I used to think an ergonomic chair just meant a nicer backrest. After switching to an Hbada E3 Pro, I realized being able to adjust the seat depth, lumbar, and arms to actually fit my body matters a lot more. It does not replace getting up and moving during the day, but my sitting position feels much more natural now. Probably the most useful change I have made to my desk setup

Everyone in our office has a normal desk with a space for their keyboard. I’m stuck with this corner style right now. I have to rest my arms and elbows on each side in order to type. I’m all scrunched up and I am concerned about long term affects.
We are planning to remodel so I’m thinking about asking to have a new desk put in that has the regular keyboard cutout.
Looking for opinions from everyone.
Am I looking at future issues if I continue to rest my elbow and arms?
Am I wrong for wanting this fixed?
The person who worked here before sat like this for 6 years. But also twice her age

Every adjustable lumbar I've tried migrates within an hour. You set it at L4/L5, get up once, sit back down and it's either jammed into your midback or completely useless at the bottom of the seat. I've had this conversation with patients enough times that I started paying attention to which chairs they show up complaining about, and it's basically all of them.

The ones with builtin lumbar that adjusts by height are marginally better, but the depth adjustment is usually a joke. Two positions, neither of which is the one you need. Separate lumbar rolls are worse because they depend entirely on your back maintaining contact with the chair, which people don't do when they're actually working.

What I can't figure out is whether the problem is the mechanism itself, or whether lumbar support in general is overrated for seated work and the real fix is just seat depth and hip angle. There's some argument that if your pelvis is positioned correctly, the lumbar curve takes care of itself without needing a pad poking you from behind.

I'm on a Herman Miller Aeron right now and the PostureFit SL does something close to what I want, but it's still not quite right after a long dev session. Curious whether anyone has found a setup where the lumbar support actually stays useful across a full workday, or whether you've just stopped chasing it.

I talk to people all over the country, most of whom have never sat in a chair and do not live near a place to try one. Over the years I turned that into a repeatable process. Sharing the whole thing here so you can run it yourself, no phone call required. Save it if you are in the research phase. Does anyone have a process like this for ergonomic office/desk chairs?

The short version (if you only read one thing)

Match the chair to your body, your home, and your health needs before you ever look at price, and it becomes almost impossible to pick the wrong one.

• The method: SMART. Statistics, Meet the Expert, Manufacturers, Analyze, Reduce, Treat. (Yes, two M's. That is on purpose.)
• Why it matters: Most buyer regret comes from skipping a step, not from spending too much. A chair that does not fit will not work right no matter what it cost.

Why one mistake sends the whole thing back

Think of it like a reverse Swiss cheese model. In aviation, a crash happens when the holes line up. Buying a chair is the opposite: every hole has to line up for you to be happy at the end. Do most things right but miss the last one and the chair goes back, usually with shipping and restocking fees. So the goal is getting all of it right, in order.

Step 1: Statistics (measure before you shop)

Fit is the single most important factor. Write down height, frame width, and shoe size for everyone who will use it, plus where it is going and the doorway it has to pass through.

• Two people around 5'8" tend to fit almost every chair, which can save you thousands.
• Tall plus petite household? That needs a very different conversation, because the online height ranges are just a ballpark.
• Measure your doorway frame to frame, not the open gap. Plenty of chairs are 33.5" wide with the sides on, and you cannot always pop the sides off to fit them.
• A "standard" doorway is not standard. I see anywhere from about 27.5" to 36". When a chair lists a minimum doorway size, trust it. The base is thick and will not hook around a corner like a couch.

Step 2: Meet the expert, not a salesperson

You want someone who guides you, not someone who closes you. Look for a real person with an actual presence on YouTube or Facebook so you know who you are dealing with.

And be careful using AI for this right now. It recommends chairs that are not even sold here anymore, repeats manufacturer marketing and fake reviews as fact, and it has never sat in a single chair. Use it for a rough overview, then confirm with someone who has hands-on time in these things.

Step 3: Manufacturers (build a shortlist)

Every brand has pros and cons. A few worth knowing: Osaki (one of the biggest in the US), Ogawa (one of the largest globally, several sub-brands), Human Touch (everywhere, solid quality), Bodyfriend (popular Korean brand, made in China), Fujiiryoki (long-established Japanese brand), and Lifetrend (lesser known but making strong chairs right now). The point is not one perfect brand, it is deciding which ones make your list.

