Do you really need an office chair?

Are you using an armchair for a desk chair?

Do you think the desk chair is ugly and cumbersome?

You need a chair in your home to work with as a desk chair but you don’t like the look of the office chair. It doesn’t fit your decoy. It takes up too much space and you really don’t want it.

But you decide on an armchair for a desk chair. You read that it was OK if it has swivel castor wheels. 

Or you are still considering which to buy: an office chair or an armchair. These are the reasons you should never use or buy an armchair for a desk chair.

Pros of an Armchair 

• Armchairs are so pretty that you want to cosy up to them. 
• They come in different materials that make them plush to sit on. 
• They are aesthetically pleasing, fitting your décor and style.
• They are comfortable for other uses like reading documents or even making calls.

But this is where it ends for an armchair as a desk chair. The cons outweigh the pros. But before we discuss the cons of using an armchair as a desk chair. Let’s find out what you need in an office chair.

What You Need in a Desk Chair

1. Comfort

Working a whole day’s shift means you sit on this chair for up to 6 hours. You need a chair comfortable throughout the day.

2. Back Support

Your back gets tired with prolonged sitting, you need a chair where you can rest your back and take breaks.

3. Adjustable

Do you know you are constantly moving when you work? You could reach out to grab a document or move the keyboard nearer you. You could adjust your leg or tuck it under the chair. So, you need a chair that can move with you. A chair that can easily swivel when you swivel. 

And these are the reasons you should never use an armchair for a desk chair. 

Cons of an Armchair

1. They Are Rigid

They are unforgiving. You can’t raise your seat to level up your elbows with your computer desk. They can’t adjust the seat pan to prevent it from digging into the back of your knees. The armrest is fixed to a position that might not suit a petite or tall stature. What you see is what you get. Rigid and unforgiving. 

2. Inadequate backrest

Usually, the seat pans of armchairs are too deep for you to rest your back and still work from a desk. You would usually sit on the edge of the seat to reach your desk. This prevents you from resting your back on the backrest. And when your back gets tired, you have no support and this leads to back pain. 

That’s why it’s common to see cushions to bridge that gap between your back and the backrest of the armchair. Not ideal!

3. Inadequate Lumbar support

This is the one thing a good ergonomic office chair provides. The lumbar support (the hump at the bottom of the backrest) sits snugly in the hollow of your lower back. That gives your (lower back) lumbar spine adequate support. And reduces the build-up of pressure in the spine. Subsequently, halting the onset of back pain. 

Armchairs are not designed to have that lumbar support, the small hump at the bottom of the backrest. So, you would never get support where you need it most: at the lumbar region of your back. That’s why you should never use an armchair for a desk chair.

4. Rigid Legs

Usually, armrests have four legs instead of a star-based swivel with wheels. You usually make small movements when you sit at a computer desk. Either when reaching out to pick an item or adjusting your spine. 

A chair with a swivel base would allow you to make such small movements without straining your back. The lack of a swivel base of an armrest makes it heavy to manoeuvre increasing your risk of back injury.

5. Fixed Armrests

Do you know the importance of armrests when working at a computer desk? They allow you to rest your arms. They take the weight of your arms off your shoulders (which can be heavy after a prolonged period). It places your elbows in the ideal position, snug by your side. 

But armrests can also be in the way. Because, when you sit to work at your desk, you need to be close to your desk as possible to prevent overstretching. To do that, your armrests could either be tucked away or lowered (to slide underneath the desk). Armchairs do not come with adjustable armrests. 

If you can’t do either, you would have to sit further away from your desk and that could result in overstretching. 

Using an Armchair for a Desk Chair Would Give you Pain and Discomfort

The armchairs are great. They are quite snug and cosy. Good for reading or chilling. But they definitely cannot to be used as a computer desk chair. 

You can sit in them if you’re reading a document. It’s good to have them around when working at home because you can move positions. It’s OK to sit in them and look out of the window and even great to sleep in. 

But they are not as good as desk chairs and would definitely increase your risk of injury. They put your back in an awkward posture. You are either leaning back and overstretching or overstretching to get to the desk. Those postures give you pain and discomfort, including back, shoulder, and neck pain.

What You Should Do Instead

Replace your armchair with a desk chair. One that has;

• adjustable armrest

• swivel base with wheels

• adjustable seat height

• good lumbar support.

Invest in a good ergonomic chair if you work from home. Your back, shoulders, neck, elbows, and hips would be better for it. You would reduce your risk of developing these injuries and work in comfort. 

