[OT] Ergonomic chairs

BingoTheClowno · Post by **BingoTheClowno** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 10:51 am

I was searching the Internet recently for an ergonomic chair since the one I have gives me horrible back pains (no lumbar support

) . What do you guys recomend?

Nisse · Post by **Nisse** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 12:26 pm

I would actually suggest an office table that you can increase/decrease the height on. That way you can stand up and work for a while. The best way to combat back pains is to switch working position as often as possible. The human body just isnt built to sit in the same position all day. A good chair might enable you to sit still for longer periods, but in the end its gonna cause you discomfort anyway.

When it comes to good chairs, anyone who works in a store that sells such could probably help you more than us.

firubbi · Post by **firubbi** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 12:32 pm

also you should exercise everyday. that will help you a lot

krizrox · Post by **krizrox** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 12:45 pm

I asked this same question a couple of years ago. Someone pointed me towards an ergonomic chair that was widely used in the recording industry. I wish I still had the link. Unfortunately, I lost it a long time ago. All I remember is that this particular chair cost somewhere around a grand. Not cheap by any standard but it looked like a beauty.

My suggestion to you (assuming you don't want to pay a thousand dollars for a chair) is to seek out one of the better office supply stores in the area and go sit in a few of the different models they offer. Steer clear of OfficeMax and that sort of place as those chairs are cheap crap (I know, I bought one).

We have a really nice office supply place here in the Elgin area - they sell a lot of good used pieces too. That's where I bought a lot of my stuff. Expect to pay around $200-$300 for a really good chair. Good luck.

PS: found the link here. DO a search here on PlanetZ and you will find a previous post about seats/chairs. Here is the link to that exotic chair:
http://www.dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=1752&fp=sc

[ This Message was edited by: krizrox on 2004-06-03 13:50 ]

BingoTheClowno · Post by **BingoTheClowno** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 12:50 pm

Well, I should excercise more, but my computer is like a magnet, just like a Black Hole with an inescapable gravitational pull

Steelcase is a well know company; this is what I found: http://www.steelcase.com/servlet/Produc ... INE_ID=670

Very expensive!

By the way the kids in the store here, they don't know much, they just look good

Plato · Post by **Plato** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 1:04 pm

I found a great chair in the bargain basement at IKEA, believe it or not....really comfortable & adjustable....I think I got lucky tho: £30 for a £200 chair.

samplaire · Post by **samplaire** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 1:34 pm

I was searching for a comfortable chair and finally bought not too cheap one that isn't comfortable

And it all took me 2 weeks of going there and there... SO prepare for not easy choice...

kensuguro · Post by **kensuguro** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:01 pm

don't forget to stretch. From my experience, alot of back pain from sitting too long comes from uneven use of back muscle. (right hand raised for mouse, left hand put elsewhere causes uneven shoulder height) Stretching out both back muscle seems to fix it. Also you want to walk around a bit, like 30 minutes to get all your bones and muscle back in alignment. Walking is an automatic "self-fix" mechanism that the body uses to put things in working order.

astroman · Post by **astroman** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 4:22 pm

I'll never understand why, but there seems to be a law that no ergo chairs are allowed under $250

The cheapos need nothing more than different measures - and that doesn't cost anything, yet they manage to apply any imaginable mismatch.

You could check out a quality chair at an office supplier, preferably a not too exotic model, and then try to find the same on eBay.
They seem to have enough from broken offices...
It's not a gentleman's way, but if budget pressure is really high... you won't regret the expense, seriously.

Btw my wife had a spinal surgery due to damage mostly caused by improper office seats (noone cared about that 30 years ago)

cheers, Tom

BingoTheClowno · Post by **BingoTheClowno** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 4:51 pm

Sorry to hear what happened to your wife Astroman.

EBay is a good suggestion, I'll try that. I am also googling around from company to company.

krizrox, Elgin is kinda far from my place

, however if I could find that Aeron on eBay that would be a good thing.

[ This Message was edited by: BingoTheClowno on 2004-06-03 18:06 ]

Post by **hubird** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 7:08 pm

Astro has right, an office supplier is the way to go!
They usually have at least one type that has a 'mark provement of sanity', I don't know the word in Inglish, but in holland we have this by TNO, an institute that garantees that quality.
It should have four handles under and at the back of the seat:
1. one to move the seat itself (you sit on) forward and backward, to ensure your upperlegs are supported in a way that you can put a balled wrist between the front of the seat and the hollow of the knee
2. one to vary the height of the chair so that your legs are supported with your feet on the ground, without holding up the bloodstream
3. one for move to back of the seat forwards and backwards; you must choose between a chair with a high - or a lower back, up to your preference

4. and one that moves the back up and down, to support the under part of your back with which you should keep contact during sitting.
You have those typical office shops for enterprices, offten you need a shop registration card to get entrance, if you know what I mean. Mostly is easy to borrow one

These shops always have that big selling succes model without any design aspects, so it's max cheap.
Ask for the 'sanity-garateed' model, a mark will be on the box.
The price I got such one was about €300,-, you won't find a chair like I described much cheaper