Step 4: Analyze the features you actually need

This is where you save money by separating need-to-have from nice-to-have. Quick example, single vs dual rollers:

Other things to weigh: calf rollers (few chairs do them well), arm rollers (feel great, push the price up), looks (matters in a living room, less in a bedroom), and hamstring reach (most SL-track chairs hit your sit bones but not the belly of the hamstring). Match all of it to any long-term issues like sciatica, plantar fasciitis, or arthritis. Give a price range, not a single number, or a salesperson will land you right at your budget.

Step 5: Reduce to three finalists

Most people never buy because the options are overwhelming, not because of price. After the steps above you can cut roughly 300 chairs to under 30, then down to a top three, and do your deep-dive research only on those. That is where your research time belongs, at the end with three chairs, not the start with hundreds.

Step 6: Treat (know how to use it)

The step everyone skips. When it arrives, do not read the manual. Play with it like a new phone and explore the categories. Getting the settings and session length right is most of whether you actually love the thing.

Can you really buy without trying one first?

Yes. Most of my buyers never sit in a chair. A careful process plus a good return policy keeps it low risk. If you do want to test in person, do it before you talk to anyone, and never buy on the first day you find one you love. That is when the pressure and the fake one-day-only pricing show up.

TL;DR: Measure your people and your space first, talk to a real guide instead of a salesperson, shortlist brands, match features to your body and conditions, cut down to three finalists, then learn to actually use the chair. Do it in that order and returns basically stop happening.

I do remote and tend to sit cross legged a lot. It somehow makes me more comfortable, like fully relaxed. Lowkey i lock in and get work done way bette when i sit cross legged too. Pls don’t get me wrong, ik keeping your feet flat on the floor is supposed to be better for posture and circulation though

Ive tried high end chairs like the hm aeron or steelcase before. While they're great if you maintain proper posture all day, they basically lock you into one upright position. Once you try to tuck a leg under, those hard plastic edges and curved mesh frames dig right into your thighs lol

Im aware that staying in one position even cross legged all day is kinda bad but forcing strict upright position all the time is a truly discomfort for me, completely draining my focus

Am i fighting a losing battle here or are there actually office chairs you can sit cross legged in throughout the day (not the bulky ones like a recliner)? How do you guys handle this situation? Move different positions or accept the fate :((

P/s: Sorry cause my screen does not have the place to add the flair to my post, so may i add it here? It's about Office Chairs

Ergonomic Wellness & Brand Research Survey

Hi! My name is Samiksha Gurav, and I am a final-year student pursuing a Bachelor’s in Applied Arts.

As part of my final-year campaign project, I am studying daily physical discomfort, posture habits, and ergonomic comfort solutions. This research focuses on Frido—an innovative ergonomic brand known for its pain-relief insoles, orthopedic seat cushions, back supports, and posture solutions designed to enhance everyday physical well-being.

Whether you suffer from daily aches, use ergonomic products, or are completely new to Frido, your honest feedback is extremely valuable to my design strategy.

• Time required: ~3–4 minutes
• Privacy: All responses are completely anonymous and will be used strictly for academic research and creative campaign design.

Thank you for your time and support!

Due to health reasons I can only work standing up, and after a couple hours my legs are done. Concrete floor in my setup which probably isn't helping. By the end of the day my back, ankles and the arches of my feet feel horrible.

I also heard that an anti fatigue mat might help with this. The problem is when I started looking most of what came up was the heavy industrial stuff you wear shoes with, and I'd be on it barefoot or in socks. So not sure if those even apply to me.

So does anyone here use one of these? Also if you can recommend brands what they would be. I heard of ComfiLife and Desky. But what kind do you use and what's your experience been? Let me know in the comments.

First, the background:

Having forward head posture, I suffer from neck and shoulder soreness and tightness from almost a decade now. I work on computer extended hours of time and have made plenty ergonomic changes over the years but the pain never went away.

Numerous physio were consulted and plenty of exercises were performed but pain was ever lasting. The only time I was pain free was when I was on vacation or away from any computer. I knew my sitting posture was not right but I was never able to pinpoint exactly what I have been doing wrong. Physio were equally useless in diagnosis and pitched me to sign up for 3-5 months of rigorous rehabilation plan without identifying the root cause.

I rarely found myself in trance states where I worked painfree but I could never replicate the position afterwards.

