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The Embody Chair is by far the best office/desk chair I have ever owned

by: Chap

5 Star Rating

on Embody® Chair

The Sit4Life Office Chair Buyer's Guide

What is the Buyer's Guide?

With all the different brands, features, and options available on today's finest office chairs, new chair buyers can often times get confused about the differences in various chairs. This Office Chair Buyer's Guide by Sit4Life was designed to assist new chair buyers in understanding the different features on office chairs, their ergonomic benefits, and how to use them. By choosing a task chair that is a perfect fit for your body, you can remain in a proper position, maintain circulation, and promote motion for longer periods of sitting time, and maybe even save some money while doing it.

Available Chair Features

Lumbar Support - One of the most commonly sought after office chair options. Included in most of our fully-loaded packages and available on most basic task chairs, the lumbar support is essential to maintaining a proper, healthy posture. Most built-in lumbar supports are adjustable. When adjusted correctly, a chair's lumbar support keeps the ears, shoulders, and hips in alignment and maintains the natural inward curvature of the lower spine.

Adjustable Headrest - Even with the most sophisticated ergonomic chairs, the head and neck is often left vulnerable. An added headrest can help provide all the ergonomic benefits of your task chair to your head and neck, properly aligning your spine from top to bottom and reducing the chance of injuries. A headrest is also a vital piece to when you wish to lean back and take a quick rest from maintaining an erect posture.

Fully Adjustable Arms - Fixed arms are rarely the right height and shape for your body. Height adjustable and fully adjustable arms allow you to lower and raise the armrest height to where is most comfortable for your body size. In addition, many fully adjustable arms feature side-to-side and forward and backward sliding and/or tilting motions allowing you to adjust the arm width and fine-tune the arm supports for a perfect fit.

Forward Tilt and Tilt Limiters - The forward tilt option on office chairs relaxes the bend of your waist, knees, and ankles by supporting your spine as you lean forward. This option is commonly used with increased chair height. The tilt limiter allows the user to set a maximum recline position, holding your back at an angle most comfortable for your body.
The Zody Chair by Haworth


How to Properly Adjust Your Chair

Seat Adjustments - Measure the depth of your seat. Be sure you have two to three inches between the edge of the chair and the back of your calf. Adequate seat depth helps to distribute your weight evenly. Inadequate seat depth can impede circulation, cause numbness and result in difficulty sitting for longer periods of time. Proper seat height encourages you to sit back in your chair, resulting in correct body position with respect to the rest of your workstation.
 
  Lumbar Adjustments - Stand flat against a wall with your heels and your shoulder blades touching the wall. Now place your hand behind your lower back--does it fit? If you cannot fit your hand behind you, you have a flat back and probably need a chair with very little lumbar support. If you can fit a flat hand behind you, you have a medium curve and need a medium level lumbar support. If you can fit a balled fist behind your back, you have a deep curve, and need a large lumbar support.
 
Seating Angles - Check to make sure the chair allows you to sit with a 90° angle in the following places: knees, hips, and elbows. Angles of less than 90° have the detrimental effect of impeding circulation. In static seated situations, this can result in premature fatigue and discomfort. In general, more "open" postures and chairs that support you in "open" postures, will allow you to sit comfortably for longer periods of time.
 
  Motion - Critical to pain-free sitting is a chair that allows you to stay in motion. The more you move, the more you encourage blood flow, and the less stiff you become. By properly adjusting the chair's tension control you can achieve your desired level of motion. Rule of thumb: Static positions are a source of pain and fatigue.






























Visit our Ergonomic Office Chairs page for a complete list of our most ergonomic seating solutions.

Click here for Herman Miller chair comparison guide.
 

*Free Shipping is only available for all chairs delivered in the Continental US. Curbside delivery only. Returned chairs must be in like-new condition. Review our return policy for more information.

*30 Day Risk Free Returns applicable on Steelcase office seating only.  Excludes the Lincoln Lounge Chair, Airtouch Height Adjustable Table, Walkstation and Leap Work Lounge Chair.  Also, excludes all Steelcase product available on Sit4LifeCertified.com.