Best Office Chairs for Lower Back Pain (Dec. 2024) - Rated by CherryPicks' Experts

The Best Office Chair for Lower Back Pain (Ergonomic + Comfort Accessories)

Do you suffer from lower back pain? The Best Office Chair for Lower Back Pain can help. Which is designed with a high-density foam that offers firm support to your lower back, lumbar, and spine. This chair also has an ergonomic design for comfort and support.

How to Find The Best Office Chair for Lower Back Pain?

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and HFES (The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society) create workplace safety standards which state the following:

“…Workstation furniture shall …. Be structurally rigid and stable under typical usage conditions…”

Federal Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) standards and twenty-two states mandate safety standards for private and public employees.  OSHA’s site provides four examples of healthy working positions, including reclined, upright, standing, and declined seating, that should be considered when you purchase office chairs.

As a private employer, you’re not under a mandate to provide ergonomic workstations, however, you do have a duty to avoid environmental hazards. Ergonomic hazards are considered a serious hazard under OSHA’s General Duty Clause (§5(a)(1)). As an employer, you want to avoid muscular-skeletal disorders stemming from working at awkward angles (such as office chairs that don’t allow a full, comfortable range of motion or ones that don’t support the arms or spine, or chairs that are too high to be comfortable).

Considering the ergonomics of your worker’s environments isn’t just to prevent injuries to your employees. Doing so can improve productivity, morale, efficiency, and reduce worker’s compensation expenses resulting from on-the-job injuries, including repetitive motion injuries.

Features to Consider

To determine the features an office chair should have, especially one that will help avoid low back pain, we looked at the relevant Department of Defense regulations, OSHA’s ergonomic requirements, and OSHA’s checklist.

The backrest should engage the lumbar and thoracic regions of the back and support the torso in a way that allows the person using the chair to see their work without moving more than 3-inches forward.

• Larger backrests are preferred because they allow more options for position changes.
• Cushioning is required in chairs where the worker must sit for more than an hour or more than 20% of their workday.
• Footrests shall be provided if the chair will be used for extended periods of time and the seat is higher than 18 inches. The footrest should have a non-skid surface.
• The material used for the chair must breathe.
• There are a variety of requirements related to the ability of the chair to adjust to suit the user as illustrated below:

Additional requirements relating to the size of specific areas include:

We summarized the major factors and compared each office chair we reviewed for its ability to reduce low back pain against the recommended criteria in this chart.

The ideal situation is one where you don’t give your office chair any thought at all during the day because you’re comfortable because you aren’t experiencing low back pain.

Choosing a Budget

If you’re experiencing low back pain, there are several factors you should take into account when you choose an office chair you’ll use frequently. The price of pain cannot be quantified. Pain reduces the quality of life you experience and because dealing with pain often makes us irritable, it can diminish the quality of our relationships. Finally, the opioid epidemic shows us the awful impact dealing with pain can have on the life of someone who experiences chronic pain.

Consider the expected life of the chair and how many hours a day you’ll use it when you evaluate how much to spend.

Best Office Chair for Lower Back Pain(Quick Summary)

If you’re short on time, this list of our winners can help you make a quick decision. More detailed information is provided later in this article.

• 1. GABRYLLY Ergonomic Mesh Office Chair, High Back Desk Chair -...
• 2. GM Seating Ergobilt High-Back Ergonomic Office Chair - Large Mesh...
• 3. Duorest [Dual-backrests Alpha - Ergonomic Office Chair, Home Office Desk...
• 4. Nouhaus +Posture Ergonomic PU Leather Office Chair. Click5 Lumbar Support...
• 5. Serta AIR Health and Wellness Executive Office Chair High Back...
• 6. Nobofeeling Office Chair, High Back Desk Chair with 5 Years...
• 7. SMUG Home Office Ergonomic Desk Mesh Computer Modern Height Adjustable...
• 8. Ticova Ergonomic Office Chair - High Back Desk Chair with...
• 9. Office Chair, Ergonomic Desk Chair with Adjustable Lumbar Support, High...
• 10. AmazonCommercial Ergonomic High-Back Bonded Leather Executive Chair with Flip-Up Arms...

Top 10 Office Chairs for Lower Back Pain Brands on Amazon

Here is the list of top rated brands that evaluated by CherryPicks.

• GABRYLLY
• GM Seating
• Duorest
• Nouhaus
• Serta
• Nobofeeling
• SMUG
• Ticova
• Mimoglad
• AmazonCommercial

Related Office Chairs for Lower Back Pain Guides

For more personalized Office Chairs for Lower Back Pain guides, Check those pages,

Office Chair Alternatives (Out of the Box Options)

DRAGONN Ergonomic Kneeling Chair (Best Kneeling Chair)

One out of the box option is a kneeling chair that shifts your posture and where pressure points are concentrated. If you must sit for a long time and sitting causes you pain, changing the way you sit can give your body a rest.

While sitting, or rather, kneeling in this chair, the pressure shifts from your back and butt to your shins and the bottom of your thighs.

Using this chair will build muscles in your core so expect some muscle soreness as your body adjusts.

Reports of lowered back and neck pain are common. Some users reported experiencing shin pain, but most did not. Adjust the seat height to change the pressure on your shins.

Individuals between 5’ and 6’2” reported positive experiences. The weight limit is 250 pounds. Two of the wheels lock, which is a nice safety feature.

 Are Ball Chairs Beneficial?

Lemming-like behavior has led to widespread misinformation in the use of balance balls as chairs as a way to offset the negative health effects of prolonged sitting. It is common to read recommendations that suggest using a balance ball is healthier than using a chair and that sitting on a balance ball strengthens your core.

There are several problems with this advice.

