Here’s a quick list of the 7 most common complaints of office chairs users, why they occur and what you can do to minimize them.

Symptom 1

Lower back pain and stiffness - the probable cause is either a badly adjusted chair back or prolonged sitting in the same position. Try adjusting your chair back to give your lumbar area better support. Also get up and do some stretches and take a walk around the office or even outside for five minutes.

Symptom 2

Stiff neck with limited movement from side to side - it’s likely you’ve been hard at work and had your head in a fixed position. Try 2 or 3 shoulder shrugs, holding each for 3 - 5 seconds. Follow this by looking over each shoulder 2 times, but don’t push beyond the point where you feel tension or pain. Keep doing this regularly several times a day and it should ease.

Symptom 3

Shoulder pain with stiff shoulder muscles - this is similar to symptom 2, but also try stretching your arms above your head a couple of times whenever you feel shoulder muscle tension.

Symptom 4

Pain in lower arm and fingers - this is probably due to excessive mouse use, so try switching mouse use to the other hand to give the affected arm time to recover. For exercise try holding your fingers spread eagled apart for 5 - 10 seconds. Follow this by closing your knuckles in an open fist and hold for a similar period.

Symptom 5

Pain in your wrists - this could be due to holding your lower arms at the wrong angle to your keyboard, so try to ensure they are at about right angles to your body. Adjust your chair arms accordingly if you can.

Symptom 6

Pain in you calves and backs of your legs - this is likely due to sitting in one position for too long and so restricting the blood flow to your lower legs. Take a walk to the coffee machine or photocopier and stretch your legs this will get your circulation going properly. Also, make sure your feet are resting firmly on the floor or on a footrest.

Symptom 7

Sore or tired eyes - this is probably as a result of staring at your screen for too long. Try looking up periodically at an object at the other end of the office to give your eyes some movement. Also try rolling your eyes in a circular motion to the left and then the right.

Summary

As you will see from the symptoms checklist most of these problems are due to lack of movement, so try and become more aware of your habits and break things up every hour by stretching, exercising and taking a quick walk. You’ll find that office chair will become more comfortable as a result.