Ergonomic Desk/Office Chairs

[JP10]

Originally Posted by Darth One

I just recently emerged from this particular rabbit hole on home office ergonomics. Read up a bit, but there's all these articles that talk about proper seating position, angles of your legs, elbows and spine, adjustable keyboard trays to get your forearms and wrists in the right alignment, monitor position relative to your eyes, and other stuff.

My wife and I both ended up with Humanscales as well. Diffrient World for her, Freedom for me. We sat in all the Humanscale and Herman Miller chairs. Which is a pain in the ass (pun) during a pandemic, but you really need to for a purchase like this.

Tbh what I really wanted was the Herman Miller soft pad because it looked so nice, but ergonomically the Freedom was the right choice. Only problem is I have to wait 4 damn weeks to get it 😡

Where did you go to test out all of the chairs? A lot of the places I have been do not have a massive selection of office chairs.

Originally Posted by F32Fleet

Are you currently lifting weights? If so, perhaps it's just a muscle imbalance or minor strain?

Are you sitting too far from you monitor which causes you to hunch over?

As for chair recommendations, "Gaming" chairs have excellent upper back support. I'd have one myself if my office wasn't so damn hot and I didn't have cats.

I bought a used H. Miller Areon(sp?) for $300 a few years ago and it works well for me but I still have to make sure I sit close enough to my desk so that I don't hunch.

Yes, currently lifting weights. Have been doing so for years now without break. I thought it was a type of strain initially, but like I said, I've had it for months now. I constantly stretch and roll it out.

My monitors are a little far, and I've recently moved my keyboard closer in attempt to not hunch as much.

$300 isn't too bad, I see a lot refurbished around the $500 range.

[Darth One]

Originally Posted by JP10

Where did you go to test out all of the chairs? A lot of the places I have been do not have a massive selection of office chairs.

Just good old fashioned pavement pounding. I looked up the retailer showrooms of HS and HM, made appointments, rushed out of work because they close early nowadays, drove to locations in Fort Lauderdale and Miami, sat in each chair for a good amount of time while people stood in awkward silence, realized that the first HS retailer didn't carry the Freedom chair so I had to repeat the process one more time....and then finally placed orders.

I wasn't kidding about it being a pain in the ass

[BMW F22]

I got a WorkPro 12000 with the allowance from work for wfh. Was on sale for $300 at Office Depot. I like it so far. Very supportive. I saw HM branded ones going for $1K+. They must be super comfortable!!

[rcracin]

Originally Posted by JP10

I spoke with our purchasing agent and she did some digging around. She ordered me the below chair. Reviews were great and looks to have a ton of adjustability. Aesthetically it looks nice too. Bad news is the delivery might be close to a month . Once I get it I'll do a little review, but in the meantime I'd still be interested in what others have chosen!

https://www.autonomous.ai/office-cha...ir?option20=53

Brining this back up since I'm on the hunt for an office chair. Are you happy with the ergochair 2?

[JP10]

Originally Posted by rcracin

Brining this back up since I'm on the hunt for an office chair. Are you happy with the ergochair 2?

I am! A lot of adjustability which is nice. Keeps me upright throughout the day with a good bit of lower back support. Chair even tips forwards to take pressure off your hips which would have been nice when I was dealing with sciatic nerve pain. Assembly was nice and simple, and chair seems well built/sturdy. All in all I think it is a great value for the price.

[spazzyfry123]

Originally Posted by JP10

I am! A lot of adjustability which is nice. Keeps me upright throughout the day with a good bit of lower back support. Chair even tips forwards to take pressure off your hips which would have been nice when I was dealing with sciatic nerve pain. Assembly was nice and simple, and chair seems well built/sturdy. All in all I think it is a great value for the price.

This is too coincidental. I’ve got a bad back with fused vertebrae and the fun stuff that goes with it. Today marks my first official day back to work after parental leave and after about 30 minutes I told my wife “I’ve gotta get a new office chair.” I guess it’s been a while since I had to deal with it

This crappy thing I’ve got is killing me. I see what looks like pretty good lumbar support for yours. That’s going to be key for me. It looks like pretty good bang for the buck. What say you on the lumbar support? Anything worth detailing or just what would be expected?

[JP10]

Originally Posted by spazzyfry123

This is too coincidental. I’ve got a bad back with fused vertebrae and the fun stuff that goes with it. Today marks my first official day back to work after parental leave and after about 30 minutes I told my wife “I’ve gotta get a new office chair.” I guess it’s been a while since I had to deal with it

This crappy thing I’ve got is killing me. I see what looks like pretty good lumbar support for yours. That’s going to be key for me. It looks like pretty good bang for the buck. What say you on the lumbar support? Anything worth detailing or just what would be expected?

I think it has enough lumbar support, the lumbar support in general is not adjustable, just one setting. Now what is adjustable is where the back of the chair locks into place. For instance I like sitting properly upright, so the back of the chair locks to only go recline so far and then it keeps constant pressure on my back. Easier to show it rather then describe via words. All in all I think it works well.

