Adjusting your chair to fit your body is the single most important thing you can do right now to feel more comfortable while you work. Most people aren’t sure how to properly adjust their chair, and you’d be surprised how many people lose out on the benefits of their ergonomic chair by not properly understanding the adjustments. This is what you need to know!
Guidelines for Adjusting a Chair
Seat Height Adjustment
When sitting in a chair, make sure your feet sit flat and comfortably on the floor (or footrest) without pressure on the underside of the thighs. The knees should be bent at approximately 90 degrees.
Back Height Adjustment
The backrest should provide support in all areas of your back without needing to strain to adapt to the chair’s curvature. Adjust the chair back up or down until the curve of the backrest fits comfortably with the natural shape of your back.
Seat Depth Adjustment
The seat depth of the chair should be adjusted after determining the amount of space needed. As a general rule, you should have two fingers width of space between the bend in your knee and the edge of the seat. You want to fit comfortably in the seat without feeling pressure against the back of your knees.
Seat Angle / Rocking Adjustment
The angle of the seat pan should be adjusted so that you can support your feet on the floor or footrest. Seat pan angles should not cause the angle at the hip to be less than 90 degrees (unless instructed by a physician for special needs). Forward seat pan angles should not cause excessive weight on your feet or cause you to experience a feeling of ‘sliding’ out of your chair.
Arm Adjustment / Seat Width
The seat of the chair should be wider than your hip breadth by only an inch or two to allow space for movement and clothing. The seat should not limit your ability to comfortably use the armrests. If the armrests are too close or too far away check to see if you can adjust the width of your arms. If it’s still too wide and you need to reach to use the armrests consider swivel or lateral arms to eliminate shoulder extension while using the arm supports.
If you have purchased an ergonomic chair from Chairlines and aren’t sure how to work the adjustments do not hesitate to give us a call! We want to make sure you are getting all the possible benefits out of your chair. We are happy to walk you through how to adjust your chair over the phone, or can even email you a video. Or, if you are in the neighbourhood we always welcome you to pop into our showroom.