It’s ugly and cumbersome, right?
The office ergonomic chair.
You need a chair in your home to work with as an office 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.
So you decide on an armchair as an office chair. You read that it’s 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 as an office 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 an office chair. The cons outweigh the pros. But before we discuss the cons of using an armchair as an office chair. Let’s find out what you need in an office chair.
What You Need in an Office 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 get tired with prolonged sitting, you need a chair that 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 as an office 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. Also, you can’t adjust the seat pan to prevent it from digging into the back of your knees. You can’t adjust the armchair to suit your 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) sit snug 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 armchair as an office 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 make such small movements without straining your back. The lack of swivel base of an armrest makes it heavy to manoeuvre increasing your risk of back injury.
5. Fixed Armrests
Armrests are important when working at a computer desk. They allow you rest your arms. and take the weight of your arms off your shoulders (which can be heavy after a prolonged period). They help keep your elbows at the ideal position, snug by your side.
But armrests can also be in the way.
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). Armchair 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 to overstretching.
Using an Armchair as an Office Chair would give you pain and discomfort
Armchairs are great. They are quite snug and cosy. Good for reading or chilling. But they definitely cannot to be used as a computer office 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 office 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 as an office chair. One that have;
- 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.
References
- Lakerveld J, et al. Sitting too much: A hierarchy of socio-demographic correlates. Preventive Medicine. 2017;101:77.
- Ekelund U. Infographic: Physical activity, sitting time and mortality. British Journal of Sports Medicine. In press. Accessed April, 2023
