How to Set Up an Office Chair as per your Requirement?

Office chairs have become part and parcel of those life’s who spend most of their time working in front of the computer. However, the office chair has become the dominant tool and the best friend for the employees because of the time they spend together. Sitting on the office chair can be tiring and the most important it affects the body posture.

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Most of the time it is observed that you feel comfortable while sitting on the chair, but the reality is the posture in which you are comfortable is not correct, and it can actually have long-term health problems. Therefore, having a perfect sitting posture is essential not only for a healthy body but also to improve the productivity of the work. And, it requires proper adjustments of the chair to be made to have a perfect sitting posture.

Hence, buying an expensive ergonomic office chair which has all the adjustment feature is not enough. You need to adjust the chair that suits your sitting and body posture. Yes, we agree that a premium and expensive office chairs are great in feel and comfort, but a medium priced and quality office chair can even be perfect for your sitting and body posture. The only thing that matters is how much you know your body and what all adjustments will be accurate for the body.

So without wasting much of the time, let's get straight to the some of the adjustments or setups you can do to your office chair to help support your neck, back and shoulder while working.

How to set up an office chair?

1. Adjust the office chair height

Sitting on the chair without adjusting as per your height can literally cause pain in the back. Sitting on a wrongly adjusted height chair will lead to slouching on the desk at an uncomfortable angle. If done for a more extended time period it can cause some severe muscle problems which will not be cured with exercise. Luckily these problems can be avoided by just adjusting the height. The chairs are equipped with height adjustment controls so that you don’t have to sit uncomfortably.

But before you make adjustments in the chair, it is recommended to keep the following things in your mind:

• Hand controls: The office chairs are equipped with the liver located just below the chair. Pulling up or down the liver will adjust the height as per your desire. However, some chairs come with a knob instead of the liver. Therefore in order to know more about the hand controls you can refer the user manual that comes with the chair.
• Adjust the height until it is comfortable: Pushing the liver will adjust the height freely, but stop at the point when you feel it is the perfect position to work. It is advised to move the liver slowly as the chair mechanism is smooth and if you move it carelessly, it can damage your chair. Slowly moving will help you reach the desired height without damaging the chair adjusting mechanism.
• Try adjusting the liver while standing: Stand in front of the chair and move the liver until the tip of the seat is just below the kneecap. It is proved that this adjustment will offer you the utmost comfort while sitting. Furthermore, it doesn’t harm your muscles and allows you to work for long duration time.
• Stay at the eye level with the monitor: When you adjust the height of the chair, make sure that your computer screen is at the eye level and keyboard at the elbow level while sitting on an office chair. It is considered as the ideal position. Hence, it is advised to adjust the chair in such a way that your eyes are parallel to the monitor.
• Adjust the height in a way that your feet touch the floor: We all know that it can be tiring to sit on the chair for long hours. Therefore, if you are in a meeting and cannot take short breaks to relax, make sure you adjust the height in a way that your feet touch the ground to avoid an uncomfortable sitting posture.
• Increasing safety and comfort: Safety of muscles is important as sitting for long hours can cause numerous joint problems. For this, try to change your position every 15-minutes. In this way, your body will move and muscles will not be stiff for a longer duration. It will help you to remove strain and other muscle issues caused because of sitting in the same position for long time duration. Moreover, you can shift your weight from one side of the chair to another side in order to relax one side of the body.

Hence, these are the height adjustments you can try as per your requirement to have a comfortable and correct sitting posture throughout the office hours.

2. Adjustment of the backrest

Sitting with a straight back is important because it reduces strain on the back muscles and keeps the spinal cord away from any pains or issues. So, adjusting the backrest as per the user body posture is essential. But, you need to keep few things in your mind while adjusting the backrest as per your comfort.

