Do Ergonomic Chairs Really Work?

cliffski wonders: "I've gone from a job as a commuting programmer working on his own code as a hobby, to a full time work-from-home one-man business. As I spend a good hour or two a day gaming as well as a full day's coding, I'm now sitting at the same desk for an awfully long time. Should I invest in one of those trendy ergonomic chairs that force you to sit with a straight back posture? Has anyone used one for a length of time, and does it really help prevent back pain? I've taken up archery, probably the best sport to encourage you to adopt good posture; are there any other tips Slashdot readers have for avoiding 'programmer slouch'?"

Comments

Exercise helps a lot, too.

[Karl J. Smith]

Exercise will make your back pain go away. It'll also help your wrists.

But if you're going to be sitting in a chair 12 hours a day, an Aeron is very comfortable, and you can set it to 'no-slouch' mode.

Re:Exercise helps a lot, too.

[tomhudson]

That's why you THROW the chair ... and its much more impressive when its an expensive "ergonomic" chair than your aunt's old bridge table folding chair. Now if only pro wrestlers would make the switch to *real* chairs when supposedly clubbing their opponents ... those folding chairs don't fool anyone. An Aeron, on the other hand, while shouting "I'll fucking [kill/bury/whatever] you ...

Examine WHY your sitting still all day

[LiquidCoooled]

As a developer and computer junkie, I have to say the best type of chair is a plain normal office chair, it forces me to not become comfortable enough to slob about.

The biggest problem is sitting in the same place all day, it does your back, arms, eyes and neck no good.

I find my best work comes whilst I am away from my desk, having a smoke, laying on my bed, pacing around, playing with the kids or just watchin tv.

Get your eyes away from your screen and think about the code you are about to write.
Take a pad and pencil and make sparse notes, formulate solutions then do your code in short bursts when you return so you don't strain yourself.

I would also recommend swimming over archery since archery seems more like a strength persuit rather than excersize.

Not much change, even for a high price

[JayDoggy]

I've had a Herman Miller Aeron at work for 4+ years. I really like it, how the meshy material breathes when I've been sitting in it for far too long, and boy it sure looks cool. But I'm not sure that it's made much of a difference in my posture. I've adjusted all the controls, even watched the "Proper Posture" video they have on their website, but I still do horrible things like sit cross-legged in it, slouch, etc. I think it comes down to your willingness to commit to a proper egonomic regimen. I'm lazy in that way.

You Should

[Mikkeles]

'Should I invest in one of those trendy ergonomic chairs that force you to sit with a straight back posture?'

It would be better for you to get up once an hour or so and take a stroll; smell the flowers.

Steelcase Leap

[metamatic]

I have a Steelcase Leap. It's pretty much your classic office chair, except it has good lumbar support, and is designed to allow you to move around and adopt slightly different postures.

I found that with many ergonomic chairs, it didn't matter how perfect the back shape was--sitting in any kind of fixed position for long enough would give me back ache. With the Leap, the back is designed to flex.

Kneeling chairs work

[Merlynnus]

I've been using a kneeling chair since 2001. What forced me to switch over was a slipped disk that became sciatica -- basically a pinched nerve that incapacitated me for 6 weeks. At any rate, after I recovered enough to go back to the office, I got kneeling chairs for the office and for my computer desk at home. Right now, I'm writing this while sitting in a kneeling chair. Some observations:

1. They do work. My posture is much better. I had a relapse a year later, but since then, it's been smooth sailing.
2. They take some getting used to. I have reasonably "bad" knees, but the kneeling chair doesn't really put pressure on your knees if it's adjusted properly. The pressure is on your shins instead. However, it's likely that for the first few days or weeks, you'll find your legs cramping up a bit. The key is to stick to it and get your muscles to learn to like the new position.
3. There is significant difference between chairs. My first chair was this one: http://www.chairlines.com/qs/product/-1/2115/11654 6/0/0. It was good, but eventually the seat broke off ... all the small movements while sitting caused a fatigue fracture where the seat was supported. Now, I'm using this one: http://www.chairlines.com/qs/product/-1/2115/11654 5/0/0 and it's much better ... more comfortable, and sturdier, I think.
4. They're not for everyone.
5. Make sure it is adjustable. At least in height, but ideally in the angle that your legs form. One size does not fit all. Try it out at the store first, but ideally at your desk so that you can see if everything fits ... or not.
6. They make excellent conversation starters.
7. They're less hippy than those yoga balls.

