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Chairs that Won't Wreck Your Back?
texatut asks: "I'm sure many of you are familiar with this secenario. You spend 10-12 hours a day in a crappy chair, and your back pays the price. I know there are chairs there that cost in excess of $1000 that alleviate the problem, but that's a lot of money to pay for a chair. I wanted to ask you all to give recommendations and opinions on chairs that are in a slightly lower price range, say, below $600. My back thanks you in advance."
i dont use chairs you insenstive clod! (JK)
Having said that, I'd get one with lower back support - makes it a lot easier to sit for a stretch and still be productive. Check out a few ergonomics diagrams available on the net and set up your work space accordingly - your entire body will thank you.
Condemnant quod non intellegunt.
many ppl slouch, pull in their shoulders and bring their faces closer to the screen when using a desktop computer so.. stop doing that (where applicable)
This chair fro Office Depot.
If you want one of those $1000 chairs for $600, I'd poke around on Ebay. They aren't that rare, although they were more common in the immediate post-boom period.
to get a girl to sit on your lap while you sit on a cheap chair. You won't even think about your back(or work)!
Monstar L
One of these!
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
Get an Aeron. and you back will love you forever for it. You can get new ones for just over $600 and probably less if you can find one used (try craigslist).
I have one at work and at home. They're terrific. Once you use them, you'll never want to go back.
HTH,
-Bill
SlashSig Karma: Excellent (mostly affected by moderatio
Don't always sit on a chair.
Sit on an excercise ball for a while.
Sit on a kneeling chair for a while.
Shift positions a lot.
Get a headset so you don't have to hold a phone to your head.
Do back exercises every morning and every night. Sit ups, "superman"s (extensions).
And of course, get up and walk around every hour.
- For the complete works of Shakespeare: cat
Dude,
Get off your butt and go to a store and try sitting in some different chairs!
There are hundreds of chair designs out there and I've sat in a variety of crappy chairs. If you want a good one, you are going to pay for it. The reason office chairs cost so much is because they are built to last a long time. We've got chairs that are over 20 years old from Steel Case. Generally, I am not pleased with the newer chairs and actually prefer the old ones. But they don't work for fat people because you can't sit down if you can't get your ass past the arm rests. Heck some fat folks ordered these chairs with arm rests the slide to the sides to accommodate their fat assess.
Want to save money? Look for used office furniture shops, you could get a great chair for a whole lot less then what they cost new.
Get to OfficeMax or wherever and sit in the chairs. I know people who have loved those expensive Aeron chairs and people who have hated them and you won't know until you try. Check their website and find a dealer near you.
Also pay attention to posture and computer/monitor/keyboard position, and take regular breaks (with and without stretching) from the chair.
I walked into a Discovery Channel store not too long ago while traveling. They had a removeable lumbar support that you can attach to any chair. Didn't try it and YMMV, but it was about $60.
Oh and you might be able to find a $1000 chair on Ebay or Craig's List, or a local used furniture place for $600 or less. Businesses that go belly-up can have many expensive chairs on the cheap.
Alex.
at work we have desks that are adjustable in height. if i find myself uncomfortable at some point in the day, i'll just lift the desk (we have spring-loaded and motorized versions, both almost effortless to operate) and work standing for a while.
does wonders.
I'd like good shit for cheap.
Sincerly,
Every Ask Slashdot, ever.
Your back will hurt a lot for the first 2 weeks as the muscles develop strength, persevere and take a break when it becomes too much. After a little while like this your back will be strong and posture good.
The important thing with a swiss ball is the height of it, when you sit on it your knees should be slightly below your ass.
Make sure you get a good strong ball, the cheap ones simply do NOT work.
I have a mediball pro 65cm which is good for my height (186cm), and haven't had any complaints in the couple of years that I've been using it.
a Ca$170 chair from Staples. Am very happy with it. improvements on the previous office chair were:
-shorter seat. having 2" clearance behind my knees, instead of none, means i get up and wheel about more easily.
-smaller wheelbase.
