How to buy a desk chair

Find the best seating solution for your workspace

By Diana Luciani

Some Canadians spend more time sitting in a desk chair each day than they do sleeping on a mattress. Which is why Jill Barranger, sales manager for Work IKEA in Etobicoke, Ont., is surprised that when buying a desk chair for the home office, “people don’t take their backs seriously.”

Liese Goosen believes a good desk chair is a necessary investment for a healthy work environment.

“It’s the single most important aspect of any office space,” says the Vancouver-based occupational therapist specializing in workplace ergonomics. “It provides physical support while you work, increases productivity and lowers injury-related costs.”

Posture perfect

A good chair can also help set you up for good posture, says Judy Village, adjunct professor at the School of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene in Vancouver. “One should be able to get into a posture where most parts of the body are in neutral positions and supported.”

But Village stresses that proper posture is not a static thing — it should allow for movement by changing angles of the chair (seat back, seat pan, etc.), by shifting angles of the body, and by taking pauses and breaks to stretch.

A desk chair should fit the person sitting in it, and if it is being used by more than one person, it must have enough adjustability to suit different users, explains Village.

Follow these suggestions when searching for the perfect chair for your workspace.

Backrest

There are a few things to consider when inspecting a back rest that will suit your body type. The curve at the base of your spine, called the lumbar, needs support while seated. Height adjustment supports the lumbar area of the lower back and is ideal for women who need to adjust to their own spine’s curvature (slightly higher than the average man’s). Tilt mechanism maintains lumbar support as you move and recline. Horizontal movement is a supportive adjustment.

Chair height adjustment

Pneumatic levers or gas lifts adjust seating height. For optimal posture, thighs should be horizontal with the ground and both feet flat on the floor.

Seat pan

Look for a rounded or waterfall edge at the front of the seat pan to prevent pressure on legs and knees. A forward slider to adjust for a deeper seat pan may be useful. Three to four fingers should fit between the seat pan’s front edge and the back of the knees to maintain proper circulation in the legs. Adequate seat width should extend at least one inch from either side of the hips for optimum comfort. Tilt is advised for changing position and reducing pressure on the back of the thighs.

Armrests

Look for adjustable width and height to support various tasks, including writing and reading, and to ease neck and shoulder tension.

Fabric

This is the key to a chair’s durability. Look for permeable material that breathes, like the mesh Pellicle material in Herman Miller’s Aeron chair, which conforms to the body.

Stability

A five-star base will avoid tipping when you recline. Casters should match the work environment — hard casters for carpeting and rubber-coated ones for hard surfaces.