First, the scientific evidence doesn’t support the conclusion. A study published by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health published Unstable Sitting in the Workplace – Are there Physical Activity Benefits? in 2015, they reported the following findings:

• The difference in energy expended during active or dynamic sitting on a ball beyond that expended on a standard stable chair is minimal. Claims that using a ball will lead to weight loss and greater core strength are false.
• University of Waterloo researchers did not detect greater muscle activity in the trunk of individuals sitting on a stability ball when they were compared to sitting on a stool without a backrest.
• One study reported that individuals who were active sitting on an exercise ball experienced increased spinal shrinkage.
• Emergency room personnel report that the use of exercise balls is a safety concern due to falls and associated injuries.

What about Standing Desks?

Standing is one of the four OSHA recommended workstation options. However, the guidelines are clear that standing by itself is not adequate. Standing desks must have a seated option.

The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for employees who have disabilities. Under some scenarios, employers who are asked to provide a standing desk may be required to do so by the ADA.

The ADA doesn’t require you to offer reasonable accommodations if they will reduce productivity. A recent study indicates that reading and creative tasks are not influenced by “. . . acute standing desk use.” Productivity doesn’t decrease when a standing desk is used. On the other hand, current evidence doesn’t show that standing desks provide meaningful benefits. Despite the lack of evidence, the American Medical Association (AMA) is encouraging employers to provide standing desks to reduce sedentary behavior. Providing a standing desk doesn’t necessarily lead to a great reduction in sitting time.

Are Treadmill Desks Safe?

Treadmill desks may provide better improvements in health. However, they can pose liability issues for employers due to accidents or injuries. For this reason, we recommend you have your corporate counsel draft a Treadmill Desk Waiver before allowing any employee to use a treadmill desk. The Treadmill Desk Release should include:

• A waiver and release of liability
• Participation can be hazardous, and the employee is voluntarily participating
• An affirmation that the employee doesn’t have an illness, infirmity, or other disability that make using the treadmill desk ill-advised
• Suggestion that employees obtain physician approval and the option to waive the requirement

Treadmill desks result in modest declines in productivity. The decline may become negligible after an expected adjustment period. Some tasks did not experience decline as the result of the use of a treadmill desk including executive thinking, cognitive control, conflict adaption, response inhibition, and post-error slowing.

Employers should have the vendor they purchase treadmill desks from provide training and document that your staff are trained.

Are Cycling Desks an Option?

Cycling desks maintain a seated position but allow movement of the legs. Cycling desks have a positive impact on cognitive performance, and a positive impact on post meal insulin levels without decrements in work performance.

How about No-Desk Options?

Ergonomically, there are some options that don’t involve a desk at all. Some people who have shoulder injuries that are aggravated by sitting at a desk find that a recliner provides a pain-free position to use a laptop. With proper back support, an upholstered chair or sofa with raised legs can also be more comfortable than sitting upright at a desk.

Workplaces could consider these options to accommodate someone who has injuries. At-home workers and freelancers can consider these options for themselves. In paperless environments, the necessity of a desk has diminished. OSHA doesn’t apply to remote workers who work in their own home but that doesn’t mean the employer should neglect ergonomics for their work-at-home staff.

Research We Made to Find The Best Office Chair for Back Pain

What does Public Health have to do with Ergonomics?

Public Health is a branch of science focused on improving the health of the population as a whole. Public Health researchers work hard to understand how mindset, behavior, and lifestyles affect the health of populations.

In order to present accurate and reliable information, we sought information from reliable public health sources and other researchers instead of relying on secondary news sources.

Once one comes up with something snazzy and attention-grabbing, like “Sitting is the new smoking” other media outlets follow, like lemmings. It can create a domino effect that leads the public to believe misinformation to the detriment of their health.

Is Sitting the New Smoking?

First and foremost, the message that sitting is the new smoking is a falsehood. It’s the media sensationalizing research with a catchy phrase to grab your attention. Being sedentary is not the healthiest way to live, but sitting doesn’t come close to the dangers of smoking.

Excess deaths are avoidable deaths. Sitting is responsible for less than 10% of the deaths attributable to smoking.

Amid calls for Public Health guidelines for sedentary behavior, an article in the British Journal of Medicine concluded that it is premature to establish guidelines.

Sitting for prolonged periods of time is associated with dysfunction of the musculoskeletal system that can lead to pain.

Office Chair Comfort Accessories

Everlasting Comfort Memory Support Lumbar Cushion

Lumbar support pillows can be added to any existing office chair, car, or recliner to provide lumbar support that will ease lower back pain or prevent it from developing in the first place. Everlasting Comfort comes with a lifetime replacement warranty which puts it at the top of our recommendations. A good ergonomic chair that fits your body well is the best option but if it isn’t in the budget, a lumbar pillow will help.

Runner Up: LoveHome Memory Foam Lumbar Support Cushion

20″ Chrome Foot-rest Ring

Adding a foot-rest ring to your chair can increase your comfort, especially if your legs are short.

Office Desk Caster Wheels

If the wheels that come with your chair aren’t high quality, or you’re concerned about them on your hardwoods, you can easily swap them out for these casters that are safe for hardwoods.

Memory Foam Office Chair Armrest Pads

Rigid plastic armrests can be uncomfortable. Adding padded armrest covers to increase the comfort your arms feel when you use the chair, especially if you spend a lot of time in the chair. They have the added benefit of being easily removed for cleaning.

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Top 10 Office Chairs for Lower Back Pain Sellers: CPR Seller Rank List

CPR sellers rank is based on CherryPicks-AI bestselling ranking system that helps us analyze each seller's sales trends. The List of top seller ranks is our in-house data, essential for our product ranking to help you make the right shopping choice.