-detachable and/or adjustable arms. not part of structure, and only a single post holding them up, so less to get in the way of cushions or jackets etc. wish they were padded though.
-adjustable seat tilt
-seperate adjustable back tilt.
-both with an any-angle tilt-lock.
-adjustable height back. puts the foam spine shape seatback to match how im slouching/sitting that hour..
and i tried an aeron. if it were half as cheap i still wouldnt be impressed by its comfort. maybe its better for fat people?
go to your local office store and try out a dozen. then try the 3 best again, and name the factors that you like about each. continue frrom there..
.
. hmmm
Take your wallet out of your back pocket when working. it makes quite the difference..
But still a lot less than the price of wrecking your back in 5 years. Really, if you are sitting 10-12 hours a *day* in the same chair, then you are spending a tremendous amount of time in front of your computer and you better get the best ergonomics you can.
Really, if you are willing to spend $600, then you are already considering some high end chairs. Find the one that feels the best and dont worry so much about the price (assuming it doesnt cost $10K or something crazy). They are built to last and will serve you well for years to come.
I used to have back pain at work, and I got sick of fiddling with the settings of poorly made office chairs trying to get them to relieve my back pain. (Also, I asked for the same office chair I bought for myself at home, which was only $100, but my work was too cheap to buy it for me.) I started using what I would call a guest chair. Basically it is a solid chair: no wheels, no adjustments. Just a solid wooden frame with cloth coverings, a wide and deep (front to back) seat and armrests with a low back. I think the key here is solidity. It doesn't give way to weight or creak at all. You know how when you sit in a cheap office chair something gives way, and it creaks when you shift positions? Not in this chair. Since then, no back complaints. I think that in most chairs you tense various muscles to compensate for the lack of support. I suppose it depends on the exact chair, so at least try something beside "computer" chairs.
I was born with a (minor) case of scoliosis, so my back is VERY sensitive. Here's what I found --
1. Back problems (aches) due to fatigue are helped most by strengthening the abdominal muscles, which are what keeps the back aligned.
2. A straight back chair is best, but only if you put your feet FLAT on the floor. Otherwise, they are a pain (literally.)
3. Soft padding is a no-no. Maybe gel is good, I haven't tried it.
4. The backrest and seat should be adjustable for angle and height/reach. Change positions often.
5. I made my own perfect-for-me seat from a wrecked Thunderbird with the inflatable seatback option. I took the passenger seat (it was less worn) to a welding shop and had some straight pieces added for legs. It is adjustable, inflatable, durable, comfortable and cheap.
6. But most of the time, I compute on a yoga mat on the floor with the keyboard in my lap. Half Lotus works for me.
get one of those crazy warrantees. I picked this up from staples last week. Nothing amazing, just a well built comfortable chair. I chose fabric over the crappy leather any chair $350 comes with. The cool thing is for an extra $20 you can get a 3 year service plan that covers everything except water damage. Personally I havent had a computer chair last over 3 years, mainly because all these cheapo "executive" chairs just arent built to last that long.
sitting on one cheap wooden folding chair since a decade or two, never got problems when sitting on that less than 20 hours in one session.
of course thats because it is never comfortable enough to spend hours in the same position.
when i am working on one of those fancy office chairs because of some contract work i'm in trouble faster than i can think.
[i have an opinion and i am not afraid to use it]
Of course, I couldn't relax much in it, and when I slouched it really made me tired, and after a while my knees hurt too.
They are called "knee chairs" and links to manufacturers / resellers are here and here.
Of course, there's always the option of
- mount monitor on one of those extension arms like the Dentist X-Ray tube, hooked to the ceiling facing down
- likewise with a keyboard and trackball (mouse would fall)
- lie on your bed, with your back in traction, under this contraption, and lastly but importantly
- take breaks once in a while to have an attractive spousal-unit (gf-unit, bf-unit, whatever) massage you back out of decrepitude.
Regardless of what you do, keep doing lots of situps and pushups, so you stay limber.And EAT YOUR VEGETABLES (grin)
Unitarian Church: Freethinkers Congregate!
