# A chair for days?



## David Hall (Mar 19, 2018)

So I wasn't sure if this was the right forum to put this thread.

I'm struggling with lower back pains and as you all are well aware, we sit on our computers for hours and if you don't have a good chair you might end up with some sore back pains. 

Now I am not a chair connoisseur, so I would appreciate the input from some of the veterans here. I'm 5'8"


----------



## muk (Mar 19, 2018)

It is best to visit a shop for office furniture specialized in ergonomics and have a personal consultation. That being said, some often mentioned chairs are:

Herman Miller Aeron (size B should be right for you). Can easily be bought second hand if you look around.
http://store.hermanmiller.com/office/office-chairs/aeron-chair/2195348.html?lang=en_US
There is a remastered version I have no experience with. Probably difficult to buy used as it seems to be rather new.

Humanscale Freedom:
https://www.humanscale.com/products/product.cfm?group=freedomtaskchairwithheadrest

Or the Wilkhahn In:
https://www.wilkhahn.com/en/products/office-swivel-chairs/in-office-chair/
Very comfortable, and you should be moving your back more than in other chairs as it swivels and tilts to the sides.

I have an Aeron chair since a few years (found one used incredibly cheap from an office liquidation) and I am happy with it.


----------



## David Hall (Mar 19, 2018)

muk said:


> It is best to visit a shop for office furniture specialized in ergonomics and have a personal consultation. That being said, some often mentioned chairs are:
> 
> Herman Miller Aeron (size B should be right for you). Can easily be bought second hand if you look around.
> http://store.hermanmiller.com/office/office-chairs/aeron-chair/2195348.html?lang=en_US
> ...



thanks for the reply I've seen into the hermanmiller and they are usually pricey. I've recently gotten lower back pain and its really stressful. I will check the rest you mentioned here.. thanks a lot!


----------



## mac (Mar 19, 2018)

Fellow back pain sufferer here. Broke my upper back years ago and also have a bulging disc in my lower back, it's pretty grim. Can definitely recommend the herman miller aeron and mirra. Bother excellent chairs and not expensive when bought second hand. It's a pity you're not in the UK, I'm selling a mirra at the moment.

That being said, no chair is going to help if you're sat down for hours at a time. I make the effort to get up and do some light cardio or stretching every hour, as well as a decent walk each day. It can be a pain, but not as much of a pain as not doing it


----------



## David Hall (Mar 19, 2018)

mac said:


> Bother excellent chairs and not expensive when bought second hand. It's a pity you're not in the UK, I'm selling a mirra at the moment.


yeah just the shipping from the UK would be detrimental lol.. thanks for the useful information.


----------



## bigrichpea (Mar 19, 2018)

Hi,

I worked in the UK as an osteopath until we left for Germany late last year (and plan to again once my language skills are up-to-scratch) and I have had conversations about this topic with many patients over the years. 

If you’re getting pain while you sit then you are sitting in a way that is stressing your body. This is usually because we put the low back flat against the chair which is in effect the same movement as bending forwards if you were standing. At a spinal level, those movements are the same. 

Your low back muscles are therefore held on stretch and working to prevent a further falling forward and any muscle that continually works hard squeezes out its blood supply (just as a squeezed sponge holds less water). This sets up the conditions for pain. 

It’s important to try to move as regularly as you can, at least every 20 minutes., even if all you do is stand, stretch out and sit down. But I know what’s it like when you’re working on a composition or to a deadline, it’s hard to break away. 

Buy a decent chair that can be adjusted in many different ways (Ikea used to have a good one for about £250) but learn to sit on it well. Keep the curve in the lower back which means feet flat on floor and the bones on the front of the hip pointing slightly down (that’s a difficult instruction without a demonstration). A triangular cushion, or chair where the front can be lower than the back can help this. 

You don’t need an expensive chair, they are a triumph of marketing over evidence. It matters more how you sit on it and that you move as often as you can. A rolled up towel can be sufficient as a lumbar support and a good way to keep the curve in the lower back. A more beneficial sitting posture should not feel tight. 

I would recommend finding a local osteopath or physiotherapist to give you a proper assessment. They will screen you for the more sinister, but thankfully, rare, forms of back pain and if they’re good, explain their findings and give you a plan for what to do.

Richard


----------



## David Hall (Mar 19, 2018)

bigrichpea said:


> Hi,
> 
> I worked in the UK as an osteopath until we left for Germany late last year (and plan to again once my language skills are up-to-scratch) and I have had conversations about this topic with many patients over the years.
> 
> ...



WOW.. thanks for this information. this is exactly why I love the internet and its usefulness


----------



## studiostuff (Mar 19, 2018)

You know what works for my back pain...?? 

A regular swimming workout. 

Three days a week minimum. If I take a week off, back pain. Regular swimming, pain free. 

Your milage may vary.


----------



## synthpunk (Mar 19, 2018)

Check your local Craigslist for Herman Miller chair you might catch a good break on one. I grabbed mine for $200 from someone that was laid off from their job and took their chair for compensation let's just say 

These usually fix lower back pain and the lombar support option helps. You have to pay for quality. Another advantage is most parts are available as replacements so you should get a lot of years out of it as.

You might want to also consider a standing desk as sitting for long periods has been shown to cause long-term heart disease although I'm not sure what the effect on your back would be.


----------



## Ron Kords (Mar 19, 2018)

I've always used a piano stool.

It forces me to sit fairly upright and leant a bit forward with my knees below my hips (a good thing apparently)

I've got an arm chair for relaxed listening.

May not be best for anyone with back issues though!?


----------



## Phillip Dixon (Mar 19, 2018)

Ron Kords said:


> I've always used a piano stool.
> 
> It forces me to sit fairly upright and leant a bit forward with my knees below my hips (a good thing apparently)
> 
> ...


