The Impact of a Good Desk Chair on Your Performance

What is a desk chair?

An ergonomic desk chair helps fix bad posture, muscle pain, and general discomfort. Spending long hours sitting at your desk may be an unavoidable fact of life, whether you work from home or the office. However, sitting throughout the day with no relief to the body can take a toll on your physical health. Desk chairs provide customization and adjustability to relieve your joints and muscles of the strain imposed by taxing hours of work.

What to look for in an office chair?

• Adjustability

  Desk chairs can be adjusted to suit your requirements, be it in terms of seat height and width, angle of back support, or position of armrests. Some chairs provide even greater perks such as massage features and tension controls.

• Lumbar Support

  Bad posture for extended hours can lead to chronic issues such as sciatica and joint degeneration. To avoid such problems, look for a desk chair for home or a computer desk chair that offers lumbar or back support in addition to adjustability features.

• Upholstery

  It is extremely important to ensure that the material or fabric of the chair is breathable and offers padding or a soft and cushiony surface. In hot climates, the material must be light and not prone to heating up.

• Swivels or Casters

  Swivels or casters are the wheels attached to the bottom of your desk chair that enable you to move around on it. Whether you need to move the chair to different rooms or reach for a drawer a little further away, casters are a definite plus. 

• Armrests

  With desk chairs, you can adjust the armrests as per your needs. They should be customized to your body posture to offer the least resistance to movement and allow your arms to rest comfortably.

Are armrests really that important? 

The short answer is ‘yes’. The entire reasoning behind desk chairs, whether it is an office desk chair, a bedroom desk chair, or even a children’s desk chair for homeschooling, is that the work environment is supposed to fit the user and not the other way around. This is why it is crucial to look for as much adjustability as possible in a desk chair, especially in armrests.

Armrests need to be positioned optimally so that the elbow is neutral and the shoulders are in a resting position. There should be no exertion on the arms, shoulders, or back. Adjustable armrests can provide users optimal support customized to each person’s individual needs. However, it’s not just about adjusting the height of armrests. When the upper arm is pulled away from the torso in either direction, it is called an “abduction”. The body remaining in a non-neutral position for extended periods can cause weakening of the nerves, tendons, joints, and muscles, and you definitely don’t want that while you’re working. Having adjustable armrests allows you to position them to fit your posture and body to avoid shoulder and back strain.

What are the other adjustment features to look out for?

In terms of seating, here are some important factors to keep in mind:

• Height

  Ideally, the seat height should be right below your knees when you’re standing up.

• Width and Length

  While sitting, make sure that the gap between your legs and the edge of the seat is a couple of inches wide.

• Tilt

  Ensure that your spine is properly supported by adjusting the angle on the backrest.

• Curve

  The edge of the front of the seat must be curved towards the floor.

• Controls

  Make sure that the controls are within your reach and in a comfortable position.

• Lumbar Support

  When it comes to back support, there are a few yet key features to look out for in terms of maintaining neutrality, alignment, and a comprehensive support structure for your lower back:

• Maintaining the Natural Curvature of the Spine

  When using a desk chair for long hours, it is important that the lower spine, or the lumbar region, be maintained in a neutral position to reduce strain. This can be achieved by ensuring that the lumbar support of the desk chair is positioned correctly to support your lower back so as to maintain the natural curvature of the spine.

• Alignment

  It is good practice to maintain the alignment of the ears, shoulders, and hips. When sitting in an upright position, it is important to be conscious of your posture to avoid ergonomic injuries.

Given the large number of features available in desk chairs today, it can be confusing to pick one that works best for you. To make things easier, we have narrowed it down to one based on all the factors mentioned.

In particular, we have zeroed down on a standing desk chair as the optimal ergonomic chair of the year 2021. If you have a standing desk or plan to get one, a standing desk chair is a must. Standing desk chairs encourage movement during the day by providing support for a variety of different postures as opposed to sitting in one position for long periods. Although they are quite strange-looking, they are extremely advantageous in terms of physical activity and support.

We’ve gone ahead and picked Green Soul Jupiter superb high back Mesh office chair as the best standing desk chair for 2022, after considering all the above factors. 

What are the aspects that we at Green Soul looked at specifically?

• Build Quality

  A desk chair is meant to accentuate your performance mentally and physically, and this is possible only with the highest build quality. While they may be priced higher than your average chair, an ergonomic chair will eventually play out to be a great investment in your life.

• Warranty

  It is important to check the warranty period on ergonomic products, especially with desk chairs, as oftentimes, after using them for a few days, you may notice that they don't fit your body and needs as perfectly as you would like. Additionally, all products come with their fair share of mishaps, and it is good practice to be aware of this, especially for expensive and heavy-use products.

• Portability

  When it comes to standing desk chairs, the portability of the chair is all-important. Is it easy to pack up and carry with you or is it designed for a more stationary lifestyle, and which one works better for you?

• Seat Comfort

  Each person’s seating needs and preferences are different. Seat adjustments are crucial in providing maximum support and comfort to your body.

• Range of Motion

  Mobility is a key factor to consider in desk chairs, depending on your individual needs.

• Adjustability

  The most important overall factor is adjustability. How many aspects of the chair are customizable and do they fit your exact needs? Can the seat and backrest be adjusted? Do the height adjustment features match your requirements? Are the armrests customizable in terms of their length, ability to pivot, and height? 

When shopping for a standing desk chair, there are a few pointers that could be helpful, considering it is an offbeat and uncommon choice for most:

• Transition Period

  It can be a big change going from a regular office chair to a standing desk chair in terms of comfort, design, and habit. In fact, it is a huge lifestyle change to shift to ergonomic furniture in itself. Make sure you give yourself time to adjust to the new environment before making up your mind about how you feel about your new standing desk chair.

• Best Suited as a Complementary Chair

  While ergonomic chairs are fashioned to provide support for long hours, it is important to include some resting time as well. It is now considered optimal to alternate between sitting and standing to avoid leg and back pain. A good standing desk chair will allow you to make changes in posture throughout the day while still using your standing desk.

• Good to be Active

  While long work hours are inevitable, some physical movement throughout your day can greatly maximize your performance and protect you from injuries.

• Footrests

  Footrests are a great way to change the weight distribution throughout your body with simple changes in the positioning of your feet. It can alleviate back pain, thigh soreness, and several other issues by providing support and comfort to your feet.

Bottom Line:

At the end of the day, the best desk chair for you depends on your individual requirements. However, there is no denying that a good desk chair will make your life a little more strain-free.

Take your time deciding on what desk chair you want. Whether you are looking at purchasing a computer desk chair, a bedroom desk chair, or a children’s desk chair, think of it as a careful investment as it will play a huge role in your efficiency and health in the years to come. We hope you find these factors useful in making your decision. Happy shopping!