What Is the Best Office Chair for Lower Back Pain?

If you suffer from lower back pain then you already understand the importance of finding a good, ergonomic chair. When your job or lifestyle involves sitting for extended periods of time, and this is becoming an increasing majority of us, it can exacerbate and even cause lower back pain. In fact, studies show that extended sitting causes a range of health problems including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Luckily, sitting in an ergonomically correct chair can help.

What is an ergonomic chair?

An ergonomic chair is one that has been designed with your body's natural alignment in mind. It is also important to find the correct size chair for your body size. A good ergonomic office chair will provide for dynamic sitting, that is movement, which is very important to counteracting the negative effects of prolonged stationary sitting. Our bodies were not designed to remain in one position for extended periods and it is very important to increase the amount of time spent moving. In fact, you should get up out of your seat and move around as often as possible, at a minimum every half hour or so.

An ergonomic chair should also allow for an open angle between the pelvis and legs when sitting. This angle relieves spinal compression and pressure on the upper legs and also increases blood flow to the legs.

So what is the best office chair for lower back pain?

You may be surprised to learn that studies show, and users confirm, that a saddle, or sit-stand, chair is the best type of chair for countering lower back pain. These chairs, or stools, allow for the most movement and force your legs to slope downward into the open sitting angle that is so important to a healthy spine. While a saddle seat can take time to get used to, the majority of people say that they would never go back to sitting in a more tradition office chair. In fact, many people report that there lower back pain has completely disappeared after switching to a saddle stool.

So, if you are suffering from lower back pain and need to find a chair to help relieve it, consider purchasing a saddle chair. You can find inexpensive models starting at just a couple of hundred dollars or high-end, designer models, in custom materials and both backless and backrest styles (for instance the Hag Capsisco). Regardless of your budget, your back will feel a lot better.