If you have been working at your desk a lot and you’re noticing that your back, neck, arms, and more are all in pain, then there is a good reason for it. The fact of the matter is that good office chairs don’t cost as much as they do for no reason. Office chairs are very expensive, and it is because they are ergonomically designed to provide you with optimal support.
One of the types of support that every good office chair should provide you with is lumbar support. Without good lumbar support, it’s only going to take a couple of hours for your back to really start hurting, and when your back starts to hurt, your work is going to suffer.
In fact, if you suffer from back pain due to a bad office chair, chances are that your neck and other parts are hurting as well.
The fact of the matter here is that lumbar support is the number one most important thing that you need to look for in an office chair. So, what exactly is lumbar support, where should lumbar support be on an office chair, and why is it so important to begin with?
What is Lumbar Support?
In case you don’t know what lumbar support is, no worries because we’re going to explain it right now. Simply put, the lumbar region is what most people call your lower back.
If we want an exact definition, the lumbar region is the area of the lower back with the five vertebrae in the lower spine between the diaphragm and the sacrum.
So, lumbar support is simply a specific type of back support that fills in the void between your spine and the back of the chair.
For most people, good lumbar support comes in the form of a curve that hugs your back, particularly that lower part of your spine. When it comes to office chairs, good lumbar support means having the back of the chair flush against your spine, while not pressing on it, but also not leaving a space between the spine and the chair.
Where Should the Lumbar Support be?
Well, as you can probably guess, if the lumbar section of your spine is your lower back then lumbar support on an office chair needs to be exactly there.
The lower part of the backrest right above your backside and under the halfway point of your back is where this lumbar support needs to be.
Lumbar support on an office chair in needs to match up with the lumbar section on your back. Simply put, if the support is not supporting your lumbar section, then it’s not lumbar support.
Do All Office Chairs Have Lumbar Support?
The reality is that while every office chair manufacturer out there is going to tell you that their chair will support your back very well, this is often not the case. When looking for an office chair with lumbar support, you need to look for these exact words in the product description.
If the chair in question doesn’t mention lumbar support, or at least back support in general, then you need to move on and look for a different chair. Some chairs have completely straight backs and those are not going to support your spine very well. Some office chairs even leave out that whole bottom section of the backrest, which really makes no sense at all.
What you need to do is to look for a good office chair that has a nice curve in the back, something that can really hug your spine.
However, with that being said, do keep in mind that everybody is different. A one size fits all lumbar support solution is generally not going to work. Therefore, you want to look for an office chair that features adjustable lumbar support.
Adjustable Lumbar Support Office Chairs
In terms of this whole one size fits all issue, the important thing to take note of here is that you need an office chair that features two types of adjustability. First off, you want to be able to adjust that lumbar support in terms of height.
Not everybody is the same size, and the lower portion of your spine is not going to be in the same place as the lower portion of somebody’s spine who is twice your height.
Second, the lumbar support should be adjustable in terms of death. In other words, how far out does the support come? Some people need that support to really push into their back, and some don’t.
Portable Lumbar Support
If your office chair does not have good lumbar support, but you don’t want to buy a new chair, an easy solution is to get yourself some portable lumbar support. These are special cushions that you can buy online, in-office stores, and in health stores too.
They will help fill in that gap between the chair and your back, thus providing you with optimal back support.
Conclusion
People, if you don’t have good lumbar support, it’s only a matter of time before you end up in severe pain. So, our recommendation is do it right from beginning and buy an office chair with great lumbar support right from the get-go.