"Oh, My Aching Back!"


Tuesday, May 08, 2007


About half of us have had back troubles during our lives. It is the number one cause of injury that leads to lost work time in the United States. Recently I had surgery to repair my back and when I share it with people, about half say something like "I can relate to that, I had a similar problem with my back......!"

It's no wonder we have back issues when you look at our lifestyles and, shame on us, how little we do to work out and stay in shape to support our back while we sit so often and misuse the back lifting things. Our spine just wasn't meant to take the lifestyle we impose upon it!

There are two things we can all do to help our back though that is really easy - get a good office chair and adjust it correctly! Those two things can save a lot of pain and aspirin! So, let's take them one at a time. What is a good chair?

A good chair is one that provides lumbar support and adjusts to fit (i.e. curves along the lumbar area with the spine as opposed to a flat back that doesn't support our natural curve). It also has adjustments to tailor itself to the individual. Even great chairs on the market will adjust to only 90% of the population - if you are too large or too small, you will need to get a particularly exceptional chair to "fit" you. Adjustments in the height of the seat, the tension on the chair leaning back, the height of the back relative to the seat, the height and width of the arms are all important in tailoring the chair to fit our bodies. They are also important because one of the worst things we can do is sit in the same position all day, changing positions promotes better blood flow and decreases muscular tension which all reduce pain. So, get a good chair. And, the more you sit during the day, the better the chair you need! Usually the executive gets the great chair but it's the administrative individual who NEEDS the better chair quality. So, if you are reading this and your boss has the better chair or if you are the boss and your assistant has a chair of lower quality, it is time for a heart to heart talk!

The next step is to adjust and use the chair properly. All new, decent ergonomic chairs have adjustment mechanisms, the problems are usually finding out where they are and how they work. If you don't have a tag with your chair showing how to use it, the next step is to flip it upside down - all good manufacturers have a label underneath with a model number and you can usually look it up on the internet and get instructions.

Barring that, there are several adjustments which are common to all chairs and critical if you want comfort all day long. The first is the chair height and most new chairs have a pneumatic mechanism that allows you to easily pull a lever and allow the chair to rise or apply downward pressure to lower it. Chair height is critical, as it properly distributes your weight between the floor and your seat to allow for better posture and weight distribution.

The second most important adjustment is the tension on the back. Most chairs allow you to adjust the reclining tension and - this is important - the tension should be "just right" allowing you to lean back halfway and not have to use pressure to push back or have the tension so high that the chair pushes you forward. You should be able to lean back half-way and "float" there. Once that sweet spot is found, don't change it! Lean back and forward during the day and change your sitting angle often to improve blood circulation and reduce muscular tension, but don't change the tension very often.

Other adjustments on the chair depend on the make and model and may include things like arm rest adjustments which allow you to change positions during the day - particularly important if you are using the armrest and typing a lot. Use the arm adjustments to both be comfortable and to change height and position - this will reduce your chances of carpel-tunnel syndrome (along with a good keyboard tray adjustment which should also be moved often). Staying in the same position for tasks for a long time is the culprit for most aches and pains.

Seat depth, which changes the seat pan relative to the back support, is another mechanism good for you but only available on some better models. Getting that right will help support your lumbar curve dramatically. Some models have a tilt mechanism for the front of the seat pan that will reduce the "pinch" chairs can produce under the knees and reduce blood circulation. Get that right and it will help too. Other options you may not be aware of can greatly reduce comfort, like having fabric that is glued to the foam - stay away from that if you can - it will increase the heat of the chair by not allowing air to circulate properly. Gluing the fabric to the foam is a cheap way for the manufacturer to produce the chair but you will pay for the price on warm days.

The best advice I have for people buying an office chair is this: it is the opposite from buying a chair for the home. At the residential store you sit in chairs until you find the one that is comfortable. In the office, you should sit in the chair long enough until it becomes uncomfortable....all chairs will eventually be uncomfortable and, since you are in your office chair more than any chair in your life, stay in one long enough to test how long it takes to create discomfort. The test drive is much longer for this product!

You never knew seating could be so deep, did you? It's a lot of information but then again, it's your aching back we've got to take care of. You're in your office and seated for up to one-third of every day! So, take your time to buy that chair that is right for you. If your back aches, take this article and test out those adjustments. If you sit for a long time and don't have the proper lumbar support and don't have the adjustments, call me or e-mail me and we'll get a chair that is right for you. After all of my personal back physician bills, I have become an expert, especially since it's our business!

Email Scott: smessore@gombi.com


posted by Scott Messmore @ Tuesday, May 08, 2007   0 comments