Orthopedic chairs - Back chair


An increasing number of chair retailers are marketing some of their products as “back chairs”. The term back chair does not have any real meaning, however the suggestion is that chairs fitting this description are designed and manufactured with maintaining a healthy back as a priority.

So what is a back chair and what should you expect to get for your money?

Any chair that is designed with back support in mind will have a number of features that will make its appearance and its sitting position different to many other chairs – and certainly different to an easy chair or a lounge chair.

The theory behind the support of any good chair is to maintain the natural shape of the back and spine, rather than to twist is or to allow it to slouch.

When viewed from the side, the human back does in fact have an elongated letter “S” profile, i.e. it is not flat or straight, and some backrests take account of this in their design. These chairs are sometimes referred to as orthopedic chairs because of this.

The first thing to look for with a good back chair is a high and well formed back support or backrest. This backrest should extend to at least the top of the back and ideally it should be high enough to support the back of the head. The back rest should be well padded, but also firm and some backrests will have a slightly convex lower section that fills the small of the back. With chairs that have a very high back (i.e. those that reach at least the neck) this convex curve may be partially repeated at the top of the backrest. When this is the case the profile of the backrest can be seen to mimic the shape of the human spine.


Different types of back chair

There are a number of different chairs for different applications and there are back chairs for each of these uses.

The main types of chair are –

Most sitting room back chairs will be somewhat different to the typical easy chair.

They will have a higher level seat, i.e. to maintain a 90 degree angle at the knees, and the backrest will be higher and more vertical than a normal lounge room chair. The padding will be firmer and the arm rests will also be more solid and positioned at a level to support the forearms.


Dinning back chair

Because of the requirement to sit up vertically with a straight back and an active posture, most dinning room chairs meet most of the requirement of a basic back chair.

Dinning room chairs normally have a high seat and most have a fairly vertical and upright backrest that supports the seated person as they eat. The seat need not be as high as a lounge style high backed chair because the natural eating posture is to have the head unsupported and mobile. These chairs also tend to omit backrest cushioning which is advisable if they are to be sat on for prolonged periods of time.


Task chair

All proper task chairs should be back or orthopedic style chairs. These chairs are intended for some kind of activity, e.g. working at a desk, and their design should offer back support during these activities.

Most task chairs will have adjustable features for things like seat height and backrest angle and the better chairs will include seat angle (tilt), seat depth, backrest height (slide up or down), adjustable lumbar support, armrest height adjustment etc.

A waterfall seat, where the front edge of the seat slopes downwards, and breathable fabrics are other notable features that add to the comfort and support of these chairs.

Any chair claiming to be a back chair, but with a low backrest or a very raked (angled) backrest is unlikely to be good for the back.

Most chairs advertised and sold under terms like “orthopedic chair” or “ergonomic chair” should be good back chairs and they should have the features described at the top of this page.