What is The Importance of an Ergonomic Chair?

If you, like many others in this modern-day and age, spend hours crouched over your computer for work or for play, it might be a good idea to consider using an ergonomic chair.

Musculoskeletal problems that arise from prolonged sitting in a poor posture include headache, neck pain, shoulder pain, back pain, and even leg pain. This happens because we put our bodies in an unnatural position that they were not designed for. Our necks (i.e. cervical spine) and our backs (i.e. lumbar spine) are naturally lordotic. This means that they are curved with a concave to the front of our bodies. Our upper backs (i.e. thoracic spine) are curved in the opposite direction, with the concave towards the back of our bodies.

Prolonged seated computer or desk work results in slouching wherein our lower backs are curved in the opposite direction and our necks are extended forward in a "forward head posture" or "poked chin" posture. These postures put unnecessary stress on our joints, spinal discs, and muscles by stretching and loading them beyond their natural limits for prolonged periods of time. Our spinal discs are designed to absorb load and shock evenly. However, when we are slouched for long periods of time, they are compressed more at the front and this can result in disc degeneration and the protrusion of the disc backward. As our spinal nerves run down our spine behind these discs, the disc protrusion could result in back pain as it hits those nerves.

What can you do to prevent injuries from sitting at work or at home?

Although long periods of sitting and a sedentary lifestyle are never ideal for your health, computer work is inevitable in our society. It is also unrealistic to sit upright and maintain a "good posture" throughout the day (it is also a bad idea to do so because you would be tensing up your muscles all day and this could result in other muscular and joint pains!). Instead, what we want to aim for is to place our bodies in a neutral position with the least effort possible. This can be achieved with an ergonomic chair.

The importance of an ergonomic chair is often understated. It may look like just another piece of fancy office furniture, but its ability to ease the load on your spine and muscles is often overlooked. What a good ergonomic office chair does is to provide support to ensure that you can sit in a relaxed manner with your spine in a neutral position to reduce the stress on your joints, spinal discs and muscles.

Here is what to look out for in an ergonomic chair:

• Lumbar support that maintains the C-shaped curve in your lower back comfortably
• Cervical support in the form of a headrest that keeps your head and neck in a supported, comfortable position
• A wide seat that gives enough room for you to sit comfortably A "waterfall" seat edge that does not compress on your thigh or the back of the knee to ensure blood flow is maintained
• The broad base of support with five chair legs to provide stability
• Armrests that will allow your elbows to be rested at 90 degrees
• A good chair height that allows your feet to be planted on the ground and allows you to push your chair under the table so that you do not have to stick your head forward to view the screen

Now that we have discussed the importance of an ergonomic chair, it is time to stop seeing it as fancy furniture! Consider using one in your office or home to protect your spine -- you only have one!

I am Jessica. I am a journalist, writer, and blogger.