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Stop for a moment to thick about how many hours a day you spend sitting.
The number will likely surprise you. What’s worse is that you are likely one of millions of people are sitting in a badly-designed chair that can cause or exacerbate back pain.
Lumbar pain is one of the most common work-related injuries and is often caused by sitting in an office chair for a long period of time. This is where a strong ergonomics program comes in. Ergonomics aim to improve posture through proper design techniques specifically geared toward optimal health.
To aid in your search for an ergonomic, pain-free chair, we have compiled a list of 3 of the best office chairs for back pain. For more, you can also check out our other lists if you’re seeking to alleviate the pain in your lower back specifically.
Looking for back pain relief was how we ended up finding the Elusion chair and creating this site in the first place, we hope what we have learned and researched will help you in deciding which chair is the best fit for you!
Top Office Chairs For Back Pain
#1 Choice – Steelcase Leap Fabric Chair
The Steelcase Leap Fabric Chair is one of the most luxurious office chairs on the market, designed to prevent and eliminate back pain. This chair is packed full of life-changing, innovative features.
First, is the Liveback technology that makes the chair adjust to any person’s size, so that it will fit your individual body shape. The backrest actually flexes to curve to the shape of your back as it changes shape or position, providing stable support and encouraging unrestricted movement. This seriously helps to reduce hunched postures that stress the spine and spinal ligaments.
Another great feature that works to eliminate your back pain is the Steelcase’s Natural Glide System. This function allows the chair to recline and the seat to glide forward, enabling the sitter to recline and still stay visually-oriented, able to reach your work so you can relax while working. This chair’s flexible seat edge automatically adjusts to relieve pressure on the back of your legs when you recline or lean forward, which helps improve blood flow, leading to better focus. This chair also has adjustable seat depth, which adapts to fit your legs and body shape for long-term comfort.
Another impressive feature this chair offers is the lower back firmness control, which is found at the seat’s right side. This control allows you to set the level of firmness to maintain your lower spine’s natural curve. You can also find the upper back force control at the bottom right side of the seat. This will determine the amount of push-back that you feel as you recline your chair. The variable back stop control is found on top of the upper back control, this lets you set the recline angle that supports you best. Adjustable lumbar can also be positioned any way you like for additional, customized back support.
The Leap also has adjustable arms, which can move in four directions (height, width, depth, pivot) so you can find the best position that properly aligns and supports wrists, forearms, shoulders and neck.
Cradle to Cradle certified this chair as up to 94 percent recyclable by weight. It is also certified by SCS Indoor advantage as low-emitting, which means users will not be exposed to toxic fumes, which can cause headaches, asthma, dizziness and prolonged chemical sensitivities.
The Leap is Steelcase’s number 1 selling ergonomic chair and is also one of the best for lower back pains so it’s not surprising it sells for a hefty price, with a strong consumer rating of 4 out of 5 stars.
If you have the budget to buy a top of the line, durable and comfortable chair to alleviate back pain, I would encourage you to make an investment in this one.
If you want the best deal you should buy this on Amazon and here's why:
- All the reviews are like having hundreds of really good friends give you their personal experience with the chair, then taking all of that personal experience and giving it an easy to understand star rating. You know you're buying quality when there are hundreds of fans of the product.
- A friendly UPS driver will deliver it right to your door. No waiting in line, no hauling it in your car. No sore muscles or achy back the next day.
- Amazon has the best price 99% of the time. Amazon constantly watches competitor pricing and makes sure you get the best deal. They do a ton of business and take advantage of economies of scale, which means you get the savings!
- FREE shipping. Enough said.
- Your local office store has a limited selection. On top of that, most of the chairs they sell are their store brand, meaning you get fewer choices and are paying more for a lower quality chair that they make maximum profits on.
- Returns are easy. Amazon recently shipped a car, and they ship a ton of large items, all day, every day. If they can ship a car, rest assured, you will get your chair in perfect condition. BUT, if for any reason it comes damaged, it is super easy to return. Just print out a UPS label, slap it on the box and a friendly UPS driver will pick it up, free of charge. This is way easier than waiting in a return line at Office Depot and talking with a bored, angsty teenage sales clerk.
