Posture Knee Office Chairs and How they can Help Your Back at Work

I have been asked many times by my customers over the years about how the posture knee office chairs can help ergonomically. With the kneeling style of chair becoming quite popular recently, employees have heard about them from friends or collegeages. Although not simple, the answer can be stated shortly in that “it helps the body take the correct position while sitting to reduce stress on the lower lumbar (back) region”.

Posture Knee models are fast becoming popular as people spend more and more time in front of the computer. America is starting to see epidemic problems with back pain, carpal tunnel and various work related injuries due to all of this sitting in front of a workstation for longer periods of time.

Kneeling chairs are used differently then the standard task office chair with a typical seat and back. The kneeling chair models are used while sitting in position with your thighs dropped to an angle of about 60 to 70 degrees from the standard vertical. When sitting in a normal chair your posture would be more 90 degrees overall with your upper thighs 90 degrees from your lower leg and your upper torso 90 degress from your upper thighs.

This would be the posture while sitting in a normaloffice chair. This posture no matter how ergonomic requires some of your body weight to be supported by your shins putting a strain, however small, on your spine. When seated for long periods of time, a small strain can become a large problem eventually.

The designs of these chairs, wanted to correct the body’s ergonomic posture to essential “open up” the angle of the body between the thigh and spine to retain the curvature of the back and keep the body in a more slightly reclined posture. Studies show that even in the standard office chair, a person should stay or lock their chair in a slightly reclined posture to maintain this lumbar curvature.

Even though the term “kneeling” is often used due to the appearance of the person when seated in a posture knee model, a person is actually still sitting and bearing of the main body weight is really not placed on the knees at all. Some doctor’s have started recommending posture knee chairs for people with certain injuries or even diseases of the backbone or knees due to the extra benefit and lumbar support this positioning enables.

When seated in a posture knee chair, the body is really in a position which is between that of a person sitting or standing and keeps the curvature of the spine at a very realxed “place” and many people seem to be trying and loving this new mode of sitting at the workstation.

History:

Invented in Norway in the 1970’s the kneeling chairs seemed to stress finding a design that rid the problem of strain placed on a person’s spine when seated in the conventional right angled task computer chair.

One of the first designers was Hans Christian Mengshoel, who used experiments with different types of sitting devices which placed support under a person’s shins. Furniture designers Peter Opsvik, Oddvin Rykken, and Svein Gusrud followed suit, each developing their own version of the posture knee chair to promote.

Author Amy Pedersen has worked in the ergonomics and office furniture industry for a number of years and currently acts as principal and operator of various ergonomic websites dedicated to office chairs and workplace ergonomics. Featuring a wide variety of executive, leather, mesh and task office chairs with an online sales catalog while also providing detailed ergonomic information on proper chair positioning and seating at the workplace.
Sit On This Ergonomics:
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