A>

Of course they work

[WillAffleckUW]

The whole purpose of ergonomic chairs is to remove the fat wad of cash from your wallet, and make you spend lots of money so you can lose weight due to your nervousness at being able to afford them in the first place.

I get mine at the university surplus for $5 or $10 each, instead of the $1000 the original buyer paid. I think our office was equipped for about $100 all told.

That said, I find if you don't get up and stretch about once every hour or so, you'll probably end up with back problems. And if you'd just take the stairs instead of sit all day, you'd have far fewer problems in the first place, since humans are designed to walk about 30 to 45 minutes a day.

Maybe that's a *good* thing...

[Pink Tinkletini]

I still do horrible things like sit cross-legged in it, slouch, etc.

About ten years ago, my chiropractor mentioned that the best way to avoid RSI, back pain, and other workplace injuries in the cube is simply to make sure to change your position a lot. This is good news if you're naturally antsy, but apparently a lot of people just sit in the same position in front of their computers all day long, and that's what gets you in the end.

This is the theory behind those programs to remind you to take short breaks every hour. It's also a good excuse to ask your employer for a laptop computer so you can amble over to the couch, the coffeeshop, the park, or wherever you feel like working. Stay moving, stay alive.

It sounds plausible, and I've heard the same thing from at least two other chiropractors I've met. (I've never developed a cubicle injury, at least not yet--I was seeing a chiropractor for physical therapy, long story.)

Exercise helps; major cause is stress

[gvc]

Here's a response I wrote to a related article on ergonomic keyboards. The parent is correct, exercise is the best known intervention.

Pilates

[crmartin]

Get some private Pilates lessons. (If you need to find an instructor, there are good resources at The Pilates Method Alliance.)

It helped my back pain when nothing else did, post a car accident.

Pilates Studios are also usually 10-1 female, and they're often young attractive dancer types, so it's fun for that reason as well.

Try what I did...

[Vo0k]

Ultra-comfortable, ultra-ergonomic, designed for sitting in one position for many hours, extremely durable, high quality and... ultra-cheap!

Visit a car scrapyard and buy the best car seat you can find. Right now typing this from a luxury model BMW driver's seat. Cost: $17. If this one dies (not likely!), I'm gonna get another. Never more overpaying for computer desk chairs in furniture shops!

Minus: Not rotating. Plus/minus - heavy, not really movable (but can be easily adjusted forward/back, sliding on rails). And requires some (little) work to make a good basis/attachment.

Data Point

[bunions]

I worked in an Aeron chair 8-10 hours a day for 8 years. No back pain. I changed jobs and now have a generic office chair. Back pain. Draw your own conclusions.

Those chairs rock

[austad]

Those chairs are great. I sat in a Herman Miller Aeron for about 3 years, and it really kept me from hurting compared to the older chairs I sat in. I picked up an old (1975) Herman Miller Ergon for home, and it's nearly as comfortable. The cool thing about the HM stuff, is there is a lifetime warranty on it. I had a wheel stop working, and then sent out a truck and fixed it for free, and that chair is 30 years old.

But, do you know your back pain is coming from your chair? It certainly might have something to do with it, however, I read an article that said 60% of americans are chronically dehydrated and that can cause back pain. I thought about it, and I really didn't drink that much water. I started carrying a water bottle with me everywhere, and my back rarely hurts anymore.

I picked up a Herman Miller Aeron...

[Fallen Kell]

I bought it about 1 1/2 years ago now. Personally it is the best computer/desk chair I have ever had. It is extremely comfortable and the use of the fabric stuff makes it breath very well. Depending on which model you get you can have different types of back/lumbar support. I picked up a fully adjustable model with lumbar support, a leather arms (I didn't pay for the crome model though, look great but was not worth it since it was in my upstairs bedroom). You still need to set it up properly for good back/ergonomic support and use it that way. But I really just set it up for comfort :)

Aeron = 14 hour workdays

[toybuilder]

I worked at an Internet startup that spent almost zero on office furniture. Our desks were doors mounted on top of filing cabinets. But everyone got Aeron chairs -- and they had a selection of chair sizes to suit everyone.