Product Details:
- Imported
- Steelcase’s no1 selling ergonomic chair
- LiveBack – changes shape to mimic and support the movement of the spine
- Natural Glide System enables you to comfortably recline without straining your eyes, arms and neck
- Cradle to Cradle(CM) certified Leap is up to 94 percent recyclable by weight, depending on the options selected, and made of up to 30-percent recycled content
- SCS Indoor Advantage certified Identifying Leap as a low-emitting
- Cradle to Cradle Certification – Silver. Leap is up 98-percent recyclable by weight, depending on the options selected, and made of up to 30-percent recycled content.
#2 Choice – Embody Chair by Herman Miller
The Embody chair by Herman Miller shows off a unique and modern design that is supportive, without being too firm or too soft and is easily adjustable, which makes it one of the best office chairs for back pain.
The Embody’s tilt technology maintains your back in a fixed position, encouraging your body to move naturally, while keeping your pelvis stable. It promotes healthy posture with its backfit adjustment, which positions the backrest in line with your spine’s natural curve. When you move your chair, your head will still remain aligned to your computer.
Our favorite feature of this chair is that it conforms to you automatically, adjusting to your every movement to distribute your weight evenly. This means the chair will adapt to a wide variety of sizes, shapes, postures and spinal curves without any effort on your part. It also has a seat depth that adapts to different thigh lengths to reduce pressure on your thighs and increase healthy blood flow.
The Embody has a skin-like textile cover that allows air to circulate and keep you cool, no matter how long you sit. It is also made up of 95% recyclable materials. and comes in 4 different colors (black balance, black rhythm, carbon balance and iris balance) to fit your interior design style.
Herman Miller also offers an outstanding 12-year warranty on their chairs, which shows how great their service and commitment to their product is. This warranty covers everything that comprises the chair, including casters, tilts, pneumatic cylinders, and all moving mechanisms.
This is one of two chairs from Herman Miller on this list, which shows how reputable this company is when it comes to top-notch ergonomic support. The Embody is available on Amazon with a solid 4 star customer rating.
Product Details:
- Made in USA
- The innovation of the decade
- Graceful, organic curves
- 12-year Herman Miller warranty with Born-On Date sticker.
- 6 ergonomic functions
#3 Choice – Aeron Chair by Herman Miller
The Aeron chair is one of the best known chair when it comes to ground-breaking comfort and ergonomic excellence. The Aeron is another offering from Herman Miller and provides healthy comfort and overall balanced body support for its users.
The Aeron’s innovative and easy-to-use controls allow the chair move effortlessly as your body moves. The main feature of this chair is the Posturefit technology that supports comfort in the lower back while also supporting the forward tilt of your pelvis, aligning your spine to prevent back pain. This chair uses Pellicle which is a synthetic, resistant yet breathable material that dissipates body heat to keep you cool and comfortable. It also has a waterfall front edge that takes the pressure off your thighs so that blood will continue circulating. Its high and wide contoured back is also one of the features that makes it an office chair for relieving back pain as it helps take pressure off the lower spine and provides the optimal resting position your back needs.
This chair also features adjustable padded arms, forward tilt and a tilt limiter for maximum customization.
The Aeron chair is comprised of 94% recyclable materials so if you care for your environment, this is the chair for you. Its frame is made up of polished aluminum.
The Herman Miller company also offers 12-year warranty for their chairs, which shows how great their service is. This warranty covers all the parts of the chair, including casters, tilts, pneumatic cylinders, and all moving mechanisms.
Herman Miller is one of the best known brands for chairs because of their sleek design style and top of the line innovative functions. It’s a popular choice, being on the list for the most comfortable chair, best ergonomic chair and best mesh office chair. The Aeron chair is the least expensive of the 3 on this list, with a solid 4 star rating. This chair provides maximum support and value for your money.
Product Details:
- Made in USA
- Genuine Highly Adjustable Aeron – AE213AWCPJG1BBBK3D01 Aeron Size C – Posture Fit, Graphite, Classic Pellicle, Carbon
- The Aeron chair by Herman Miller is, simply put, the best ergonomic chair you can buy.
- Aeron Size C – Posture Fit Back Support, Graphite, Classic Carbon Pellicle, Adjustable Padded Arms, Forward Tilt, Tilt Limiter
- The 12-Year Factory Warranty covers everything that makes a Herman Miller Office Chair–including casters, tilts, pneumatic cylinders, and all moving mechanisms.
- The high tech mesh fabric means that this chair doesn’t look (or work) like other conventional office chairs.
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