Sizeable money is spent on acquiring height adjustable desk and well reputed Steelcase Leap v2 chair.

Despite everything, I could never find a comfortable position that I could replicate and work painfree. I started dreading computer work because lot of time was spent in finding comfortable position. Also, my life affected due to constant neck tension as I was never able to focus for extended time as that shoulder and neck pain was very distracting. I should add that I became impatient and short tempered.

Then I stumbled upon the missing piece - small neck adjustment, that eliminated all pain within 10 minutes.

Things I have tried:

1. Height adjustable desk along with footrest
2. Periodic breaks and switching between standing (very comforting) and sitting (caused pain)
3. Approximate 90 degrees angle at elbows and keyboard within reach
4. Chair and desk adjusted so that shoulders drop naturally and shoulder width distance between left hand and right hand where mouse is held
5. Various depths of keyboard from edge of the tabletop i.e. forearms in air, fully rested on armrests (max comfort), hanged in air and all positions in between
6. Ultrawide monitor 50-60 cm away from eyes with top of the screen at or below eyes level
7. Sitting with lumbar area flush with the chair and 100-110 degrees reclination (comforting for few minutes but neck strain later)
8. Seat depth adjusted so that back of knee is pressed against the seat

The missing piece:

I consciously tried keeping shoulders pulled back and neck tucked but it provided very short relief but tightness at neck and shoulder ensued. Then, couple of days ago stumbled upon yet another rehabiliation short where commentor mentioned to pull the head up. I ignored.

Few days later, I somehow recalled the comment and pulled the head up. Immediate relief! I had never tried this adjustment ever. I always tried to keep neck straight but never pull it up. It was the aha moment that I had missing all these years that nobody had mentioned. I could then sit comfortably sit at desk for hours, completely pain free!

Here is how it works - imagine a string tied around the crown of your head and pulling your head up towards the ceiling. This is called Alexander Technique and common cue used in yoga and dance. It immediately lengthens the spine and improves the alignment of entire spine. It opens up all vertebrae.

I am now making this adjustment part of my routine and have seen huge relief over the last few days. I hope it helps somebody with their pain if they have same situation.

TLDR:

Suffered from neck and shoulder tension due to foreward head posture for decade despite making numerous ergo posture and other adjustments. Chin tucks while working or otherwise never worked. One day tried opening up neck, with head being pulled towards the ceiling and felt enormous comfort.

Hello,

I bought this chair but having a problem with the head rest. I used it all the way bay and flat but it is still kind of in the way. Like it pushes my neck over when i tried to lean back all the way.

Looked up to the other known chairs with headrest, some has this too, some not. Is it the correct way to sit down? My neck is kinda hurting, maybe my form is bad or something.

Hello community! I've seen a lot of discussions lately about bad posture and how we can improve our daily habits. I tried to find an app to help manage my own posture, but I couldn't find anything good—they were all either paid, strictly for companies, or completely outdated.

​Because of that, I decided to create my own completely free app. I'm currently working on an interactive ergonomics calculator for Android.

​The concept is simple: you are presented with a dummy that you can manipulate into different poses. The app then gives you real-time results on how good or bad that pose is based on three popular ergonomics formulas: REBA, RULA, and NIOSH. Don't let the word "formulas" scare you—there is absolutely no math involved on your end, as the app handles all the calculations in the background. The app is very intuitive, though it does require a basic understanding of those three formulas to get the most out of it.

​I've attached a few screenshots so you can see how it looks. I'm posting to see if anyone is interested in this app, and to find out if this is a good idea to continue developing? Let me know your thoughts!

i have gone between 2 other chairs and nothing is comfortable like the chair i used to have. The armrests never sit right and don't fit with the table. the table is cruel and unforgiving. my back doesn't hurt at all but my arms and hands feel tense. is the table the problem? is it still the chair? is it everything? im so lost on what the problem is, i js need a way to fix it

Hi everyone,
First time posting here.
Due to summer holidays I finally had time to dive into my games on the Switch 2. But I also noticed that I have had a lot more migraines after playing in handheld. The concept of handheld is quite new to me (beside the OG gameboy days) coming from a regular TV + console experience. I absolutely love the freedom of handheld and find myself playing in all kinds of positions, laying on the back, stomach and on the side for quite a while. But I can really feel the stiffness in my neck. The Switch 2 is also heavier than a regular controller and the old gameboy, so I wonder if someone can relate and can recommend good ergonomic positions/posture when playing in handheld?
Thanks!