Try the Sum chair from All Steel Office http://www.allsteeloffice.com/sum/launch.html/ (flash warning). I have one myself. Very comfortable and adjustable, and comes with a lifetime warranty to boot.
I've got a Steelcase Leap chair. First the office bought one for me, and then I would up buying one for home. Cost me $700, which may be more than you were looking to spend. Comes with a lifetime warranty on the mechanics (pneumatic cylinder, etc) and the cushions are user-replaceable.
It is very adjustable...arm height, arm width, arm angle, chair height, seat depth, and seat edge. Plan on spending at least a week (took me 2) to get it set right for you. And then don't let other people muck with your settings.
The best part is how the back of the seat is connected. Most chairs are kinda like a capital 'L' in profile, where the chair pivots on the lower left corner of the 'L.' On the Leap, the angle between the back and the seat increases as you recline. And the coolest part is that the seat - while remaining parallel to the floor - moves forward slightly while you recline. That lets me continue typing with an ergonomically correct arm position (and your elbows still on the armrests) as you change your degree of recline.
It's not a bean bag chair, but it's kinda similar. I enjoy the 6 foot diameter sack covered in polar bear fur. The three babes are optional but recommended. I could only afford one. I would have had a picture of me to post ala a 'Baby on a bearskin rug', but my camera is broken. My gf's camera is the old school variety and we weren't sure if the lab would develop a picture with a man's buttocks in it.
they sell the aeron and the mirra both chairs are like the epitome of comfortable chairs and instead of buying another iPod, i'm considering purchasing the Mirra. VERY comfortable, I've worked in Aeron chairs too... they really rock :)
Really, if you think about it, you probably only spend one or two hours a day in your car, but you probably paid an obscene amount of money for it. Spending $1000 on something you spend half your life sitting in seems cheap to me.
In any case, I was going to pick up an Aeron, but I came across a Herman Miller Ergon made in 1975 for $40. It's pimpin' 70's orange, and it's super comfy. I've heard that they have lifetime warranties and will actually send someone out to fix it if it breaks, but I haven't had to use that yet.
Recently I've been seeing some Aeron knockoffs. I'm not sure who makes them, but they seem fairly good. Not nearly as well built, but the one or two hours I sat in one, it was decent. All of the chairs they sell at Office Max/etc are crap. Don't waste your money.
I'm still probably going to buy an Aeron. The mesh on them is great for keeping you cool if your office/room is warm. Plus, no one can do that Tabasco trick on you if you have the mesh (where you put tabasco on their chair, and it wicks up when their ass sweats and gives them an ass rash).
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If you find you forget to get up and move around every hour then try drinking plenty of water. Your bladder will remind you to get up!
Of course the rule of "all things in moderation" applies. Don't overdo it as you'll make yourself ill by overdiluting your internal electrolytes (oversimplification) but a couple of litres a day shouldn't hurt.
As a matter of fact, your sig is the perfect definition of irony.
Now the question is, are you using the word irony properly?
Two reasons to never put your wallet in your back pocket.
#1. If you're an average office guy, and spend a decent part of the day in a chair, be it in a car, or in the office, that wallet is throwing off your center of balance while sitting. Keep it in your inside jacket pocket.
#2. Roughly 95% of the worlds populace carries the wallet in the back pocket. Thieves know exactly where it is, and can snatch at will. Keep it in your inside jacket pocket.
"Inattention makes clowns of us all" -Bean
after the work, or during the break. much better effect for your back and overall health than an overpriced chair.
Conservatism: The fear that somewhere, somehow, someone you think is your inferior is being treated as your equal.
To the people saying it should be worth spending thousands of bucks to save your back. Why should you have to spend thousands to do so?
Why are so many chairs crappy? Why are so few people making decent chairs for decent prices? Just sit in some chairs for a few minutes and it's obvious they are crap.
I thought the US folk have lawsuit happy people?
Strange.
Given the amounts some of you are willing to spend why don't you buy a TFT screen, suspend it from the ceiling, and then work lying down flat on your back on a firm mattress, with your hands to your side each on half of a split keyboard.
