Correct sitting is not just a matter of posture, but above all a matter of the right attitude! Although your office chair is one of the most important companions in your daily work, the importance of its optimal adjustment is often underestimated. A properly adjusted desk chair is crucial to effectively prevent and avoid pain and tension at work in the long term.
In this article, you will learn step-by-step how to correctly adjust your office chair so that it is perfectly tailored to you and your individual needs.
Checklist for correct adjustment of your office chair
- Movable backrest
- Utilize the seat surface to the maximum
- Thighs slightly sloping towards the knees
- Feet flat on the floor
- Knees aligned at least at a 90-degree angle
Checklist: This is what you should pay attention to when adjusting your desk chair correctly.
Ergonomics sounds complicated, but it's actually quite simple: it's about setting up your workstation so that it adapts to you – and not the other way around. The first step in this is correctly adjusting your office chair.
You can find even more ergonomics tips in our Guide to perfect ergonomics at the workplace.
Step-by-step guide: How to correctly adjust your office chair
Sit down - but correctly, please!
You should consider the following points when adjusting your office chair:
1. Seat height
Often, the seat height of an office chair is set too low. This quickly leads to an unhealthy hunched posture, which can cause tension and back pain.
To correctly adjust the seat height of your office chair, you should first make sure that your feet are flat on the floor. Your knees should form approximately a 90-degree angle or even slightly more. If your thighs then form a slightly sloping line towards your knees, the seat height of your office chair is correctly set. This ensures good blood circulation and prevents your thighs from being constricted.
Correct sitting with the ergonomic office chair Aeris Numo Task.
2. Seat surface and seat depth
Sit as far back as possible and fully utilize the entire seat surface of your office chair. Your back should really feel the backrest to be optimally supported by it. It is important that your knees remain free. If the seat edge presses into the back of your knees, your blood circulation can be impaired - then it quickly becomes very uncomfortable.
If your desk chair is also adjustable in seat depth, you should make sure that there is about a hand's width of space between the front edge of the seat and your calf when adjusting.
3. Backrest + lumbar support
First things first: The backrest of your office chair should definitely be movable. This means that it dynamically guides your upper body when you lean back. Often there is a tendency to set the backrest of the desk chair too high, because that seems more comfortable at first.
For optimal back support, office chair backrests increasingly integrate a so-called lumbar support. You can recognize this by the forward-curving bulge of the backrest. The curve should be precisely in the area of the lower lumbar vertebrae, approximately at waist height. The upper pelvic area should always be in contact with the backrest. This provides the best possible stabilization for the back while allowing dynamic sitting.
If you feel an uncomfortable pressure in your lower back while sitting, it's time to readjust!
TIP:
You can read here when a lumbar support is useful and when you can do without it.
Our ergonomic office chair Aeris 3Dee with a medium-high backrest and individually adjustable lumbar support is ideal for conscious relaxation in between.
4. Armrests
In fact, many armrests on traditional office chairs cannot be individually adjusted. This is a big problem, as it significantly increases the risk of a hunched back: if they are too high, your shoulders move towards your ears and cause tension. If they are too low, your arms hang down and strain your shoulder girdle… not much better either.
If the armrests of your office chair can be adjusted, you should ensure that your forearms rest loosely with your elbows and that there is roughly a right angle between your upper and lower arm. No sharp angles mean no marathon sessions for your neck. If the armrests of your chair are at the height of the desk edge, you have found the perfect position. This way, you can type comfortably without your shoulders tensing up.
Speaking of comfort: The width of the armrests can certainly be guided by your shoulder girdle. After all, we all sit a little differently.
No armrests, no problem
Armrests may be comfortable, but in reality, they are real health killers as they significantly restrict your freedom of movement while sitting. They block your reach and keep you at a distance from your desk, so you quickly tend to adopt an unhealthy posture.
The result: a hunchback and the end of active, dynamic sitting. That's precisely why you won't find armrests on Aeris chairs.
5. Headrest
A headrest can either support the transition from the back of the head to the upper cervical spine (as a neck support) or the back of the head directly – depending on what feels better for you. It is important that your head is as straight as possible. The headrest should neither tilt the head back into the neck nor push it forward. For office chairs with height-adjustable headrests, you can adjust the position individually.
To be honest: For normal computer work, you actually don't need a headrest on your office chair, as your head stays upright anyway and usually has no contact with the support. A headrest really only makes sense for office chairs with a large recline angle, if you want to lean back and relax in between.
Why we at Aeris consciously forgo many points
No backrests, no limits!
With our Aeris chairs, you will quickly notice: Headrests and armrests? Not present! With our Aeris Swopper, we even go one step further – it comes without a backrest at all! True to the motto "less is more" – and that means more movement!
Without backrests, you have freedom of movement in all directions: forward, backward, sideways, and even up and down. We call this dynamic sitting at Aeris, and that's precisely what makes the difference: your body stays in motion, your muscles are activated, and back pain doesn't even stand a chance.
The Aeris Swopper is individually height-adjustable, and the spring tension can be adjusted in its intensity.
Of course, our Aeris chairs can also be perfectly adjusted to you:
With its four spring leg variants, the Aeris Swopper, for example, can be ideally adapted to your size, weight, and desk height. Then it's time for fine-tuning: you adjust the spring tension for vertical oscillation and lateral mobility as comfortably as possible for you. All our chairs are also continuously height-adjustable, so you can always sit at the perfect angle.
For those who want a bit more support while sitting, we have models like the office chair Aeris Numo Task or the 3Dee in our range. The Numo Task offers an ergonomically oscillating backrest, while the 3Dee provides additional comfort with integrated lumbar support. Thanks to its three-dimensional mobility, it still allows you free movement while sitting without having to compromise on the necessary comfort.
Our mission is clear:
We want to create office chairs for everyone that enable healthy and dynamic sitting. In our broad portfolio, we have the right solution for every requirement – so that everyone can find their perfect office chair.
Are you unsure which chair suits you best? No problem! Our Office Chair Guide will help you explore the world of Aeris chairs and make the perfect choice for your workplace.
Another tip: Try it out! Whether with or without a backrest, find out which desk chair suits you best: Find your nearest specialist dealer now
