Which ergonomic office chair should I choose?

Which office chair should I choose? What is Ergonomics? Everybody wants their workplace to be ergonomically correct, but what does the word Ergonomics mean?

Ergonomics (from Latin Ergon, meaning work and Nomos meaning law)
is defined as the science of designing and using work tools and facilitating
workplaces so that work can be done most efficiently and without
occupational injury or discomfort.

What do we mean by “organizing workplaces so that work can be done as efficiently as possible, without occupational injury or discomfort”?
For those who work in an office, tasks are related to the head and arms. Unfortunately, the rest of the body is only nominally active and usually stays in a static position throughout the working day.
Ergonomics is to work efficiently without getting occupational injury of discomfort. However, tens of millions of people suffer from office related discomfort as a result of occupational injury, referred to as muscle-skeletal disorders (MSD’s).

The Ergonomic Workplace

A top cross-country athlete understands full well that training outside the ski track is also important.

The body must be actively trained with focus on defined muscle groups. One must have general strength.
Exercise variation is needed to endure the amount of exercise.
If work is to be done effectively in the office, we must think the same way. The body must be trained so that the mind is productive, only then can we attain great “office fitness”.
Because most people spend much of their waking hours at work, exercise at work
becomes important to prevent “sitting disease”. 

After many years of ergonomic research, it is recommended that office workers have a sit-stand desk that can adapt to the user’s height whether you are sitting or standing. The desk must be adjustable up and down. This is a “must” because only then can you choose whether to sit or stand. Since standing all day is tiring, most people in offices would normally choose to spend most of their time sitting while at their desk.

Today, there are many chairs on the market that can be defined as ergonomic office chairs:

Office Chairs with Ergonomic Design

Some of these chairs have a seat design that resembles a saddle chair, has a backrest and armrests. You sit with your legs on the floor. It is usually possible to raise the chair so it can function as a standing support. Many such chairs offer better support than traditional office chairs.

Office Chairs that Move with the Body

These chairs typically have a soft seat that helps activate the body. They do not come with a backrest or armrests. You sit with the legs on the floor and although you have some movement, it is challenging to sit on these chairs all day long.

Standing Support Chairs

These chairs are simple and act as a support when standing. You have your legs on the floor. These chairs have no backrest or armrests. They are generally not comfortable enough to use all day but more so for a temporary break from standing.

Saddle Stools

Saddle chairs and stools have a seat that maintains an open hip angle when seated. This position intuitively positions your spinal column in lordosis, the normal curvature of the lower back where it is in a balanced position.

Chairs that work the muscles that support the spine when sitting

These patented chairs are only available from Backapp. The Backapp Smart are chairs where you sit on the seat and place your feet on the foot base and maintain your spine in balance (lordosis) while sitting. The seat is ergonomically designed so you get the same positive sitting experience as on a traditional saddle chair. Since your body maintains the balanced position you no longer need a backrest or armrests since the upper body is supported by its own muscles and those core muscles will gain in strength the more you sit and move. Researchers in Europe have measured the energy consumption while people sit on these chairs and measured a 19% increase compared to traditional office chairs. In effect, the body gets a workout while you sit and works more effectively. These chairs, by eliminating static sitting and maintaining an open hip angle provides what is as close as you can get to the perfect ergonomic sitting solution today.