Technology has done some crazily wonderful things for us, but freeing us from our seats isn't really one of them. In fact, people are sitting an average of 7.7 hours a day (and up to 15) between work and sedentary home activities, such as watching TV. That might give the impression that Americans love sitting on their bums, but that's not the case. A survey by Ergotron found that 7 out of 10 people hate sitting. Some of that hatred might have to do with the chairs everybody uses.

Three big problems

So what's so awful about chairs, anyway?

1. Sitting in traditional chairs such as you find at typical offices around the country and at home has been linked to a range of health problems affecting the entire body. Poor circulation, metabolic syndrome, blood clots and increased risk of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease and cancer all are conditions connected to too much sitting. Much of this has to do with the simple fact that the chairs don't allow much movement. But perhaps the most common health complaint associated with the common office or home chair is back pain. Some of this comes from the increased pressure being in a seat puts on the spine, which can translate not only to muscle tension, soreness and injury, but also to compression of and damage to the spinal discs. But pain also can result when a poorly designed chair forces an individual into awkward positions or makes it easy to slouch.
2. Office chairs typically can be adjusted for elements like height and tilt of the back support. But other elements, such as the depth of the chair or the width of the armrests, generally are stuck. That means that, in most cases, if you really want an ergonomic seat, you're going to have to have everybody's chair custom fit. And that can get pricey fast--as in, thousands of dollars pricey, depending on the company you go with and the amount of customization you need. Most companies simply can't afford to do that for all their employees, even if their CEOs and managers have the heart to. So what are you left with? A bunch of standard, attack-of-the-clone-esque chairs that "sort of" fit for the average person and don't accommodate extremes of height or weight at all, and people having to prove that they have a medical reason for needing something different ("reasonable accommodation").
3. A typical desk chair weighs in at around 35 pounds, but if you need something big or heavy duty, the weight of your chair can approach double that. That's tolerable if your chair has coasters. But if it doesn't? And even if your chair isn't heavy, if it has coasters, forget about stacking for storage. Arm rests, if there are any, don't always slide easily under desks, depending on the design of both the desk and the chair. It's basically a bulky, space-eating mess.

Alternatives are out there

The solution to poor-performing chairs isn't to stand all day, because that has its own problems, such as varicose veins and sore feet. But if you have to get off your hooves, there are healthier--and way more fun!--alternatives than chairs to use. These alternatives

• Allow you to stay moving and shift position often
• Can be used by multiple people with minimal risk
• Conserve space and adapt easily to different setups

1. Swings and Hammocks

Swings and hammock chairs let you spin, fidget and rock. At the same time, they contour to the body, challenge balance and allow you to choose whether you want one, both or no feet on the ground. Some companies that have installed them claim that they free workers to be more creative and relaxed. You can fold them away if desired, and a quick browse on Amazon reveals that many weigh less than 10 pounds. Typical weight limits on properly installed swings and hammocks are around 250 pounds, but some are available that can hold 300 pounds or more. And lest you think a swing is a your-office/cubicle-only deal, designers are creating carousel-like contraptions deliberately made for areas like conference rooms, too.

2. Muvman

The Muvman is a basically an adjustable stool meant for sit-stand stations. But it has an edge on other options in that you get a 4-degree forward tilt in the spring strut and a pivoting column. The result is that you lean forward toward your desk, sit taller and keep your hips more open, all while being able to gently rock and shift.

3. Swopper

Think of the Swopper as Muvman's cousin. It doesn't go as high, but like Tigger, it has bounce. It has what an exercise ball and ball chair lack--a combination of stability and height adjustability with true freedom of movement at the hips. You can adjust the flexibility, too, so if it's too "loose" or "springy", just tweak the settings for more control.

4. Buoy

Buoy is a cylindrical stool inspired by the gentle movement of buoys in water. It features a curved base, which offers up to a 12-degree tilt and gives you just enough instability to shift around naturally as you sit. It's easy to tuck under a desk at the end of the day and adjusts 5.5 inches.

The above seats have their disadvantages, and just like any seating, they're not meant to be used without some breaks. They require an investment, too, although the fact just about anyone can use them potentially makes them cheaper than individual ergonomics. But they all make sitting into something active and more enjoyable, and they arguably have an non-quantifiable value that extends beyond the bottom line. Talk to your doctor to weigh the pros and cons of each option, consider your space and installation options and do what's best for your body, mind, budget and business.