Spondylitis Association of America Forums General Discussion Careers, Jobs & Spondylitis Recommended Office Chairs for AS

Hello everyone,

I have a challenge that I believe some of you also faced up till now. My job implies spending most of the day in the chair in front of the computer.

I am thinking now to make an upgrade for my home office & to get a chair that would really make a difference for my back pain.

Checking various reviews & forums I have found mixed feedback. Typically those who seem to have no problem really appreciate the ergonomic / expensive chairs yet I have seen several cases of people complaining of same side effects for 1000$+ chairs as they would've had from their previous 100$ ones...

So before I spend loads of money on a chair (that could make no difference), I am really looking for your folks feedback on this. Did you solve this mystery? Is there any chair that really offers slightly better confort for those who spend 10-12 hours in front of the computer every day?

Many thanks!
aries

I don't have any particular recommendations re: specific chairs but I wonder if one approach might be to think about how to not use any one chair/position for too long. There are quite a few options now for standing desks, there are "kneeling chairs," exercise balls or exercise ball chairs.

I would guess that if someone is in one position all day, there is no chair that is going to make that feel good for the body - the body is meant to move. This would of course be worse with AS. But, if you could rotate through a few options during the day with stretch/walk breaks built in, maybe that would help?

Of course if you have too many options then your office mates might give you crap about your office looking like a office furniture showroom so there's that to consider : )

Since I sit a lot for my job, I'm curious if others have any ideas though!

New to the forums here but thought I'd throw in my experience. I compromised with my company and we found a used office furniture reseller who had a ton of very clean Herman Miller Aeron chairs for about half of the price for a new chair. These are the "Wall Street" chairs that adjust a dozen different ways to fit your size, shape and ergonomic needs.

I also have an adjustable desk (which was fortunately their idea) so I stand as long as I can but eventually need to sit for a while. Now I can sit in a chair that actually supports good posture. So if you don't mind buying used, you may be able to upgrade to the best chair for you with a little research to show your company that you did your best to save them money in the process. I think some employers don't mind spending money on their employees as long as they don't feel that they are being taken advantage of.

I hope you find what you need.

Hello Aries,

I have a desk job and I spend my entire days in front of my computer. About one year ago, I've traded my desk chair for a ball commonly used for yoga, pilates, gym... It has really decreased my lower back pain. And it's also a relief for my entire spine since I don't lean back on any backrest (which is something that causes me pain on my spine). I also think that it makes me sit more straight that on a desk chair.
It might be worth trying, those balls are usually not very expensive and you can find them in most sports shops.
I also use a very low stool (about 13 cm-high, 5 in) to put my feet, I feel better than when I put my feet directly on the floor.

Cheers,

Alice

This is the link to the balls I'm taking about:
https://www.amazon.com/RitFit-Exercise-Stability-Included-Phthalate/dp/B01HHSNHUW/ref=sr_1_22_sspa?crid=2RLQJH3HAPPJN&keywords=pilates+ball&qid=1564416295&s=gateway&sprefix=pilate+ball%2Caps%2C277&sr=8-22-spons&psc=1