[DETRoadster]

Originally Posted by JP10

Back story: My upper back, basically right in-between my shoulder blades, have been aching for upwards of two months now. Best way I can describe it, is the constant feeling of having to crack my upper back. Anyways I have been trying my best to be conscious about my posture. I've also been sleeping without a pillow as I heard that it may help align your spine to an extent. I'm a back sleeper, so it really isn't that uncomfortable in my eyes. I've even dedicated at least 1 day a week to some yoga-like stretching focused on my upper back. Even after all of that, I still wake up with the same tightness each morning. It progressively dissipates throughout the day, but is still there regardless.

My next thought is changing up my desk chair for something that will provide more lower lumbar support in the attempt to straighten out my posture (which I really don't think is that bad, I've never had anyone say to me that my posture is bad - I'm also fairly fit, ~180lbs 5'10"). I work roughly 10hrs a day, and I'd say I am at my desk roughly 7-8 of those hrs. So to get to the point, does anyone have any ergonomic office chairs that they would recommend? I've done some digging online, but would rather hear some actual opinions, especially if someone has similar discomfort.

Much appreciated!

Side Note: I have not discounted the fact that my mattress could be the issue, but I'm working through the problem moving from least expensive to most expensive fix. No I have not been to a chiropractor, maybe I should.

I have the same problem that's now spread to chronic elbow pain. Started seeing a PT for it. Turns out it's all related to 10 to 12 hours a day at the computer in our new work from home hell. All the typing is pulling my shoulders forward, causing my pecs to tighten and contract further pulling the shoulders forward. That's causing chronic upper back pain, just like you explained, like my upper back needs to crack. My PT guy has me doing a couple simple exercises to open up the chest and relax the tight pecs. In just 3 days (first appointment was last Friday) I'm noticing less back pain and less elbow pain.

[GOLFFRR]

not sure if its been listed but in my home office Ive had a tall human scale chair for a while but the arms kept breaking so I recently went with a knoll life chair and its been great! highly recommend that for a chair

[Hawkeye]

Originally Posted by BMW F22

I got a WorkPro 12000 with the allowance from work for wfh. Was on sale for $300 at Office Depot. I like it so far. Very supportive. I saw HM branded ones going for $1K+. They must be super comfortable!!

The more expensive chairs are usually also built to last. The one I got (posted it previously) has a lifetime warranty and is built like a tank. It sells for a tad over $3k since it is customized, but I have a family member that works for AllSteel so I got a hefty discount through them.

I must say, I spend as much time in an office chair as I do sleeping in bed so spending similar amounts on those things seems pretty natural to me. Since I got my chair I've had no issues with fatigue or back pain which is worth it alone.

[Josh-PA]

I just picked up a refurbished steelcase Leap v2 and am happy with it. I wish the seat bottom was tilted just a bit lower in the back / higher in the front, but otherwise it is very ergonomic/comfortable. I got it at: www.seatingmind.com

which has an awesome selection of Steelcase, HM, and Knoll + others at great prices. I got mine about a week to 10 days after placing the order. Quality met my expectation for a refurbed chair at 1/2 price. Its very good, a few small pulls/pills in the fabric but otherwise perfect.

[bimmerfrk]

Herman Miller https://store.hermanmiller.com/offic...ml?lang=en_US&

Cant buy nothing better, but steep welcome price.

[jmg]

Originally Posted by bimmerfrk

Herman Miller https://store.hermanmiller.com/offic...ml?lang=en_US&

Cant buy nothing better, but steep welcome price.

+1 for Herman Miller Aeron. I have a size B for my workstation at home and the office (which I haven't been to since March). I liked it so much that I got rid of my crappy "gaming" chair and got a Herman Miller Size C and haven't looked back. None of those "gaming" chairs come close, they are so flimsy and gimmicky. I think too many of them are just for looks.

For my stand-up workstation I tried a Herman Miller Setu and didn't like it. I like taller backs. The Aeron stool was great, but in the end I got rid of the stool altogether and got a hydraulic desk instead. I found that changing your position does more good than having the same position all day. It feels much better to stand up than to sit in a high stool, then sit down in a chair when the desk is low.

As for the upper back pain, I always recommend a good ab and core workout routine. I like body saws and pikes as opposed to the standard situp. OP mentioned he lifts weights, as do I, but abs are often overlooked.

[qba335i]

Originally Posted by JP10

Yeah man, it's brutal. I discounted the trap/back exercise as the problem as my lifting regimen hasn't changed (at least much) in years. My chair has changed in the last year (new job), so just trying to connect dots where I can haha.

I'd love a Herman Miller chair, but I doubt my company will sling out $1,000 for a chair lol. Agree that we need to be conscious of posture as we work, I've been doing that myself.

I had a sciatic nerve injury a few years ago that lasted for roughly 6months, took awhile to rehab that away. At my previous job, and around the same time the injury happened, the person who worked in that cube before me left one of those kneeling chairs. As odd as they look, it definitely helped subside the pain throughout the day. It takes some pressure off the nerve which is most likely why you (and I) had the pain rushing down your leg. I would switch between that and my normal office chair.

Call your HR - my company pays for an ergonomic chair if you can provide doc note that you have back problems.