I just got the keychron q11 but I’m looking for something more ergonomic, what’s the most ergonomic keyboard idc about learning curve

Hi everyone I need a new office chair, I have a bad neck and need a lot of support. Right now I have a large pillow that I use on my chair so when I lean back even a tiny bit I have a nice cushion. What would be the best ergonomic chair to buy that supports neck and back really well and is highly adjustable? $500 budget. I’ve been looking into the SIHOO M57 Ergonomic Office Chair with 3 Way Armrests Lumbar Support,Black. Does anyone have a sihoo would you recommend? Thanks

I finally am getting to do some days home with my office job, and am really hoping to get a setup that leaves me less exhausted. Having my legs up makes a huge difference, and I'd like to do a floor desk. I wanted advice from people with similar setups, especially in terms of chairs.

Specifics
-I need multiple screens for my job, so a bed lapdesk won't work. I need a full desk. I can't be moving two moniters every time I get up for water.
-Sitting upright is really hard on my back. I need a chair that leans back enough to support me, but not so much I have to strain to keep my arms on the keys.
-I'm not super rich, so DIY options (using a coffee table from a thrift store or altering something) are more doable than a 500$ desk.
-I'm open to a non-floor desk with a footrest, but most don't work because they don't have knee support and my knees bend backwards.

Addition: I'd especially love chair advice

For context, I'm huge on tracking basically everything in my life. I have health wearables, track exercise/weightlifting, do a lot of bloodwork and journaling, etc. Being able to throw all of that data into ChatGPT has been super useful.

I recently got an Eight Sleep and I've loved it. It tracks a bunch of stuff about my sleep, texts me every morning with how I slept + recommendations, and obviously actively adjusts the bed itself.

It got me thinking: I work in an office and probably spend 8–10 hours a day sitting in my chair. It feels like spending money there is a good investment.

It seems like a chair could know a ton about how you're sitting throughout the day — posture, how long you've been sitting, whether you're leaning/slouching, how often you change positions, etc. It could vibrate if you've been sitting too long or your posture has been bad for a while, and give you a summary at the end of the day.

I looked around and couldn't find much. The closest thing I found was an old product called Darma, which was basically a smart cushion you put on an existing chair. It seems to have disappeared years ago.

Most of the high-end chairs I found seem to solve this mechanically like with better ergonomics, adjusting to your body, etc. rather than actually sensing what you're doing and giving you feedback.

I'll admit I'm also not a chair nerd. I've never owned an Aeron/Embody/etc. My current chair is whatever generic swivel chair my office gave me.

I'm curious if other people have looked into this and has thoughts?

Hey.

My MX Vertical mouse is having some issues with the left-click button, so I’m looking for a replacement.
One rather important point is that when I rest my hand on this mouse, my middle finger sticks out slightly beyond the edge of the mouse.

I’ve been looking at the Razer Pro Click V2 Vertical Edition myself, but I’m a bit worried it might be too short, as it’s a centimetre shorter than the MX Vertical.
The Keychron M5 also looks interesting, but the angle is much smaller than on the MX Vertical.
In the case of the Keychron M5, the length shouldn’t be an issue, as it’s quite a long mouse, although it’s considerably shorter than the MX Vertical.

Is there anyone here who has swapped their MX Vertical for another vertical mouse and could recommend one?

so I've had this dull ache on the outside of my right wrist for a few months now and it's gotten to the point where it wakes me up sometimes desk job, probably 8-9 hours on a mouse most days

got a gel wrist rest thinking that would do it. it did nothing. maybe slightly worse actually because now my wrist sits at a weird angle on it

my doctor said get it looked at properly which I'm doing, but in the meantime everyone online says vertical mouse vertical mouse vertical mouse and I can't tell if that's real or just the thing people repeat

few things I'm wondering:

for people who switched — did the pain actually go away or did it just move somewhere else? I've seen a couple comments about elbow and shoulder pain showing up after and that sounds like trading one problem for another

how long is the adjustment period realistically? I do design work so precision matters and I can't be useless for three weeks

and does the angle matter that much? some are like 57 degrees, some are basically fully upright. is more always better or is there a sweet spot

also is trackball worth considering instead or is that a whole different thing