----------



## Phillip Dixon (Mar 19, 2018)

Argos


----------



## Saxer (Mar 20, 2018)

https://vi-control.net/community/threads/comfortable-studio-chair.43537/page-3#post-3985454


----------



## AlexanderSchiborr (Mar 20, 2018)

David Hall said:


> So I wasn't sure if this was the right forum to put this thread.
> 
> I'm struggling with lower back pains and as you all are well aware, we sit on our computers for hours and if you don't have a good chair you might end up with some sore back pains.
> 
> Now I am not a chair connoisseur, so I would appreciate the input from some of the veterans here. I'm 5'8"



Acutally my advice would be for you: Start doing workouts, in case you didn´t yet. Most of the people I know suffer from backpains because most of all have something in common:

*1. No trained back and abs.
2. Overweight*

As a reason of those 2 things they have very often a bad posture (nerd neck etc.) while working. When you start working on those points you will (at least from my experience) immediately improve your posture and you can strengthen your body and can get rid of body back pain at all. Sure a good working enviroment can support a good posture. So there is nothing bad in getting a good chair. But alone the chair doesn´t mean you get rid of your backproblems. How is the height of the chair according to your workbench?
You know I could recommend for you millions of chairs, but I don´t think that you are battling the real reasons of that problem.

Hope that helps.


----------



## Richard Wilkinson (Mar 20, 2018)

Swopper! It's a stool on a very strong spring, basically. Like a stool/exercise ball hybrid. Never had any back issues since I switched to it years ago. 
http://www.swopperusa.com - I have the 'classic'.


----------



## INCIRIOS (Mar 20, 2018)

As a side point, consider looking at exercises for correcting anterior pelvic tilt. For anyone who sits down for long periods of time (so most composers!) it will help you!


----------



## jmauz (Mar 25, 2018)

+1 for the Herman Miller Aeron. Like synthpunk I bought mine on CL...$250. Had to drive to a sketchy neighborhood in south central L.A. (the thing is probably hot) but it was worth it. I LOVE that chair.


----------



## Mystic (Mar 25, 2018)

Best investment I ever made was a Steelcase Leap Chair. I got my first one as a demo model and the price was significantly dropped but the chair was in perfect condition. Recommend them to everyone because I too have massive back issues which have been something I deal with every single day and while I don't recommend sitting for extended periods of time without at least walking around a bit, it has helped with the pain.


----------



## AllanH (Mar 28, 2018)

I had severe back-pain for years on and off. I finally got relief when I stopped sitting. I have a treadmill under my desk, which is raised 18" or so off the floor. I make sure to walk and do desk-work for as much as I can; typically at least a few hours each day. I know it sounds nuts, but when I was in the hospital 10+ years ago after a back problem, they primarily had me walk as part of recovery. Sitting is nearly worst case posture for back problems.


----------



## Scoremixer (Mar 28, 2018)

As with the above recommendations, a second hand Aeron or Mirra chair. Sitting for long periods in them is never an issue.


----------



## Mystic (Mar 28, 2018)

AllanH said:


> I had severe back-pain for years on and off. I finally got relief when I stopped sitting. I have a treadmill under my desk, which is raised 18" or so off the floor. I make sure to walk and do desk-work for as much as I can; typically at least a few hours each day. I know it sounds nuts, but when I was in the hospital 10+ years ago after a back problem, they primarily had me walk as part of recovery. Sitting is nearly worst case posture for back problems.


Now that I have a standing desk, I've been wondering at getting one of those. How easy are they to use while working? Or is it something you use only in between working on things?


----------



## synthpunk (Mar 28, 2018)




----------



## AllanH (Mar 28, 2018)

Mystic said:


> Now that I have a standing desk, I've been wondering at getting one of those. How easy are they to use while working? Or is it something you use only in between working on things?



It took about 2 weeks before I no longer thought about using the computer while walking. I now turn on the treadmill and keep it running. I walk up and roll off without thinking about it. I've had it for 10 years and have done 8+ hour days on it without it bothering me.

I do sit in from of my piano-keyboard when composing end editing. However, everything else (which is significant), I do while walking.


----------



## kitekrazy (Mar 28, 2018)

Standing desk may be a better budget option.


----------



## Jimmy Hellfire (Mar 28, 2018)

AlexanderSchiborr said:


> *1. No trained back and abs.
> 2. Overweight*



What an unexciting suggestion. It requires one to do stuff and doesn't involve spending big money on fancy stuff!


----------



## chillbot (Mar 28, 2018)

I've had severe back/nerve pain for 15 years. I've never enjoyed the Aeron chairs. If you do a search this topic has come up a ton of times. I'm a big fan of the "Swopper" but I can't sit in it for extended periods, it provides a nice break. The biggest thing I did was to expand the studio into the living room so I get up from my chair a lot more than I used to. I've used a custom-fit chair from Relax-The-Back for the last 10-12 years which has been "ok".

Anyway I just got a little $25 lumbar pad that I am really enjoying. It kind of slides around so you can position it wherever feels best. A few months in, it's working very nice for me, knock on wood. The amazon links don't seem to work consistently here but search amazon for "Vremi Premium Memory Foam Lumbar Support Pillow" it's great.


----------



## jtnyc (Mar 28, 2018)

I struggle with back issues. Since I started using an Aeron 6 years ago, things have improved immensely. I can sit for way longer periods of time, and I find it very comfortable.


----------



## David Hall (Mar 31, 2018)

thanks for all the help guys!

I was able to find a Steel Case amia chair on CL for $250.00 usually around $707.00 it was a steal! it was brand new still on package, so far the pain has lifted quite a lot


----------