Or at those prices you could get one of those special hospital beds for paraplegic/infirm who spend HOURs on them and so the stuff has to be comfy if not they either get bedsores fast or the nurses have to rotate them a LOT more often. Some of these beds have a vibration thingy to help reduce the bedsore thing.
Sheesh.
Regardless of what chair I'm using, I've noticed that I tend to subconsciously curl up into a fetal position whenever my mind is focused on something. This probably can't be good for my back. Does anyone else have this problem, or know of an effective way to stop it?
... just do NOT sit still.
Wiggle, shake your legs/feet, stand up from time to time. And hike or bike during the week-ends.
It takes a bit of getting used to having your keyboard in your lap and the screen on a stool next to you, but it sure is perfect for the back. I have worked 30 hour stretches on this one and gotten up without a twinge in the back. The neck can get a bit stiff, if you don't move your head much during work, but that's a small price to pay, I think.
And then there's saddle chairs, of course, whch will strengthen your lower back while you work, but I'm too lazy to get past the four week intro period needed before it gets comfortable. Salli saddle chair
but I have used a chair from IKEA for $99 (http://www.ikea-usa.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet /ProductDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=12&product Id=11055&langId=-1&parentCats=10114*10292)
that I haved used for years a home.
Even when I was Programming 21 hours per day for three weeks (was working on a project with very limited time) I didn't have ANY problem with my back.
And I have had very much problems with my back over the years, but it loves that kind of chair.
I know it's not that kind of chair that looks good in a office but at home it rocks.
Too bad my girlfriend decided to jump in to my lap when I was sitting in the chair and that trashed it. So now I have to buy I new one.
I had the keyborad in my lap and a snap-on mouse board for the mouse.
I have a cheap $30 chair I bought at one of those office liquidation (or whatever) places. Was a nice chair, for the price. Unfortunatly, the arms were just a bit too high to fit more than a bit under the desk. Eventually I decided to just take the arms off in order to get that extra inch closer to everything (I'm the type who uses every corner of the desk and needs to be able to reach it all without moving)
Of course, within the month the back had fallen off. It wasnt designed for use without arms. I figured I'd use it through the week and buy another one during the weekend. (I'd just drill through the arms to reposition them lower).
Turns out the place I bought the chair from is closed on weekends. It kept slipping my mind during the week, eventually a month had passed and I realized that I now found every other chair horribly uncomfortable. Chairs with backs just invite you to lean in them, and it just didnt feel right anymore. Within two months I didnt like chairs with arms, either. It has become much more comfortable to sit with my legs crossed.
Several years have passed now, and the chair seems almost ready to seperate itself into its component peices (moreso than merely back, arms, and base)
For a chair which wont wreck your back, I reccomend one which doesnt do anything to your back at all- let your back hold itself up, the way the human body was meant to work. Sitting without relying on leaning all the time will build up atrophied muscles and make your back feel better in non-sitting related situations as well.
But then, I also sleep directly on the floor, so I assume that disqualifies me from any comfort-related discussions.
Still, if anyone knows where I can buy a comfortable backless chair, please let me know. I havent seen any, and it was a bit of a hassle to remove the arms, the remainder of the back, and the painful metal spikes of death which the arms were attached to.
My back feels great, and I have no self esteem! Yay me!
-- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
.... if you do nothing to take care of your back.
-Do some pilates or yoga. I know, rubish new ageism, but try to do a couple of exercises for begineers and then tell me if youa re on shape or not.
-Exercise. Any exercise will do.
-Don't sit that many hours in front of a computer. Takes brakes often and regularly.
Ultimately any chair that is adjustable will work, even cheap crappy ones.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
I recently had a real bad experience trying to buy an office chair online. It turned out I had bought from a Yahoo merchant that was only an order taking service. They charged my card as soon as the order was taken and then, first they said it would be backordered 6 weeks and then they tried to get me to accept some other chair. Finally, only after about 8 weeks and tracking down the actual owners of the company and having a lawyer write them a letter did they refund my money. This particular outfit goes by the name of officechairsonline.com and several other names, and the legal name is Allied Marketing of Oklahoma City. If I had googled for complaints against the company before placing the order I could have saved months of hassle and aggravation.
