Desk/Chair for slouchers?

[thegagne]

Is there such a thing as a desk/chair for slouchers?

I tend to lean back a lot and have my chair low. My knees hit the underside of the desk if I have my chair too high, and if I don't then my forearms hit the edge of the table in a painful way. I can't stand using a wrist wrest as it changes the angle of my hands relative to the keyboard.

Of course I could just adjust my posture, but I find that my lean-back posture helps me relax, otherwise I want to stand up and pace around all day.

[FuriousGeorge]

I don't have any recommendations, but I have the same terrible posture. I know I should change, but it's what I'm used to.

[tp4tissue]

I don't have any recommendations, but I have the same terrible posture. I know I should change, but it's what I'm used to.

I thought about this for a long time..

I don't think slouching is avoidable beyond 3 hours of computer use maximum..


Even then, it's quite a battle just to get to 3 hours of non-slouching.

[PunksDead]

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S99895095/

dustinhxc put me onto the volmar, no more slouching or back issues since picking it up

[jacobolus]

To the OP: You can probably find an okay reclining chair, but I’d really try to avoid “slouching”, if you’re using the standard definition of slouch, which usually implies rounding your back (either by tucking your butt forward, or by hunching your shoulders forward, or both). In other words, go ahead and recline against a back rest, with a relatively open hip angle and the upper body angled backward, but make sure you aren’t bending your spine too much in the process.

Alternately, if you “want to stand up and pace around all day”, you might try an adjustable height sit–stand desk.

More generally, if you are having trouble sitting up straight, it could be because what you think of as “sitting straight” is actually a very stressful posture with high static muscle load. Esther Gokhale has some plausible seeming comments about this, though I’m not expert enough to judge everything she says. Videos:

More

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9wySqwN4x8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yYJ4hEYudE

[Bromono]

I love these things, they are so comfortable after getting used to it.



If you are hard core though... You can try this..

[jacobolus]

I love these things, they are so comfortable after getting used to it.

Show Image

I’ve tried using those before, but I find that after an hour or two they put a lot of pressure on my shins, and leave my knees stiff.

[HPE1000]

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S99895095/

dustinhxc put me onto the volmar, no more slouching or back issues since picking it up

Would you happen to know how high the top of the chair part is from the floor on it's max height? (Hope that makes sense)

[PunksDead]

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S99895095/

dustinhxc put me onto the volmar, no more slouching or back issues since picking it up

Would you happen to know how high the top of the chair part is from the floor on it's max height? (Hope that makes sense)

from the floor to the tip of the highest point fully extended is: 45inches
from the floor to the tip of the highest point of the seat: 22inches

[HPE1000]

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S99895095/

dustinhxc put me onto the volmar, no more slouching or back issues since picking it up

Would you happen to know how high the top of the chair part is from the floor on it's max height? (Hope that makes sense)

from the floor to the tip of the highest point fully extended is: 45inches
from the floor to the tip of the highest point of the seat: 22inches

Thanks 

I really want to find a chair similar to that one that sits around 24 inches from the ground. It's pretty hard finding taller chairs for cheap.

[evolveS]

Good luck on your search OP!

[PieterGen]

I love these things, they are so comfortable after getting used to it.

Show Image

I�ve tried using those before, but I find that after an hour or two they put a lot of pressure on my shins, and leave my knees stiff.

I have used those for over 20 years :-)  So I guess you have to get used to it, or maybe some people like it (I do) and others don't. I found that they are most comfortable if the textile on the chair is rough, textured. So that you don't slide " downward". 

I must say I have a colleague who is an extreme "sloucher". My back hurts when I see him "hanging" horizontally in his chair, but HE never has back problems.... 

[Axollott]

Stop slouching and use this:

http://www.amazon.com/Gaiam-Total-Body-Balance-Ball/dp/B000VDTEDA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1429401270&sr=8-2&keywords=Balance+Ball

best chairs ev4rrrr!

I have used many chairs and i'm a pro sloucher in all of them, i just can't help it, but after a while i get lumbar pain or discomfort at minimum. So i always have a balance ball around and sit in it instead, no way to slouch in those. They are also useful if used in creative ways with your preferred sexual partner, just be careful, they are called balance balls for a reason!     

