Ergonomic office chair for back pain: how to choose and test one

What should an ergonomic office chair do?

“Ergonomic” has no single legal definition in the sources read for this guide, so it helps to start from what British law and HSE actually ask of a work chair. The Display Screen Equipment (DSE) Regulations 1992 say the chair must be stable and allow easy freedom of movement and a comfortable position.¹⁰

The same schedule adds that the seat must be adjustable in height, and the seat back adjustable in both height and tilt. A footrest must be provided to anyone who wants one.¹⁰ HSE’s checklist for workstations (CK1) repeats the point: a stable chair, adjustable seat height and back tilt, and working castors or glides.⁷

That is a short list, and it is the whole of what the legal sources read here require. No source read for this guide names a brand, a price or a shape that makes a chair “ergonomic”.

Two jobs follow from the list. The chair has to fit your body when you adjust it, and it has to let you change position. HSE’s overview says a badly designed workstation can lead to pain in the neck, shoulders, back, arms, wrists and hands, and that the causes are not always obvious.¹

This page is about choosing and testing a chair. For the full desk, screen and keyboard set-up, see the ergonomic desk setup guide. For how to hold yourself in any chair, see the correct sitting posture guide.

Which chair features matter, and what the sources actually say

HSE and the checklist give qualitative markers. Only one comes with a measurement. The table keeps to the rows the sources support, and leaves a cell as “no measurement given” where they give none.

Seat height and depth

HSE’s good-posture page says the seat height should support the front and back of the thighs equally, and that a cushion can raise the seat if needed.³ It also gives a gap of 2 to 3 cm between the front of the seat and the back of the knee.³ The checklist adds that your feet should rest flat on the floor without much pressure from the seat on the back of your legs, and if not, a footrest may be needed.⁷

Backrest and lower back

HSE says the back of the seat should provide good lower back support, and that a cushion can add support.³ In the checklist, the lower back should be supported by the chair, with a straight back and relaxed shoulders.⁷

Armrests

Armrests are not simply a comfort extra. The checklist warns that chair arms can stop you getting close enough to use the equipment.⁷ If they do, the checklist treats that as a problem to fix, so check whether the arms can be adjusted or whether another chair gets you closer to the desk.

If a chair cannot be adjusted to fit or you cannot use its controls, the checklist says it may need repairing or replacing.⁷

How much does the chair matter for back pain?

The research read for this guide gives only limited support for any single chair feature. A 2015 systematic review looked at whether a chair backrest, or sitting with less hip flexion, changes muscle activity and discomfort in the trunk.¹⁶

• There was limited evidence that chair backrests reduce lower back discomfort, and moderate evidence that they reduce activation of the muscles alongside the spine.¹⁶
• There was no evidence that chairs involving less hip flexion reduce lower back pain, although people in several studies preferred them.¹⁶
• The evidence was limited for any other isolated design feature, and the authors say managing back pain needs more than the sitting position.¹⁶

Only the abstract was read. The review does not say chairs are useless. It says the evidence that one feature on its own helps is limited.

Arthritis UK lists poor posture and an unsuitable work or home-working set-up among the factors behind back pain, and says as many as 6 in 10 people will have it at some point.¹⁴ That is a reason to take the set-up seriously. It is not proof that a particular chair prevents or cures pain.

A Cochrane review of workplace interventions to reduce sitting looked at time sitting, not at back pain. It found sit-stand desks cut sitting at work by about 100 minutes per workday in the short term, and 100 ÷ 60 = 1.67 hours, or 1 hour 40 minutes.¹⁵ The authors rated the evidence for most interventions as low to very low quality.¹⁵ It says nothing about what happens to your back.

If lumbar support is the thing you are weighing, the lumbar support pillow guide covers it on its own. If you are wondering about belts and corsets instead, see the lower back brace guide.

