Why Use Ergonomic Chairs? Features and Health Benefits
The term ‘ergonomics’ refers to a science which studies how objects could be manipulated to most safely and comfortably align the human body system. This science is further termed human engineering or biotechnology.
Therefore, an ergonomic chair is constructed to aid the body for optimal posture, comfort, support, and health. For a person working a sedentary job, such as an office job, sitting for over 5 hours can get pretty uncomfortable with little or no proper body support.
A lot of office workers lay complaints of neck, back or/and even shoulder pain after sitting for so long. Such pain results from sitting in a flat chair as it mounts pressure on the spine and compresses it. When the spine is subjected to excessive stress, the entire body suffer. More so, this level of employee discomfort causes work injury complaints, decreased happiness with the workplace overall, or decreased employee wellness.
The ergonomic chair, while not solving every work-related health issue, is programmed to avoid the discomfort and pain created by cheap office chairs, therefore, decreasing the amount of injury reports and increasing morale and production. Most, if not all office spaces are implementing ergonomic chairs, but how does an ergonomic chair particularly benefit the body, and what does that do for the workplace?
Features Of An Ergonomic Chair
Changeable seat height and tilt — the body system is optimally aligned when both feet are able to be placed flat on the floor. Not everyone have same height, which is why adjusting the height of a chair is crucial. The same ergonomic chair can accommodate different persons of various heights with optimal comfort for everyone. Controlling the tilt of the seat is also crucial as it enables the accurate positioning of the pelvis. There should be 80° angles at the hips, ankles and knees to ensure proper pelvis position and posture.
Backrest lumbar support and recline — Lumbar refers to the lower back, which is the point most people in a sedentary job experience the most pain. This is for surety the most crucial part of an ergonomic chair. The backrest is curved to aid the natural shape of the spine and avoid slumping forward. This spinal position decreases stress mounted on the pelvis and spine. Being able to tilt the backrest back can take pressure off of the upper body as well, which decreases stress on the muscles and spine.
Swivel and wheels — the swivel and wheels are pretty elementary, however they aid the seated person get to far-away objects with no excessive strain. The swivel makes possible or allows for turning towards the desired item and the wheels ensures mobility to out-of-reach objects.
Arm and headrests — Armrests minimize strain on the upper body from holding up the arms, which enables the shoulders to relax more than a regular chair would. In the same way, the headrest also minimizes strain on the neck from holding up the head. This further relaxes the upper torso and shoulders.
What’s The Perfect Ergonomic Chair For You?
There are different types of ergonomic chairs that focus on various challenges. Each person may need different features or accessories, and some features may annoy them. Many ergonomic chairs accommodate specific postures and activities performed during work. For instance, Swivels are crucial for someone with a larger workspace. It’s vital to pay attention to your posture in normal chairs to determine which ergonomic chair is right for you. Some people may require a deeper back curve than others. Let your body decide on what it needs and search for a chair that emphasizes solutions to those needs.
Why Use Ergonomic Chairs?
Certainly, Ergonomic chairs have few health benefits, however are such benefits more than enough to consider purchasing these chairs for an entire office? Put this into consideration: an ergonomic chair doesn’t only correct posture and minimize pain, they can also prevent early onset of arthritis once used appropriately.
The safety and health of employees is always crucial, therefore investing in the present and future health of your employees is never a waste. Decreased stress and Increased comfort have proven to rapidly increase workplace attitude and production. Less pain implies less distraction, which further increases production. The importance of an ergonomic chair can enhance various angles of the work environment. The more you put into your team, the more your team can give to you [i.e more input results to more output]. Your employees will feel appreciated and cared for if given the option to switch to an ergonomic chair, which will further increase morale.
On this note, it’s however necessary to communicate with your team about implementing ergonomic chairs in the office, or implement one individually if you work from home. Fortunately, there are different affordable ergonomic chairs in the marketplace to accommodate any income level. This investment is crucial for keeping sedentary bodies healthy for long periods of time. Investing in the health and wellness of employees is investing for the good of the company at large.
