3 Essential Office Chair Armrest Adjustment: Height, Depth & Width

The difference between a piece of basic furniture and ergonomic furniture is that ergonomic furniture caters to each individual's needs. The whole concept is based on the fact that every person has a different shape, size, mass, body type, comfort level, and thus differing perceptions about easiness in the workplace. Hence, adjustability is one of the essential features of ergonomic furniture.

Speaking about the comfort in the workplace, office ergonomic chair is one of the most heard and popularly used names in a hybrid workplace. Whether it's a home office setup or a modern workplace, a comfortable chair is an essential part of a work environment. And as the chair comes, the armrest, adjustable back support, lumbar support all play an essential role in defining the comfort level. Chair armrest height is yet another feature that impacts the comfort level of the user.

The chair armrest adjustment feature in a chair with an armrest ends the debate about whether armrests are good for health. If you have been looking for different ergonomic office chair features, then you might want to add another feature in your search. Adjusting the office chair armrest gives you more control over the comfort level and allows better posture.

Importance of Adjustable Armrest in Office Chair

An office chair with adjustable arms has many benefits over a conventional chair that offers no support for your arms and elbows. Even though the armrests are no new addition to work chairs, people have been sitting on chairs with matching armrests over the years. There are also several scientific studies that prove how armrests ruin your posture and give rise to many physical health issues.

But on the other hand, having no armrests is no great modification to the office chairs. The right approach is to have adjustable armrests that can be adjusted in height, width, depth, and length.

As proven by various studies, the forearm support and chair armrest height, a part of the armrest support goal, provides comfort and reduces the physical stress from your neck and shoulders. As a result, your muscles no longer experience physical fatigue. Similarly, the negative repercussions of not having an armrest have proven to exert extra stresses on the wrist, which is extremely harmful and may cause long-term injury.

According to the researchers, the upper trapezius and deltoid muscles are consistently engaged at a low-intensity level without forearm support and adequate shoulder alignment. This activation might be to blame for the beginning of neck discomfort during work.

And it is also a known fact that each person has a different body structure, so to have the forearms and elbows at a comfortable height varies from person to person.

Therefore, it is important to have a chair with adjustable armrest because the ideal height of the chair armrest is not a universal number but the value where the user nor feels shrugging neither slumps down with their shoulder dropping to the floor.

Types of Office Chair Armrest Adjustment

Before you put your money down and purchase an office chair, you must check all the features that determine chair armrest adjustment. Though the three most essential details include height, weight, and depth, other tiny details will make up a whole wonderful experience during your working hours.

Height

From adjusting the whole chair's height to adjusting chair armrest height, the office ergonomics took over basic furniture. Armrest height adjustment is important because it defines the strain on your shoulders and allows you to relax the neck muscles.

Different chairs have different armrest height adjustment systems, but user-friendly ones take the lead. One great product, ErgoChair Pro, has a height adjustment system based on simple push buttons on either side. Pressing the push buttons allows you to lower or increase the height, and as soon as you take off the push, the armrest is locked at the particular position. Moreover, it also allows the armrest movement in four different directions front, back, right, and left.

Depth

The depth is defined as the movement your armrest makes in the forwards and backward direction. By altering the armrest depth and chair armrest height, you can increase the support under your forearm or forwards. Depth adjustment is often used when a person has to slide closer to the work desk, so the armrests blocking the closeness no longer remains a problem, or you can also use the feature when reclining in your chair and tilting the back seat.

This adjustment is also ideal for folks who prefer to recline in their chair while still having adequate arm support. When you sit in a chair that doesn't have depth adjustment, you'll notice that the distance between the chair's back and the armrests widens as you recline, restricting arm support.

Width

Besides chair armrest height, width adjustment is another addition to the office ergonomic chair because it allows you to alter the surface area on which your forearms and arms rest. Most chairs have width adjustment with the help of an arm pad adjustment system.

The arm pad allows you to move left or right to increase the surface area and then fit back to lower the area exposed. Armrest width adjustment is a great feature considering it allows you to cover multiple functions; you can take notes and even work with a laptop on your lap and relax against the chair.

Pivot Adjustment

After the three basic features in an ergonomic office chair, the bonus features enhance the capability of a chair. The armrest pivot adjustment is one such addition to a work chair that can make your whole experience even more comfortable. The pivot adjustment allows your armrest to rotate to a certain angle on either side. This is extremely functional for people who spend long hours typing and working on their keyboards.

Need for An Ergonomic Office Chair

Office injuries may not scream out loud, but they have a great impact over the years. Spending six to eight hours each day in positions that subject our muscles to unhealthy stresses leads to various short-term and long-term diseases. The awareness regarding the importance of wellness in the workplace makes it mandatory to spend on furniture that not only looks comfortable but is also very kind to the human body.