Karen Moore, PTA at Milpitas Physical Therapy Clinic, is a guest contributor for today’s posting.

Ergonomics is the science of understanding the interactions among humans and the principles, data, and methods for optimizing human well-being and overall system performance while working.

Your chair needs to have good lumbar support. It’s most helpful if this lumbar support is adjustable. Most ergonomic chairs do have an adjustable mechanism, but on many standard office chairs, the lumbar support is not adjustable.

Many people end up using conference room chairs because they’re more comfortable than their current chair; however, these chairs do not usually have adjustable arms, good lumbar back support, or the waterfall feature for the legs. Having adjustable arms is important—they will give you the option of keeping your arms low if you need to get closer to your work surface. You’ll also be able to adjust them so that your elbows, forearms, and wrists can be positioned at approximately 90°, parallel with the floor.

Your chair should have a waterfall feature and side contours in the seat. The waterfall feature of the chair will allow better blood flow through your legs. By increasing your blood flow, you will help reduce leg discomfort and tiredness.

Your feet should be supported. When your feet are hanging, tucked under your chair, or you’re sitting on them, they often fall asleep. This is bad for your general circulation and the blood supply to your feet. Using an adjustable footrest will not only give your feet support but also a little bit of exercise. Your feet do not have to always be on the footrest; they can be up against it as well, which will still help give you some support.

All of these points are important in selecting the correct ergonomic chair for you. Your chair should have a 5 pedestal or caster base, it should be height adjustable, it should have good lumbar support, an adjustable arm rest, and your seat should still feel comfortable after two hours. You should go out to an office supply store and check out all the different ergonomic office chairs to see which one feels best for you.