[tp4tissue]

Stop slouching and use this:

http://www.amazon.com/Gaiam-Total-Body-Balance-Ball/dp/B000VDTEDA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1429401270&sr=8-2&keywords=Balance+Ball

best chairs ev4rrrr!

I have used many chairs and i'm a pro sloucher in all of them, i just can't help it, but after a while i get lumbar pain or discomfort at minimum. So i always have a balance ball around and sit in it instead, no way to slouch in those. They are also useful if used in creative ways with your preferred sexual partner, just be careful, they are called balance balls for a reason!     

What about coccyx..  I'd imagine the ball makes flush contact with the coccyx since it's so soft, which would be bad for prolonged use..

[Axollott]

Stop slouching and use this:

http://www.amazon.com/Gaiam-Total-Body-Balance-Ball/dp/B000VDTEDA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1429401270&sr=8-2&keywords=Balance+Ball

best chairs ev4rrrr!

I have used many chairs and i'm a pro sloucher in all of them, i just can't help it, but after a while i get lumbar pain or discomfort at minimum. So i always have a balance ball around and sit in it instead, no way to slouch in those. They are also useful if used in creative ways with your preferred sexual partner, just be careful, they are called balance balls for a reason!     

What about coccyx..  I'd imagine the ball makes flush contact with the coccyx since it's so soft, which would be bad for prolonged use..

The ball makes you seat in a more proper way, you work out a lot of muscles when doing it. Its a ball, full of air, so it's softer than any seat. Yo do have to be careful of not compressing you own balls but you learn how to seat without doing it after a couple of uses. It takes some days to get used to because with the muscles of your core and legs being more engaged in the seating position, you have a mild work out. All this is very good for you in the long run. But you shouldn't be seating for prolonged time as M.D.'s are sure now. Changing positions throughout the day is he best. If you can't do it, give a preference to standing, I designed my own standing desk, someone did some iron soldering work for the legs and then I just ordered some serigraphy painted tempered glass. I messed up with the height since most of the standing desk ergonomics guides tell ya to have it at elbow height. This would work if you only  worked on single sheets of paper, but most of us work in computers, so when you put a keyboard and a mouse, its already too high. I hope you find any of this useful, its only tips for you to have a healthier, as pain free as possible life. I'm  in my late twenties and I already know what pain is from bad postures and prolonged seating. Cheers.

[katushkin]

Sitting at +130 degrees is apparently really good for you...

I don't know what to believe anymore.

[Haevuus]

As in most things ergonomic, a human tendency to do a certain thing over and over perhaps points to a good thing.

Back in the early 2000s, a fellow showed up with some seat-of-the-pants research that demonstrated that if properly supported, a cultivated slouch could be the best way to endure at a keyboard. He came up with a design that supported your arms at an angle on your desk and encouraged tilting back -- or slouching--  thus opening up your spine, and encouraging shoulder and back muscle relaxation. He called this "The Butterfly Board." I reviewed a couple of his prototypes for a publication, and, outside of being a bit large and clumsy, they worked like a charm! I was able to recline my chair back slightly, take the stress off my back, support my shoulders and upper back, and key away. However, the fellow passed away, his estate apparently did nothing with his design, and now it's just a footnote among ergo researchers:

https://ergoweb.com/forums/topic/good-or-bad-arm-supports-such-as-arm-boards-metamorphosis-board-versus-desktop-worksurface/

You'll notice, though, that there is actually a consensus that this leaning back, or "slouching," could actually be a good thing!

Here is a picture of an iteration of the board that wasn't quite as good as the original, but gives the general idea:

http://gcn.com/articles/2003/07/09/butterflyboard.aspx

So. Here's the upshot. I've been working on a re-design of this board, if for nothing else, to provide me with this comfort again. A friend has put together some good woodworking tools to put these ideas into an actual piece, and I hope to have one in place soon. I'm sure that if any of you are interested in one, he could be persuaded to knock a few out!

So...don't put yourself down for your slouch position. Maybe call it "The Recaro-Formula One Position," or "The F-18 120-degree Cockpit Seat" or whatever. All-in-all, I think you can infer that slouching is not such a bad idea!

