I’ve probably mentioned before having a desk chair that had me craving Fridays at 5. What I didn’t tell you is the husband bought me a new one for Christmas – a top-of-the-line Big Girl Chair, with more adjustable settings than Craftmatic could dream up. Happily, I loaded my old chair into my car and left it at the local Goodwill store, for the chair and I may not have agreed, but someone else may be a better match.
That’s when things went a bit awry. The lower back pain was almost instant. Okay, adjust the seat depth, tilt the back rest back a bit more, keep the 90-degree rule… Nope. I’ve been blaming my pain on my exercise regimen, but I know. It’s the chair. I’ve just done one more adjustment – tilting the seat forward, hopefully taking pressure off my lower back. Ten minutes in, my kidneys are noticeably aching. This isn’t going to work.
So how do you test-drive a chair? And we should be able to. Aside from the computer itself, that chair is the most important piece of office equipment we’ll own. It can make or break us. When it fits well, we don’t even notice. But when things are off, it’s like being married to a tempest. It’s the investment we should spend the most time, money, and thought on. But we don’t – until something goes wrong.
Fortunately, he paid a fraction of what this chair is worth (it retails for $750; he got it for $88). If it doesn’t work, I won’t feel completely awful. His chair (same one in a different color) works well for him. Then again, he spends a few hours a day in it – not all day. Right now, given the troubles walking, standing, sitting, and sleeping this chair’s caused, I’d pay a fortune for one that fits.
I’m giving this a few more weeks of adjusting, readjusting, and re-readjusting before I break up with this chair. Meantime, do you have a chair you love? Where did you get it? Does anyone know of a place to test drive a chair? I mean, really sit in it for an hour or two to see how things are working out? Chairs are like dates – a good one makes you want to stay a while longer. A bad one causes more grief in a short time than it’s worth.
A straight-backed wooden dining room chair with a yoga bolster pillow horizontally across my lower back is the only thing that works.
Not ONE of the dozens of supposedly ergonomic or other type of office chair has ever worked for more than a few hours.
You may need some chiropractic adjustments, so don’t discount a pinched nerve or something. Eeek! I used to sit on my left foot while at the desk typing, and it really threw my spine out of line. A series of treatments at a good chiro who accepted insurance co-pays finally did the trick. But, durn, I miss sitting on my foot. (Yeah, I’m weird.)
I sit on my exercise ball . . . the height isn’t ergonomically ideal, but it feels good on my back, and bouncing up and down is a good stress reliever!
Angie’s post made me think of something else. I went through a bout of back pain a few months ago, and nothing my chiro did helped . . . I got a massage one day and the therapist told me that it was my gluteus medius muscles that were to blame, and that I should do some stretches and sit down to put on/take off my pants and shoes (the GM is the muscle you utilize when you shift your weight from one side to the other). No more back probs!
I’m with Devon. I use a straight- backed, upholstered chair suitable for the dining room and find I have no back problems. In my free time, I’m a quilter. At my sewing machine, I use a supposedly ergonomic office chair. After sewing for a couple hours, my back aches. Go figure.
Thanks for the input, everyone! Angie, Amie, I already have a schiatic pinch, so you may be right. I’ll make an appointment ASAP. I’m tired of aching! And Amie, I’ve considered that exercise ball. I’ll give it a go tomorrow.
Devon, I may have to resort to that if all else fails. I’ve even considered buying my old chair back. It took a week for that one to get to me!
I don’t get it either, Cyndy. Why is it the ergonomic ones cause the most agony?
I have a laptop, not a desktop–and I switch where I sit throughout the day. At my desk, at the kitchen table, on the living room couch, lounging on the bed. I have to change positions and views periodically or I go nuts.
Wow, am I lucky.
I had the same problem–an old chair that started to make my back hurt.
Then I went to Staples and bought a big-girl chair for something like $100. Not the bottom or top of the line. Just one that looked professional and comfy.
I’ve never had to fuss with adjusting it, and it made my back pain go away immediately!
Perhaps you need a chair with fewer gadgets?
Great idea, Jen. I grabbed the laptop Friday and went to the local Burger King. Odd that a vegetarian finds respite in a burger joint, but to their credit they make a great veggie burger.
I do need one with fewer bells and whistles, Gabriella. I have it in a nice position now – the back pain went away – but if someone else sits here and moves knobs (and I don’t kill them for it), I’ll be back to the same problem. I’m trying to memorize how my legs and back are positioned in case that happens.