Variety helps a lot, but I think that exercise is probably more important.
Before I started weight training I had a sore back all the time, now it feels great regarless of how I sit...
Also any extra weight you are carrying around can make a big difference in your back.
"I'll have a Guinness, no wait, make that a Coors Light" -Grad student I work with, who shall remain anonymous...
I highly recommend the Bambach saddle seat. You'll need to elevate your desk and it takes a few days to get used to but it's worth it. Their site is http://www.bambach.com/.
Concur. Once upon a time when I worked for the feds, the local shop had some end-of-year money it needed to spend. (You know the drill...if you don't spend it, you obviously over-budgeted, so you'll be cut next year.)
They bought Aerons for a bunch of people. Nice chairs. I wish I had one now.
That said, you still need to sit up straight, put the monitor in the right place, and raise or lower the desk to the right height for you and your keyboard.
-- Slashdot: When Public Access TV Says "No"
Or maybe a Swedish meatball?
Sweden - hmmm... Hey, you don't work on that Nokia platform do ya' - whadda they call it, the Sybian?
Herman Miller's Mirra chair is the Aeron's downscaled sibling. It's much cheaper, yet offers most of the same features. Some reviews even say it's on par with the Aeron.
I am quite happy with my Håg Capisco chair with a "saddle seat" - it automatically makes you adjust your position every now and then. You can get versions with an extra tall lift suitable for use with an elevated desk. You can get different casters depending on the floor type.
While I love my Aeron, it's not the secret to eliminating back pain. If your back muscles are weak, sitting up for 12+ hours will hurt in any chair that doesn't fasten around the torso and hold your spine straight for you.
Do some excercises. If you have to spend most of your day sitting, you can reduce the time you spend on it by slowly adding weight. The things you should be doing are sit-ups (with a weight held cross armed on your chest if you only want to do 25 reps instead of 100), deadlifts (get a weight for each hand, or a bar, bend your knees only slightly and then bend at your lower back lifting with your lower back muscles. Keep your upper back straight or you'll hurt yourself), and some upper back work depending on equipment availablity. If you have access to some gym equipment, do some pulldowns with a bar that lets your hands face inward. If you don't, get some dumbells, lie on your chest, and with your arms out lift them 3 or four inches off the floor and hold them up for a few seconds. When you're not really weak anymore you can try some pullups. If you're to the point where you have upper back pain from sitting, and there's nothing physically injured about your back though, it'll probably be a while before you can do even one pull-up.
Spend 10-15 minutes a day staying in shape a bit and you won't have any back pain. (Except for the first few days after you start... You'll hurt like you've never hurt before those first few days...)
Another thing with not-overly-comfortable chair is that it's easier to remember to stand-up once in a while, and walk around and such. Moving around every once in a while is very good for your back.
Software should be free as in speech, but if we also get some free beer, all the better.
"That said, I just bought a Steelcase chair from a local office surplus store for $79 for computer use at home. Excellent chair, built like a tank and very comfortable and adjustable. Best of all, from what I can see on the web, the same chair usually retails for around $800!"
You know what? Everyone's talking about the chair. But what about the other half of the equation? The furniture.
If you really can't afford a new chair, then one thing you could try is buying a backrest that straps-on to your current chair. Staples Canada sells the Obus Forme backrests at around CA$60.00 (About US$45.00).
The small pad in the middle is attached by velcro, and is completly adjustable/removable. I haven't really found any problems with this thing so far, so I think it might be a good alterantive to your problem.
In addition to the chair, consider the rest of your workspace.
Get a screen that's large and bright enough so you can see it when sitting in the proper position in your chair. A $1000 chair isn't going to do any good if you have to lean forward all day just to see your monitor.
