Following on from my last post on specialist Office Chairs there are several other backless Office Chairs that are worth considering as they too tend to force the user to adopt a good postural position.

HÅG’s Capisco saddle chair is an excellent stool type Office Chair that comes both with and without a back. Its extended gas lift is ideal for use with adjustable height desking.

The Salli stool from Finland is another first class saddle type Office Chair that the user is able to adjust the seat size and shape of by means of a split seat, to suit their individual needs.

It is an excellent choice for instances where the user wants to move quickly between different work areas, perhaps a desk and a layout table for instance. It is also ideal for use in medical environments and dentistry.

There are also stools on the market that are fitted with glides or round metal bases instead of castors. The seats themselves are free-floating and move in the direction of the user’s body position and weight distribution, hence the absence of castors as they force the user to keep their feet firmly on the floor. Although not strictly Office Chairs they do tend to force the user to maintain a good back position and posture.

Nowadays, there are many different types of Office Chair that cater for people with back problems. A lot of these Chairs are based on traditional Office Chair design with added features designed to help the back sufferer.

Amongst these types of Chair you will find Office Chairs that have adjustable lumbar supports, both in height and depth. Other Office Chairs have inflatable lumbar supports that the user sets to suit their own requirements.

There is even an Office Chair that has soft rubber balls set in its back shell, that the user can use to give themselves a back massage by leaning back into the chair and rubbing their back against.

It really is a case of trying out different models of Office Chair to find the one that is best for you. What works for one person may well be totally unsuitable for another.

If you simply can’t find a suitable conventional Office Chair you may find that a kneeling chair could be the answer. The concept of the kneeling chair was originally developed with the Balans chair. The user kneels on the lower pad of the chair and the upper pad acts as a support for their bottom, in reality most of their weight and support is on their upper shins and knees.

By sitting in this way it forces the user’s back to take its natural posture and shape. It is very difficult to slouch and sit badly in this kind of Office Chair. As with any Office Chair I suggest you try before you buy.

In the next few posts I want to consider specialist Office Chairs where the working environment is a little different or the user has a particular requirement and a standard Office Chair isn’t suitable.

In this first part I want to consider what sort of Office Chair you might use with a height adjustable desk. Although height adjustable desks are by no means a mainstream item in the average office, they are very prevalent in a number of European countries.

Typically, the desk has a height adjustment range of 660 mm – 900 mm (approx. 2 foot – 3 foot) and is an excellent method of varying your working position. Commonly known as a Sit/Stand desk it enables the user to sit at or stand at their desk as they choose. When at full height it is likely that the user would indeed stand at the desk.

However, for the lower or medium height adjustments it is likely the user will sit in an Office Chair. An ordinary Office Chair isn’t suitable for this use as the gas lift height adjustment isn’t great enough.

Consequently, the user will need to purchase a chair with an extended gas lift that can cater for these increased height positions. It may simply be a case of a standard Office Chair being fitted with the required gas lift. If not, an Office Chair specifically designed for this application will be needed.

You may also consider having a foot ring fitted to the chair as it’s unlikely that your feet will reach the floor when working at higher levels.

This type of arrangement is particularly popular with people who work in architecture and design as they like the flexibility of being able to stand at their desk occasionally, or raise their seating position. This probably originates from the days of drawing boards where a higher Office Chair with a foot ring was commonplace.

In part two tomorrow we’ll look at kneeling chairs.