How to test a chair before you buy: a checklist

No source read for this guide gives a shop-floor test for a chair, and none gives a time to sit in it. The checklist below is a suggestion of this page. It is built from HSE’s good-posture page and the CK1 checklist, and it is not a validated method.³⁷

1. Set the seat height. Sit back and adjust until your thighs are supported equally at the front and back and your feet rest flat on the floor.³⁷ If your feet do not reach, a footrest may be needed.⁷
2. Check the gap behind the knee. Slide a finger or two between the front of the seat and the back of your knee (a finger-width check is this page’s own rough guide, not an HSE measure). HSE’s gap is 2 to 3 cm (about 0.8 to 1.2 in), so it should not feel pressed.³
3. Adjust the backrest. Set its height and tilt so that it supports the lower back, with your shoulders relaxed.¹⁰⁷
4. Check the armrests. Pull up to a desk or table. If the arms stop you getting close, they fail the checklist.⁷
5. Do real work in it. Type, read and take a call for as long as the shop allows. Check that you can reach and use every control without help.⁷
6. Ask about return terms. Time in a shop may tell you less than a week at your own desk. Check the retailer’s returns policy before you pay, rather than relying on the first sit.

Stop and move if any part of the test is uncomfortable. A chair that only works if you hold yourself in one position will not suit a full working day, and Arthritis UK advises against staying in the same position for too long.¹⁴

Working from home: the chair you already own

You may not need to buy anything. HSE’s home-working page says it is not always necessary to have office furniture at home, but an employer should check that a worker’s own equipment is suitable.⁶

The DSE rules apply to home workers as well as office staff.¹ HSE says the individual assessment can be a self-assessment, provided the worker has been given suitable training. If the assessment shows equipment is needed, the worker cannot be charged for it.⁶

If you work both at home and in an office, HSE says the assessment should cover both situations.⁶ Take the HSE criteria above to your kitchen table and apply them. If the chair has a fixed back, or its seat will not change height, you have found a limit before spending anything.

When the chair cannot be adjusted to fit, HSE mentions a cushion and CK1 a footrest as options. A cushion can raise the seat or add lower back support,³ and a footrest may be needed if your feet do not reach the floor.⁷

For the posture side of a home desk, see the guide to back pain from sitting.

Your employer’s duties under the DSE Regulations

The Regulations are aimed at workers who use DSE daily, for continuous periods of an hour or more. They do not cover rare or brief use.¹ If that describes you, your employer must:

• Assess your workstation. HSE says the assessment covers the whole workstation, including equipment, furniture and work conditions, and the work you do. It should also consider special needs, such as a disability.²
• Reduce the risks the assessment finds to the lowest extent reasonably practicable. This applies to workstations used by their staff whoever supplied the equipment.⁸
• Plan the work so that screen use is periodically interrupted by breaks or changes of activity.⁹
• Offer an eye test if you ask for one.¹⁵ The employer pays for the test. It pays for glasses only if the test shows you need special ones for the screen distance.⁵
• Train and inform you.¹

A new assessment is needed when a new workstation is set up, a new user starts, the workstation or its use changes, or users complain of pain or discomfort.² Arthritis UK suggests asking for a workplace assessment and telling the assessor about your back pain.¹⁴

None of this means your employer must buy a chair of a particular brand or price. The legal sources read require an assessment, risk reduction and a chair with the minimum features above.⁸¹⁰

Access to Work

GOV.UK says Access to Work can pay towards specialist equipment and physical changes to a workplace, and that a workplace can include your home if you work there.¹¹ The grant does not affect other benefits, and you do not have to pay it back.¹¹

It does not pay for reasonable adjustments an employer is legally required to make. It can give the employer advice about them.¹¹ To apply you need a physical or mental health condition or disability that means you need support to do your job, to be aged 16 or over, to have a paid job or be about to start one, and to live and work in England, Scotland or Wales. Northern Ireland has a different system. You do not need a diagnosis, and a temporary condition can qualify.¹² The GOV.UK page shows no update date, so check it before relying on it.

Why the best chair is not enough: movement and breaks

A well-fitted chair does not remove the need to move. Arthritis UK advises trying not to stay in the same position for too long, and suggests regular breaks, stretching and walking.¹⁴

HSE says there is no legal guide on break length, and that short frequent breaks are better than long infrequent ones. Its example is 5 to 10 minutes every hour rather than 20 minutes every 2 hours.⁴

The Cochrane review above also found, in one low-quality study, that short breaks of one to two minutes every half hour cut sitting time by about 40 minutes a day compared with two long 15 minute breaks.¹⁵ That is a result about sitting time, not about pain.

For movement you can do between meetings, see the lower back exercises guide. For general posture work, see how to fix posture.

Frequently asked questions