Office chairs. When they’re comfortable, they’re great. However, an uncomfortable office chair can be a disaster and lead to back pain. The good news is that there are things that you can do to make your office chair more comfortable.
Curious as to how to make office chair more comfortable? Keep reading!
How to Make Office Chair More Comfortable
So, how to make office chair more comfortable? In this section, we’re going to talk about all the possible things you can do to make your chair more comfortable without having to replace your chair.
Use a Seat Cushion
Do you find your seat to be hard and uncomfortable? Does your seat make your knees rise above your thighs?
If you answered yes to either of these questions, you might want to consider using a seat cushion. Seat cushions will give your buttocks extra padding and help elevate your body, which keeps you from sinking in your chair.
There are several things that you can use as a chair cushion, including a blanket or pillow. The best option is to invest in a high-quality office chair seat cushion.
Support Your Lumbar
A big issue that faces individuals when sitting in office chairs is supporting the lumbar portion of their backs. The lumbar portion is located just below your rib cage and is subjected to a lot of body weight while demanding a firm foundation.
Some office chairs have been designed with lumbar support. However, the majority of office chairs don’t have the lumbar support you need. Fortunately, you’re able to add it to your chair by purchasing lumbar support pads or a high-quality back cushion.
Raise the Chair’s Armrests
How high or low your chair’s armrests are can play a huge role in the comfort of your office chair. The problem in most cases is that the armrests are much too low. When this happens, your body is forced to slump, which results in chronic pain and bad posture.
The solution? Add armrest supports. An armrest support as well as an adjustable armrest can add height to the armrests of your office chair and make it a more comfortable chair to sit in, which helps you keep good posture and prevent uncomfortable sitting positions. They also add cushioning to your office chair, making it even more comfortable.
Ensure Your Office Chair is Big Enough for You
Not every chair is designed to support every body type. Some office chairs are designed to be extremely small and are designed only for minimum support. These chairs aren’t going to be ergonomic and cannot accommodate larger individuals comfortably.
Why is this? Because these chairs aren’t sturdy enough to take on the weight, they don’t have the dimensions that are in line with your body, and they’re typically not tall enough to support your shoulders.
If your chair doesn’t fit you, it just doesn’t fit you. There’s no number of accessories that you can add to an uncomfortable chair that will change this fact. Smaller people can adjust larger chairs, but the opposite is rarely true. So, if you’re in the latter group, go out and find something that will work for you.
Think About a Footrest
It’s not only the chair that’s going to play a role in how to make office chair more comfortable: your body’s relation to the floor can make a seismic difference too. If you’re short, you might want to think about a footrest.
A chair with a built-in footrest enables you to place your feet on a flat surface when your feet can’t naturally touch the ground. This supports the rest of your body and allows you to sit upright with little to no effort.
Shorter people who can’t reach the floor must enable their core to maintain good sitting posture. This can lead to fatigue and back issues, which aren’t very comfortable. The good news is that you can turn anything into a footrest: a step stool, a cardboard box, and more. However, if you want to, you can purchase a quality footrest online.
Ensure You Have Good Sitting Posture
No number of accessories are going to help you if you don’t have good posture. The truth is your posture can destroy your chances of being comfortable if it’s not correct.
So, what is a good sitting posture? It all starts with your feet. They need to be flat on the floor, with your weight transferred evenly between toe and heel.
Then you have your knees. These should be bent at a 90-degree angle, making your lower legs perpendicular to the floor and your upper legs parallel to the floor. Your lower back must be straight and not slumped. Your shoulders and upper back need to be back, with a little elevation to your chest.
Finally, your neck must be perpendicular to the floor with your eyes facing forward. You shouldn’t have to look down or up to see your computer screen: it should be perfectly level with your eyesight.
You obviously won’t keep this position all day. However, you should try to make it your default position as much as possible and return to it after stretching.
Final Thoughts on How to Make Office Chair More Comfortable
There are several things that you can do to make your office chair more comfortable. Some of these things include using a padded seat cushion, supporting your lumbar, raising the armrests of your chair, making sure your chair is big enough, a footrest, and ensuring good posture when sitting in your home office chair.
Remember that keeping up good posture and ensuring that your chair is big enough will be the biggest things you can do to make your chair more comfortable. Good posture is step one to making your body feel comfortable and pain-free while sitting, and ensuring your chair is big enough will aid you in that step.
By following any of these guidelines on how to make office chair more comfortable, you’ll find that you can withstand a long day at work with little to no pain or discomfort. So, what are you waiting for? Grab the necessary supplies, and soon you’ll be sitting in a complete state of comfort.
Ready to ditch the desk chair completely? An under the desk bike like the DeskCycle 2 or the Desk Cycle Ellipse Under the Desk Elliptical machines are great ways to get a workout while you work!
