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The Chair

Chairs play a major role in establishing a comfortable work environment. If you spend hours in an uncomfortable chair, your body will compensate for its discomfort by straining various muscles to make itself more comfortable. This can lead to bad posture and sore muscles, which in turn can lead to repetitive strain injuries.

You might assume that while seated at your desk, your body is not doing anything physical. However, when you sit at your desk, the muscles in your back are working very hard to maintain your posture, the muscles in your neck are straining to keep your head up, and your shoulder muscles are working to support your arms.

One way to counter these negative forces is to sit properly so that your chair, allowing your muscles to relax, supports your body. If you have an adjustable ergonomic chair, follow these guidelines to set it properly for your body:

  1. Rest your feet flat on the floor. Adjust the height of your chair so that your feet can rest flat on the floor. If you cannot reach the floor, use a footrest or a phone book for elevated support. With your feet flat on the floor, you should be able to move them forward and backward a bit.
  2. Sit comfortably centered. With your feet flat on the floor, sit in the chair so that you are comfortably centered and the backs of your calves do not touch the front edge of the seat.
  3. Adjust the back of your chair to support your back. If you can, move it forward so that the chair back supports both the curve in your lower back and the middle of your back. If your chair back is not adjustable, place a small pillow or rolled towel between your lower back and the chair back.
  4. Adjust the armrests to support your arms. With your arms hanging comfortably at your side and your elbows bent at 70-120 degrees, raise or lower the armrest to support your forearms. If your armrests are not adjustable, do not use them as a support base, but as a temporary resting place.

If your chair is not adjustable, or if the adjustments still do not make the chair properly fit your body, you can provide a break for some of your muscles by standing for brief periods, i.e., 1-10 minutes every hour. Standing relaxes the muscles that support your back and releases some of the pressure that sitting places on the disks and bones in your back.

See the Posture section for related information.