure is perfect for the back. I have worked 30 hour stretches on this one and gotten up without a twinge in the back. The neck can get a bit stiff, if you don't move your head much during work, but that's a small price to pay, I think.

And then there's saddle chairs, of course, whch will strengthen your lower back while you work, but I'm too lazy to get past the fo

Best chair I've ever owned

[Lord Bitman (95493)]

I have a cheap $30 chair I bought at one of those office liquidation (or whatever) places. Was a nice chair, for the price. Unfortunatly, the arms were just a bit too high to fit more than a bit under the desk. Eventually I decided to just take the arms off in order to get that extra inch closer to everything (I'm the type who uses every corner of the desk and needs to be able to reach it all without moving)
Of course, within the month the back had fallen off. It wasnt designed for use without arms. I figure

THe chair is unimportant....

[jotaeleemeese (303437)]

.... if you do nothing to take care of your back.

-Do some pilates or yoga. I know, rubish new ageism, but try to do a couple of exercises for begineers and then tell me if youa re on shape or not.

-Exercise. Any exercise will do.

-Don't sit that many hours in front of a computer. Takes brakes often and regularly.

Ultimately any chair that is adjustable will work, even cheap crappy ones.

Re:THe chair is unimportant....

[arnie_apesacrappin (200185)]

Do some pilates or yoga.

The place I worked before my current employer had Aeron chairs. My back would occasionally get sore, but nothing horrible. My current job has generic office chairs that are in bad shape. After about a month, I was seeing a massage therapist every other week.

That's a bit expensive, so I decided to make some changes. I found the best chair I could at the office, which helped a little. I also started doing yoga. This helped a great deal.

Some exercises that really helped my

Don't be quick to buy an office chair online

[mbstone (457308)]

I recently had a real bad experience trying to buy an office chair online. It turned out I had bought from a Yahoo merchant that was only an order taking service. They charged my card as soon as the order was taken and then, first they said it would be backordered 6 weeks and then they tried to get me to accept some other chair. Finally, only after about 8 weeks and tracking down the actual owners of the company and having a lawyer write them a letter did they refund my money. This particular outfit goe

The chair doesn't matter

[ivan256 (17499)]

While I love my Aeron, it's not the secret to eliminating back pain. If your back muscles are weak, sitting up for 12+ hours will hurt in any chair that doesn't fasten around the torso and hold your spine straight for you.

Do some excercises. If you have to spend most of your day sitting, you can reduce the time you spend on it by slowly adding weight. The things you should be doing are sit-ups (with a weight held cross armed on your chest if you only want to do 25 reps instead of 100), deadlifts (get a weight for each hand, or a bar, bend your knees only slightly and then bend at your lower back lifting with your lower back muscles. Keep your upper back straight or you'll hurt yourself), and some upper back work depending on equipment availablity. If you have access to some gym equipment, do some pulldowns with a bar that lets your hands face inward. If you don't, get some dumbells, lie on your chest, and with your arms out lift them 3 or four inches off the floor and hold them up for a few seconds. When you're not really weak anymore you can try some pullups. If you're to the point where you have upper back pain from sitting, and there's nothing physically injured about your back though, it'll probably be a while before you can do even one pull-up.

Spend 10-15 minutes a day staying in shape a bit and you won't have any back pain. (Except for the first few days after you start... You'll hurt like you've never hurt before those first few days...)

You need more than just a chair

[Webmoth (75878)]

In addition to the chair, consider the rest of your workspace.

Get a screen that's large and bright enough so you can see it when sitting in the proper position in your chair. A $1000 chair isn't going to do any good if you have to lean forward all day just to see your monitor.

Consider moving your keyboard and mouse off of your desk onto a keyboard tray. When sitting in the proper position with proper posture in your chair, your forearms should be level or pointing ever-so-slightly downward.

Learn to use your keyboard. Don't rest your wrists on the desk or one of those wrist wrests (unless it's really, really thick); this causes your wrists to bend backwards, pinching and fatiguing the nerves therein. Likewise, avoid bending your wrists down or to the side. Hang your arms down at your sides totally relaxed, ape-like. Look at your hand position relative to your forearm: this is the ideal position.

Adjust your chair's armrests to support your forearms above your keyboard, so your back muscles are relaxed. A wireless, ergonomic keyboard placed in your lap with properly adjusted armrests can be very comfortable for long sessions, though you might need a bean bag to get it at the proper angle and elevation.

Learn to use keyboard shortcuts and menu hotkeys. (Microsoft Word be used mouselessly to a large degree; WP can be used entirely with the keyboard.) When you are always taking your hand away from your keyboard to use the mouse, you add stress to your arms and back and lose productivity. If you can find a wireless keyboard with a built-in trackball, touch pad, or trackpoint, so much the better. Look for one where you don't have to remove your hand from the home position to operate it.

Make sure your lighting is such that it doesn't glare in your eyes or on the screen.

Move your mouse to the opposite hand you write with. This will increase your productivity because you won't have to set down your pen to scroll; you'll be able to write as you are scrolling. It'll seem awkward at first, but with practice it will begin to feel more natural.

Have you considered a barkolounger and a flat panel on an arm?

Do situps. Seriously. The abdominal muscles help support your back. My brother started doing situps every day and now rarely has back problems. He's not an office worker; he's a farmer and a forester.

Look around frequently. Stretch. Throw things at your cubiclemate.

Lastly, I am not an ergonomist and your mileage may vary.

Re:well

[Eideewt (603267)]

Although it's a joke, that's not a bad idea. Sitting on the floor is actually very comfortable. It could draw a few stares at the office, but if you're trying to construct some sort of ergonomic home setup, you should give it a try. Works well for me anyway. It's also cheaper than a chair.