Consider moving your keyboard and mouse off of your desk onto a keyboard tray. When sitting in the proper position with proper posture in your chair, your forearms should be level or pointing ever-so-slightly downward.
Learn to use your keyboard. Don't rest your wrists on the desk or one of those wrist wrests (unless it's really, really thick); this causes your wrists to bend backwards, pinching and fatiguing the nerves therein. Likewise, avoid bending your wrists down or to the side. Hang your arms down at your sides totally relaxed, ape-like. Look at your hand position relative to your forearm: this is the ideal position.
Adjust your chair's armrests to support your forearms above your keyboard, so your back muscles are relaxed. A wireless, ergonomic keyboard placed in your lap with properly adjusted armrests can be very comfortable for long sessions, though you might need a bean bag to get it at the proper angle and elevation.
Learn to use keyboard shortcuts and menu hotkeys. (Microsoft Word be used mouselessly to a large degree; WP can be used entirely with the keyboard.) When you are always taking your hand away from your keyboard to use the mouse, you add stress to your arms and back and lose productivity. If you can find a wireless keyboard with a built-in trackball, touch pad, or trackpoint, so much the better. Look for one where you don't have to remove your hand from the home position to operate it.
Make sure your lighting is such that it doesn't glare in your eyes or on the screen.
Move your mouse to the opposite hand you write with. This will increase your productivity because you won't have to set down your pen to scroll; you'll be able to write as you are scrolling. It'll seem awkward at first, but with practice it will begin to feel more natural.
Have you considered a barkolounger and a flat panel on an arm?
Do situps. Seriously. The abdominal muscles help support your back. My brother started doing situps every day and now rarely has back problems. He's not an office worker; he's a farmer and a forester.
Look around frequently. Stretch. Throw things at your cubiclemate.
Lastly, I am not an ergonomist and your mileage may vary.
Give me my freedom, and I'll take care of my own security, thank you.
Like this Donut
'course it might be a bit embarassing to sit on a donut all day, but if it helps...
"But actually trying to use m4 as a general-purpose langage would be deeply perverse" --ESR
I slipped a disk last year, and was out of work (lying on the ground!) for a total of 5 months in two stretches. What's helped me is a combination of Yoga and a kneeling chair. The chair cost about 75, and I can sit on it nearly all day without back pain. Give me an hour and a half in a normal office chair and I start getting twinges. I am a complete convert.
1. get one of those foot rest things that lets you support your feet in a variety of different angles. I found that they made quite a difference to my posture (in an aeron, which I generally like)
2. Take up some form of exercise that strengthens your back. I had a pretty weak back after tearing a load of muscles up one side playing field hockey 6 years ago. After I started using the rowing machine (ergometer) at the gym, I found my comfort in front of a machine improved a great deal. It's worth asking the gym instructor to show you how to use it properly, since many people don't, and that seriously reduces the results.
"The new wave is not value-added; it's garbage-subtracted" - Esther Dyson, Dec 1994
Have a look at the Stokke web site (one of the European versions) for a kneel chair.
The Swopper (http://www.aeris.de/lang/en/) is designed to be like an exercise ball that previous posters have mentioned, but you can also rotate it. Again, may hurt the first few days, but once you develop the proper strength, it will keep you strong. Not sure how much these cost.
For years I've had the big George Castanza wallet, because I can't ever decide what I never want with me or what I occasionally want with me.
I still have the wallet, but it no longer lives in my back-pocket. Universally, my back feels better from nat having that monster deforming my spine.
Off load it to your backpack or laptop case or something.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
My Allak chair from Ikea is pretty comfy, and only cost $89.
I can't seem to find it on the Ikea USA website, so it could be that it was cheap because it's a model that's being retired. Bought it 2 weeks ago at the brand new Ikea in CT.
Try a Swopper from Relax The Back.
I found that with my desk an exercise ball as mentioned above was too short, which just caused new problems. The Swopper is height adjustable just like most other office chairs, and you can also adjust the tension and sway in the spring.