• Back height adjustment: The office chairs are equipped with back adjustment knob which can move from 1 to 5 back level positions. You should try all the positions one by one to finalize the one that comforts your back the most. But, make sure you don’t lean or crouch too much. Otherwise, it can strain the back, not immediately, but you will see the side effect in the long run.
• Adjustment back angle: Some office chairs also provide the provision to set the back angle for the desired sitting posture. Hence, it comes with the angle adjustment lever. In order to set the angle right, lift up the liver and adjust it as per your convenience. Don't forget to press the down lock, once you are done with the setup; it will help you to avoid further movement.
• Forward tilt: Forward tilt is not something you will find in a regular office chair, but if you spend more on an office chair, you will definitely get this adjustment on your chair. It helps you to reduce the pressure on the lower back and the tailbone. However, it is simple to make the adjustments; only you have to adjust the liver which will help the user to twist as per the body posture demands.
• Tilt lock: It is the most common feature that comes in an office chair. It gets adjusted and locks out automatically when the chair is in an upright position. It provides a perfect posture during reclining motion, especially during meetings, phone calls or reading newspaper. Hence, it is an essential function that every office chair should have.

User guide for tilt lock

It is effortless and smooth to use and equipped in most of the office chairs that are available out there in the market. You need to push the paddle to engage the lock in the upright position; it will lock the seat in the desired position. Once you release the paddle out, the seat will free float again. However, it is extremely simple to adjust the seat; only you have to push or release the lock as per the requirement.

Therefore, backrest adjustment is an essential feature of an office chair. It helps you to get relief from back pain. So always make sure to buy a chair that has following backrest adjustments because it is better to be safe than to be sorry in future.

3. Armrest adjustment

It doesn’t matter if you buy one office chair or multiple office chairs, having an armrest with various adjustment features is essential. Armrest helps to rest your arms in a position which avoids strain from the upper shoulder or spine. The critical role of the armrest is that it prevents the user to slump on the desk while working.

But, what all adjustments can be made with the armrest and how to know what position of the armrest will be suited most while sitting. To know all the answers to your questions, let’s get little deep into the topic:

• Arm height adjustment: The armrest can be the sole reason for bad posture if not adjusted properly. It can cause the user to sit at an uncomfortable position on the chair which will ultimately lead to joint pain. Therefore adjust the chair arm in such a way that your forearms are at the same level to the keyboard while typing or parallel to the desk while writing. In both the case, the armrest should be slightly below to the level of the desk. Make sure that the armrest is adjusted in a way it gets inside the desk so that the user can set as close to the desk as possible and work with relaxed arms.
• Arm width adjustment: It is something, not all the chairs come with, but these adjustments are essential to support your upper back. The arm width adjustment means adjusting the chair arm inward and outward to match the shoulder for maximum comfort while sitting as well working for long hours.

Once your arms are in a position that you feel is comfortable, you can then move the arm pads to achieve the ergonomic position. The width can easily be controlled by a push button or a simple knob which allows moving the arm of the chair inside or outside to varying degree until you find something that matches your comfort level. Hence, it is recommended to buy the chair that allows you to make width arm adjustment.

• Non-adjustable arms: Some chairs have non-adjustable arms. This chair is something that most of the offices will have because of the budget constraint. If you have joined a new office and the office chair you were allotted have non-adjustable arms, you need to try to adjust the height of the chair in a way that they are parallel to the desk and provide you a perfect posture while reducing strain on the back.

So, make sure to adjust the arms of the office chair by keeping your comfort and body posture in mind. Otherwise, it can cause some severe joint problems which might not easily be cured.

Some highlighting measurements for office chair setup:

• Elbow measure: Make sure that your elbow, hip bone, and ankle is at 90-degree angle when you are sitting comfortably on a chair with arms on the armrest. If they do not form a 90-degree angle, then adjust the armrest height as per the requirement.
• Thigh measure: Slide the fingers under the thigh to the leading or top edge of the chair. If it is tight, then your feet must position up. Otherwise, you have to use a footrest in order to lay your feet comfortably.
• Calf measure: Measure the distance between your calf and the front of the chair by clenching your fist. If there is a space about 5cm or 2 inches or you do it effortlessly, then the depth of the chair is correct. However, if you find it difficult to fit your fist in the space, it means that your chair is too deep; you have to bring the backrest forward. And, if you find too much space between your calves and the edge of the chair, you need to alter the backrest backward.

Conclusion

It doesn’t require an expensive office chair to have all the above factors, a less expensive chair can even fulfill all your requirements as well. The central aspect is to know your body posture and the sitting positions you are most comfortable too. Furthermore, adjusting the chair as per your requirements can make your entire office day comfortable and fresh.

However, if you are confused what types of chair suits your sitting requirement, then search for Autonomous; this company provides the best quality ergonomic products that will take care of your office needs. For more information check the website link: https://www.autonomous.ai/