[jacobolus]

if properly supported, a cultivated slouch could be the best way to endure at a keyboard. He came up with a design that supported your arms at an angle on your desk and encouraged tilting back -- or slouching--  thus opening up your spine, and encouraging shoulder and back muscle relaxation.

I think it’s a bad idea to confuse reclining with slouching. Slouching, at least in my understanding, means rounding your back and hunching your shoulders forward. It’s pretty much always bad. Keeping your back straight but tilting it backward is totally different.

[Axollott]

Sitting at +130 degrees is apparently really good for you...

I don't know what to believe anymore.

 I read a study about a group of researchers using full body scans to see what's the most relaxing way for the spine to be, i don't really remember their considerations to get that conclusion but in effect, it was 130 degrees. The thing is that relaxation (no stress) is not really so good for the body (i don't have any contradicting research for the spine one) but if you see what happens with exercise, it's little stress, with a positive outcome in the medium and long term.

[LarsMarkelson]

I actually read something about how even though a position may "look bad" it could actually be the healthiest for a particular person. Made a ton of sense to me: http://www.bettermovement.org/2010/five-misconceptions-about-posture/

Here's a good section that rang true for me and my previous attempts at fixing my posture. I also really like the visualization stuff later on in the article.

Many of my clients believe their bad posture results from laziness, or possibly poor strength in certain postural muscles. They feel tired after only a few minutes of assuming what they think is a good posture, and then conclude they must increase their endurance at holding the position. This is probably a losing battle.

The solution is usually not to increase your ability to sustain effort, but to find a posture that requires less effort. In fact, the sense of effort associated with movement is a good way to determine whether the movement is right for you. In regard to posture, this means your optimal posture should feel easier, not harder, than your current posture.

[Axollott]

I actually read something about how even though a position may "look bad" it could actually be the healthiest for a particular person. Made a ton of sense to me: http://www.bettermovement.org/2010/five-misconceptions-about-posture/

Here's a good section that rang true for me and my previous attempts at fixing my posture. I also really like the visualization stuff later on in the article.

Many of my clients believe their bad posture results from laziness, or possibly poor strength in certain postural muscles. They feel tired after only a few minutes of assuming what they think is a good posture, and then conclude they must increase their endurance at holding the position. This is probably a losing battle.

The solution is usually not to increase your ability to sustain effort, but to find a posture that requires less effort. In fact, the sense of effort associated with movement is a good way to determine whether the movement is right for you. In regard to posture, this means your optimal posture should feel easier, not harder, than your current posture.

Have you read of the "Alexander Technique" I saw some youtube videos and started trying it out, i found it really comfortable.

[freakstatic]

I used to slouch a whole lot. I had a neck injury (slipped 2 discs) when I was about 12 and since then Ive had issues with slouching and chairs. My method - its annoying and uncomfortable at first, but Im now used to it and experience no discomfort and my posture is much better. I have a basic office chair, adjustable height, on rollers etc. I took the back off, so I had to be more aware of my posture and make myself sit upright. so now its more like a swivel stool like the saddle stools you see in tattooists studios only mine cost like 15 quid.

[Oobly]

[Ghibli]

Look into the zero gravity desks.

[MajorMajor]

I have a saddle stool I use sometimes and switch back and forth between that and a regular chair.

[mkawa]

the best thing you can do is strengthen your core muscles. those are your body's natural stabilization mechanism -- your back, abdominals, and glutes.

bootcamp is great for this, as is pilates, barre (don't laugh. dancers can kick your ass into the next century), cycling/spin, and bootcamp style stuff.

[mkawa]

..and it looks like i just reproduced the layout bug...

[TastaturenAuslese]

This is what I use!

It doesn't really stop me from slouching, but the way the chair kind of "rocks" around its centre promotes upright sitting. Whenever I start to slouch or lean back, the chair begins to tip and reminds me to keep sitting upright. Kind of gets tiring without a backrest after a few hours of gaming or typing, though.

[vivalarevolución]

I recommend improving your posture rather than finding the right chair.