Body Mending: The Office Chair Print E-mail
by Mieke Scripps   
Tuesday, 04 July 2006
We are no longer an agrarian society. Nor do most of us herd sheep or cattle for a living. So, if we're not planting something or chasing after animals, how are we spending our time? We are spending it parked in an office chair behind a desk. No matter your job description, it is very likely that you spend a significant amount of time sitting down.

And, let me tell you, that lowly piece of furniture can make life very pleasant or unpleasant depending upon the way it's put together. So when you buy a chair you should look for seven separate points:

1. Get a seat with hydraulic controls, which gives you ease of adjustment. This will encourage you to adjust it "on the fly" rather than just put up with that annoying ache in your lower back.
2. A seat back that adjusts up/down and forward/backward. This will allow you to fit the seat to your back rather than your back to the seat.
3. A seat back that is shaped to push your lower back forward out of a slouched into a straight position.
4. A seat pan that is rounded in the front. This will help to take pressure off the underside of the leg allowing for better circulation. It also should tilt forward/backward.
5. A five-roller base for stability. This gives you confidence that the chair will not tilt over when you extend your body and arms out trying to snag that last doughnut.
6. A seat that adjusts in height allowing you to control the amount your knees are flexed.
7. A seat that is an appropriate size for your body. Not too big or too small but just right.

Some additional notes:

1. Make sure the seat back should gently support the curves of your lower back. Also note that in order for the seat to do its job you must sit all the way back in your chair (repeat throughout the day).
2. The seat pan should angle your thighs slightly downward in relation to your torso (i.e., the angle of your torso to hips should be greater than 90 degrees).
3. The seat height should keep the angle of your knees at 90 degrees.


Mieke Scripps MPT, DPT is an orthopedic physical therapist for the Miami City Ballet. She is also founder of Mieke Mends a physical therapy consulting firm. You can reach Mieke by emailing her at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

Bookmark:
Delicious
Furl it!
Spurl
NewsVine
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Technorati
Digg
blogmarks
Stumble
Blinkbits
Trackback(0)
Comments (0)Add Comment

Write comment

busy
Last Updated ( Friday, 07 July 2006 )
 
< Prev   Next >


home   |   about   |   privacy   |   advertising inquiries and policy   |   terms and conditions   |   contact   |   in the news   |   media/pr contacts

Contact the Diet Detective by email at info@DietDetective.com  if you have any questions or comments about the site or column.