Choose The Best Ergonomic Office Chair To Go With Your Sit-Stand Desk

So you’ve decided that a sit-stand desk is the way to go for your workplace or home. If you ask us, you’ve made a great decision for your health, focus and wellbeing.

You aren’t alone either – sit-stand desks have established themselves in workplaces, schools, and more.

However, a sit-stand desk is only one half of the equation!

When choosing a desk, it’s imperative that you choose the best ergonomic office chair to go with it – one that isn’t just comfortable, but also allows you to enjoy all of the benefits that come with a sit-stand desk.

So, how does one go about finding a suitable chair to go with their shiny new standing desk?

Choose a seat that’s adjustable

One of the strengths of sit-stand desks are that they’re, well, adjustable – this allows you to freely choose between sitting and standing.

So naturally, any chair you choose to go with your sit-stand desk should also be adjustable for both sitting and standing heights.

We know what you’re thinking: doesn’t that defeat the purpose of having a sit-stand desk?

Not so! According to some medical experts (and as we ourselves have said many times before!), it’s best to alternate between periods of standing and sitting if you want to get the most health benefits out of a standing desk.

While it might be tempting to purchase a bar stool to get around this, this can raise some problems if you decide on a whim to change your desk to ordinary sitting level – namely, very few bar stools can be adjusted to go that low!

It isn’t just seat height that needs to be adjustable – ergonomically-designed chairs should be adjustable in every dimension:

• Backrest
• Armrests (see below)
• Headrest (if it has one)

Invest in good foot support

If you’ve ever had to sit on a bar bench for an extended period of time, you might notice your legs screaming for relief after a while.

That’s because your legs aren’t designed to just dangle loosely – rather, the optimal sitting position is when your knees are resting at a 90-degree angle, with your feet sitting flat on the ground with something solid underneath to provide support.

When choosing the best ergonomic office chair, you may need to look beyond the chair itself.

In particular, you need to pay attention to foot support.

Whether it’s a built-in footrest or a separate piece of furniture, you’ll want something you can rest your feet on if they’re dangling when you sit in your chair.

For example, if you’ve adjusted your seat to the ideal height for you to work comfortably at a computer, you might find that, despite that comfort, your legs are now dangling. To erase that problem, without having to adjust the height of your chair (that you have already determined as ideal for working on your computer), use a foot rest!

What’s more, this foot support should be carefully chosen with your height in mind – after all, different people have different heights, meaning the perfect leg rest height will change from person to person.

Your chair needs (adjustable) armrests

20 years ago, you’d have struggled to find an ordinary office chair with armrests – normally, you’d have to go into the manager’s office before seeing your first armrest!

Nowadays however, chair designers understand the ergonomic benefits that come from armrests, and are integrating them into more and more chair designs (although stools and drafting chairs are still a bit behind in this regard).

However, simply having armrests isn’t enough – armrests should fit the user like a glove.

That means no awkwardness, discomfort, or height differences. Ideally, armrests should sit perfectly under your elbow, creating a 90-degree angle of your arm, and reducing the load on your shoulders.

As such, we suggest paying careful attention to armrests, and considering a chair with adjustable ones.

Posture matters: why it’s important to sit properly

The human body isn’t designed to sit for long periods of time – unfortunately, our modern lifestyles don’t exactly give us much choice in the matter!

Long unbroken periods of sitting can have several negative consequences:

• Pain: you may experience neck, back and shoulder pain (exacerbated by bad posture)
• Posture: without ergonomic seating, it’s easy to develop bad habits
• Health problems: a sedentary lifestyle increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and more

As strange as it may sound, there’s a technique to sitting properly. Ergonomically designed office equipment such as desks, postural supports and, yes, chairs, can all assist and help you maintain your posture and greatly reduce the risks associated with prolonged sitting.

Find the best ergonomic chair to pair with your sit-stand desk

Get in touch with Ergomotion!

To get the most out of your new sit-stand desk, it’s imperative that you choose a chair that complements your desk.

This doesn’t just apply to sit-stand desks either – to enjoy the most ergonomic workplace, home office or classroom, it’s crucial that you look at improving ergonomics at every possible level:

• Tables
• Desks and workstations
• Seating and chairs
• Keyboards and mouse pads

Based right here in Melbourne, Ergomotion are experts in all things ergonomics. Using human-centric design, we furniture and office equipment that ensure a more comfortable workplace – and healthier body!

At Ergomotion, our team work closely with you to create tailored ergonomic solutions that fit not only your height, but your working lifestyle, too.

Whether you’re looking for the best ergonomic office chair or an adjustable standing desk, our team can help – give us a call today on (03) 9579 1454, or click here to request a call-back.