I'm recovering from back problems that arose from sitting in a broken chair for a year at work on a cement floor where the heat didn't work and we had a tin roof (ie freezing in winter, boiling in summer). Oregon's unemployment rates were highest in the US at the time, so I counted myself lucky to even have work. I've since moved on to a better job and work environment.
The posters that have suggested Yoga, Tai Chi, Weightlifting, and other exercise are right on. I've taken up Pavel Tsatsouline's Super Joints and Relax Into Stretch, and my back and general physical health are improving faster than I would have thought possible.
Also, get away from the computer for a while each day, even if you're in the middle of an I-stayed-up-36-hours project. It will give your body a rest, but more importantly it will give your mind a rest.
First off, sorry about all those who choose not to answer the question as stated. I'm suuuuuure they are all highly experienced M.D.'s and not clueless idiots.
Do NOT get the Steelcase Leap chair. They got them for us at work and it is impossible to adjust this chair to be comfortable, even though it has more adjustments than most people would think possible on a chair. The back adjustment is childlike in its simplicity and the designer must have thought everyone must have the same back as his.
I did what another poster did--I went to my local Sam's club, found a chair with a back that goes up and down and in and out (the most important part) and has the 3 lever control for the rest. $100 and I was starting to look at $600 chairs like you.
Oh and there is enough padding for a long sit, unlike the Leap.
In Finland the saddle chairs are quite a success.
Take the occasional horizontal nap as a refresher. That's where you're a Viking!
No matter what chair you get, you'll still be tempted, when something is smaller than a movie screen, to get closer to the screen. And then there is still the keyboard and mouse. If you want your back (which includes your neck bones) supported, you need a zero-G workstation chair. That being said, you'll need something to support the monitor and keyboard so that they are adjustable and slightly above horizontal. If $600 is your limit, I dunno what to say. These days you can hardly buy a standard office chair for that amount. Think of it this way: how many hours do you spend in your car? How many will you spend in your workstation chairs? Consider the ratio of money you are willing to spend on each.
For monitor and keyboard stands, checkout the one at Ergotron on the left. It positions the monitor in an infinite number of positions over you so that you never have to hunch forward.
I got a lower back injury at my last job. That got me "favoring" my lower back in terms of support with me ending up making the curve difference in my upper back and neck. The result: after 5 years my upper back and especially my neck was shot pinching nerves going down both arms. On some days I can't type more than a paragraph and have to avoid the computer all together. Other days I can still operate a trackball and read. Doctors say I'll never work in my prior job again. It became critical when I got as manager who insisted on fixed hours (vs. before where I could take breaks in middle of day to do yoga -- and just work later into the night. It was good (essentially healthy) to break work up with a few hours of stretching and strengthening -- might have gone on for many years that way...but it was not to be. Once it's broken it doesn't go back.
Check out your posture now -- if you stand at a wall, with heels at wall, your body should touch at buttocks mid back and back of head. If your head has to tilt up to touch the wall, you have "kyphosis" (rounding of upper back)...the predecessor to hunch back. And it does become permanent in old age, but is reverseable with yoga or other back therapy. If you can place your hand behind your lower back when against the wall, that indicates lordosis (more common in women), but you can have both which means you are more screwed up than average. But again, you can work on both conditions. Studies published in the JAMA showed improvement in carpal tunnel with yoga, but this was with a specialized yoga practice tailored for such. Yoga Journal has an article on treatment for carpal tunnel and 2 articles for kyphosis (hunch back/rounded
shoulders) here and here. Using the site's search engine you can find articles on other problems as well, but a chair alone isn't going to be a cure because chairs, in general, are not designed to promote good posture and certain were never designed to be sat in 8+ hours a day.
If you are at all inclined to do it yourself, check out high end auto wrecking yards for a RECARO car seat. They are very pricey options on several German makes, standard on a few marques that are priced in the over $100,000 range, and are not at all rarely prescribed medicaly [deductable] and thus could be in almost any car. Mounted on your choice of a base and you have a $3000-5000 chair for 10% of new. Google on RECARO for details--then start shopping for wrecks.
Thelma, I'm not making ANY deals.