Office chairs: the 4 most frequently asked questions
Very often, in the workplace or at home, the importance of having ergonomic office chairs is underestimated. This is because, many times, we are unaware of the risks involved in using the wrong seat, or we do not know the benefits that an ergonomic chair has to offer.
In this article, our intention is to clarify the questions we are asked most frequently or, in any case, the perplexities we encounter in carrying out our work with customers.
1. Why is lumbar support important?
Whether it’s for work or for study hours, when we spend several hours sitting in a chair, as is normal, we tend to assume a series of incorrect positions, which are harmful to our back health.
Lumbar support is an extremely important device that every ergonomic chair, to be defined as such, must have. As the name suggests, it has the function of offering support to the lumbar area, helping our spine to maintain the correct shape and curvature.
This particular device must be adjusted so that it rests and applies pressure at the height of our kidneys.
As we know, of course, we human beings are all different from each other. For this reason, there must be the possibility to adjust the lumbar support in relation to our height.
In fact, many of our office swivel chairs are equipped with them. We can even make a small distinction. We have adjustable lumbar supports and fixed lumbar supports.
Adjustable lumbar supports are typical of chairs with a mesh back, which is usually fixed. For this reason, lumbar support and backrest are two separate things.
The opposite, however, occurs when the backrest is padded. In our mod. Juke 50, for example, the lumbar support is integrated into the backrest, which however, in this case, is adjustable in height.
2. What are the seats and backs of office chairs made of?
As we have already seen, chair backrests can be padded and covered or they can be in mesh. From this point of view, there is no right choice because it is more ergonomic than the other. It’s just about aesthetic taste.
The same argument, however, cannot be applied to the seat. A good well-padded seat, in addition to offering better support, also lasts longer over time.
Using as an example always the mod. Juke 50, we see that padding in cold-foamed polyurethane, compared to padding in sponge, guarantees better performance and offers a largely reduced degree of deformation over the years.
Polyurethane is also a material used to make the upper part of the adjustable armrests, obviously with a different density and structural characteristics.
3. What are the armrests for in office chairs?
The importance of armrests is often underestimated. They are identified as a cause of disturbance, inconvenience and uselessness.
On the contrary, the armrests play an important role in helping to maintain correct posture. When your arms rest on the armrests, you avoid overloading your neck and shoulders.
Our 3D armrests (adjustable in 3 dimensions) allow you to adjust their position according to the user’s needs. In fact, they allow the classic height adjustment, but not only; the rotation and depth of the upper pad, which is covered with a soft polyurethane, can also be adjusted.
We therefore advise not to underestimate the importance of armrests and to maintain a healthy posture in the office.
If you haven’t already done so, run and read the article on “correct posture to keep in the office”.
4. What is the life duration of an office chair?
A good office chair, if used properly, can become a faithful working companion for several years. In our case, this is demonstrated by the fact that some of our customers come back to us after several years of using the chair, perhaps to ask for a simple wheel or gas column to be replaced.
One thing is certain, you pay for quality. If you think about buying an office chair at a reduced price, you can’t expect it to last ten years.
Our advice, when it comes to buying an ergonomic armchair, is to carefully evaluate the alternatives and to choose a model that can prove to be an investment, both in economic terms and in terms of health.
Hoping that we have shed some light on ergonomic chairs, the Grendene Chairs team remains available for any need.
Visit our website and choose your next trusted workmate.