I have to say that the Aeron made it possible to work long hours -- even with 14 hour days, I felt fine. That wasn't the case with other office chairs, before or since. While it was popular to scoff at the Aeron chairs during the dot-com-crash days, I actually think those chairs were actually sensible spending by the companies.

Cheap sub-$100 chairs are crap. If you're going to buy ONE chair for yourself, you're better off going to a good retail dealer and have them educate you on the product, and choose/adjust the seat that fit you. And, if they're a true high-quality retailer, they should be willing to take the seat back even after you've taken it home for a couple weeks. If you're going to spend money on making yourself productive, be generous to yourself.

Re:Short form: No.

[olego]

Score: -1, Too Informative

An Aeron Tale: It's worthwhile.

[daviddennis]

A few years ago I worked for a company that had to watch every penny. So of course they didn't want to buy me any kind of fancy chair. In fact, despite paying me big bucks, they gave me a chair that even the telemarketing staff had rejected. The back cushion was detached from its cardboard backing and flopped all over the place.

Well, after a year or so of that, I got severe pain in my hands from the poor typing position that ensued from such a crummy chair. I went to a doctor and he prescribed a truly bizarre wrist splint and an ergonomic chair.

My panicked boss, fearing potential lawsuits in the air, bought me an Aeron and a wrist rest for my keyboard. I tried the wrist splint but it was so weird feeling to use that I didn't use it more than a day or so.

Haven't had any wrist problems since, so having an Aeron or a similarly adjustable chair definitely helps a lot. I had bought an Aeron for home use before getting the one at my work. I now work at home so I'm either using the Aeron or relaxing outdoors with lawn chairs. For some reason relaxing outdoors, even with non-optimal chairs, seems to work wonders for my attitude. Curious but true.

I don't know about the kneeling chair. I tried one once but found it so uncomfortable and strange it wasn't of interest.

Hope that helps.

D

Re:They put a lot of stress on your knees.

[greg1104]

Years of leg-heavy sports and weight lifting had made my knees very strong. So when I found myself having posture trouble when working on my computer too much, I switched to one of these kneeling chairs and never had any problems with knee pain.

That lasted about a year. The position you're put in with a kneeling chair shifts a lot of the weight your back would normally bear onto your hips. One day I found that my hips hurt when I walked; it was obviously getting much worse when I was kneeling in the chair so I stopped doing that. It was too late to reverse the damage by then. It's been 18 months since, and I still haven't completely recovered use of my hips.

If your posture is bad, and your back is bothering you, you can play with chairs all day; all you'll do is shift where you're putting the pressure at to some other part which will then buckle eventually. You need exercise that targets that specific weak area to correct this. Archery is better than nothing, I guess, but I wouldn't expect that just focusing on posture alone would give great results. You need to force your muscles to bear weight beyond their normal range to get them to grow, and my recollection of archery mechanics recalls it only really works the upper back muscles.

Since my case was bad by the time I had the resources to address it, the only thing I found that worked was combining ideas from my doctor, a physical therapist, and a personal trainer until I had a back workout routine that really made me feel where the back muscles that bear weight were at. Once you achive that, you can practice flexing them and train them properly to support more of your weight. I can now sit up perfectly straight just by tightening that part of my back and all sorts of problems have gone away. I find myself arching my back over the top of crappy chairs when I have to sit in them, not even using the back of the chair if it's not the right shape.

Check out the fun list of exercises at http://www.thetrainingstationinc.com/back-exercise s.html

It's the lower-back section that mirrors what I ended up doing. My doctor recommended against Hyper-Extensions as being too stressful, and my hip issues made Deadlifts difficult. The Lower Back Machine exercise has worked wonders for me (in my gym as the Icarian "Low Back Extension" machine), and I'm hoping to introduce the Good Morning exercise in the near future.

Also, both my doctor and therapist gave me a little green cartoon booklet of back exercises to do at home with ones own body weight; will reply to myself in this thread when I find it again with details.

Sit-ups or crunches

[Futurepower(R)]

True: "Exercise will make your back pain go away."

Specifically, strengthening your stomach muscles by doing sit-ups or crunches helps your back muscles relax. Often where you feel the pain is not the position of the actual problem.