Ergonomic chairs

Ergonomic is a term that is used to describe the design and manufacture of products that work sympathetically with a human being's body.

In more practical language this means that the design of the object takes into account not just the task that it performs, but also the interaction, safety, health, comfort, ease of use, and maximised productivity of the person using it.

This means that a product like an ergonomic chair is designed with features like good posture, a high level of back support, and general comfort (over a prolonged period of time), as key objectives.

Naturally all chairs should offer these qualities, but those with an "ergonomic" design take into account the disciplines of "orthopedics" and "task evaluation" to maximise the chair's design.

There is little doubt that using this kind of chair will have health benefits over using a regular chair.

What makes an ergonomic chair different?

Ergonomic chairs come in a range of different appearances and vastly differing prices.

At the bottom end of the ergonomic range, the chairs offer little that is not found on a conventional office chair, however as the price goes up things start to change.

The first noticeable feature of a good ergonomic chair is the ability to customise the chairs shape and seating characteristics to that of the user. This normally takes the form of a number of levers, twist knobs or release buttons that control movements like seat height, recline angle and lumbar support.

The more expensive ergonomic chairs may have head rests and arm (elbow) rests which are adjustable for features like height and angle.

One characteristic of some ergonomic chair designs is the use of mesh like materials for the backrest and seat. These mesh fabrics are highly breathable and this ensures that the chair allows the body to regulate its own temperature without the influence of a spongy insulating back rest material.

Another aesthetically common feature of many budget priced ergonomic chairs is an external frame (or exo-skeleton) that gives the chair a designer look. However chairs of this design often look far more adjustable, adaptable and functional than they actually are.

At the very top of the ergonomic chair range there are chairs with multiple adjustments that enable seat tilt, and the sliding of the seat backwards or forwards to prevent pressure on the backs of the knees.

Good chairs have what is often described as a waterfall seat front where the sitting surface is angled forwards and downwards for maximum comfort.

Lumbar support is another important feature and this results in many ergonomic chairs having highly contoured backrests that support the curve close to the base of the spine. The best ergonomic chairs allow this support to be adjusted for each user.

How much do these chairs cost

Talking in US dollar terms, very few "proper" ergonomic chairs retail at less than $150 and the price of a multi function chair will begin at $300 to $400 with the elite models checking in at between $1000 and $3000.

This may sound a lot, but a good ergonomic chair will last for 10 years and will be used 8 hours a day and 5 days a week. That means that a $1000 chair works out at 38 cents per day over its lifetime. Not a high price to pay for the benefits of a healthy back and the avoidance of illnesses like repetitive strain injury.

For an example of the ergonomic task chair that I use, see this page my ergonomic chair.

A different kind of task chair

For something very different to the office based task chair you can take a look at the gaming chair. These are the latest kind of “task chairs” and the task that they focus on is playing computer based interactive games. These chairs tend to ignore comfort, but they do have their own in-built sound systems and they can even be used to listen to music or watch a DVD.