BTW Plato, those chairs of Ikea, I found them crappy a bit, and practicaly all chairs have seats that are not deep enough, accidentaly I checked this several times recently. My opinion

I suppose Ikea aims to young people that start living on their own, studients or so

Knowing that, the second way to go is, Astro also said that (he's definitely a ebay sailer

), take a look in an office shop to get the picture of the right chair, and then try to find that type of chair on ebay or s.hand stores you can find in every big city I guess.
I found a German one, very good, for about €35,-
Take care, because those (sometimes very) old chairs may have all the handles but the seat is to short, while a deep seat is really important if you have long sessions...
People were smaller then

Two alternatives that I know are:
1. the sitting ball, a big ball to sit on, being forced to keep your back streightup, but this needs time to train the used muscles
2. a chair which isn't also a chair, you're in a way 'sitting on your knees, like in a church but then halfway deeper.
No back on this seat also, but it's very comfortable, which you wouldn't expect.
It seems to be the most ergonomic way of 'sitting' for a human being.
But these a very expensive, and you won't find one easy on ebay or in a shop.

'Take a seat'

[ This Message was edited by: hubird on 2004-06-03 21:59 ]

Nisse · Post by **Nisse** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 8:27 pm

Also, I´ve noticed that an hour on my mountainbike and another hour in the gym does wonders for all types of "office pains"

But when I got back home and ate dinner I got so drowsy that I ended up falling asleep and not getting any music work done anyway. . . .

samplaire · Post by **samplaire** » Fri Jun 04, 2004 2:56 am

On 2004-06-03 21:27, Nisse wrote:
But when I got back home and ate dinner I got so drowsy that I ended up falling asleep and not getting any music work done anyway. . . .

Everything has its price

At my previous work we had a chair that was priceless (though it costed around $200) - it had an adjustable pillow behind kidneys and a second one behind a neck. It was the most comfortable seat! Also look at the material - no leather but a kinda velvet.

krizrox · Post by **krizrox** » Fri Jun 04, 2004 6:24 am

On 2004-06-03 17:51, BingoTheClowno wrote:
Sorry to hear what happened to your wife Astroman.

EBay is a good suggestion, I'll try that. I am also googling around from company to company.

krizrox, Elgin is kinda far from my place , however if I could find that Aeron on eBay that would be a good thing.

[ This Message was edited by: BingoTheClowno on 2004-06-03 18:06 ]

There are plenty of professional office supply places in the Chicagoland area. Check the phone book. I only mentioned the one here in Elgin because it was a dandy - like a big wearhouse and they actually make partitions and things there too. I spent an hour or so just sitting in chairs and trying things out. I didn't want anything that squeaked when I rocked back and forth. A lot of the cheap stuff squeaks (or will start to squeak over time). It's amazing the difference in quality when you get up close. You can't see that in a picture or on-line ad.

Really, there's no substitute for actually sitting in the chair before you buy it. Your butt and back will thank you for that

Post by **hubird** » Fri Jun 04, 2004 7:30 am

'thank you'

Plato · Post by **Plato** » Fri Jun 04, 2004 7:40 am

On 2004-06-03 20:08, hubird wrote:

BTW Plato, those chairs of Ikea, I found them crappy a bit, and practicaly all chairs have seats that are not deep enough, accidentaly I checked this several times recently. My opinion
I suppose Ikea aims to young people that start living on their own, studients or so

Well this one is actually surprisingly good quality

Very sturdy with good coasters, and you can adjust the 'depth' too.....like I say, I think I just got lucky
BTW I'm not that young, and don't live on my own....the exception that proves the rule ?
I Can't believe I'm singing the praises of that place......maybe it was just a one-off

[ This Message was edited by: Plato on 2004-06-04 08:43 ]

Post by **hubird** » Fri Jun 04, 2004 8:44 am

or Ikea-London has better chairs than Ikea-Holland

samplaire · Post by **samplaire** » Fri Jun 04, 2004 9:19 am

ok, I bought mine at Office Depot

or I should

BingoTheClowno · Post by **BingoTheClowno** » Fri Jun 04, 2004 10:16 am

Well, I forgat to mention one minor detail, I ditched my car last year so at the moment I am car-less

What I like about shopping online is that I can compare hundreds of products, I can often read users reviews

and I can check for a lower price in many places. Purchasing a chair online will also save me the local taxes if I buy it from other state (but I will have to pay for shipping).

Shopping in real world on the other hand is tiresome, one has to deal with traffic, parking, overzealous salesmen and you can only cover so many stores in a day.

Leper · Post by **Leper** » Fri Jun 04, 2004 10:38 am

The Aeron chair is the best I've ever tried! Unfortunately I don't own one.. I'm trying to save up for one. My current chair doesn't provide any lumbar support, etc, as well - so my back is always having problems.

http://www.hermanmiller.com/CDA/SSA/Pro ... p8,00.html

Expensive though.. but you can feel the shape and support when you sit down. The mesh stuff is nice too - especially if you're in a hot region!

[ This Message was edited by: Leper on 2004-06-04 11:41 ]