The right chair could make all the difference to your health and your productivity. Most Americans spend about 40 hours or more every week behind their desks, and yet most of us never consider it important enough to make sure that the chair we spend all that time on fits us properly.
The importance of having the right chair cannot be overstated. The benefits include avoiding stress, eliminating back pain, having proper leg support, and avoiding injury or damage, especially to your lower back.
Ergonomic chairs will leave you with improved posture, better balance, and enhanced circulation. All of these contribute to less fatigue while at work in the office and better overall productivity.
Getting the right chair for you is not an expense, it’s an investment, one that you should make today for yourself. So, here are ten top-rated ergonomic chairs to help you get started with your search:
What Are Our Top Picks for the Best Ergonomic Office Chair?
| Product | Key Features | Our Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Ergohuman High Back Swivel Chair with Headrest | • Adjustable headrest • Rated one of the top ergonomic chairs on the market | 4.9 |
| No products found. | • 360-degree swivel • Suitable for users up to 250 lbs | 4.7 |
| Sleekform Ergonomic Kneeling Chair | • Designed to relief tension from spine • Good choice for sufferers of slipped disk | 4.6 |
| Office Star Mesh Back & Seat, 2-to-1 Synchro and Lumbar Support Managers Chair | • Comes in black and white variants • Adjustable synchro tilt allows you to tilt at a 2:1 ratio | 4.7 |
| Herman-Miller-Embody-Chair-Graphite | • Considered one of the best ergonomic chairs on the market • Minimizes lower back pain | 4.5 |
| Steelcase Gesture Chair | • Award winner • Adjustable to meet different height demands | 4.7 |
| Nouhaus Ergo3D | • 3-piece backrest • Perfect for people struggling with sciatica | 4.5 |
| Steelcase Leap Fabric Chair | • Reduces pressure on vulnerable places in your body • Height and width adjustable | 4.5 |
| Sihoo Ergonomic Chair | • Built with comfort in mind • Adjustable lumbar support | 4.6 |
| No products found. | • Flip up arm rests so chair can fit under lower desks • Ideal for people of average height | 4.4 |
Ergohuman High Back Swivel Chair with Headrest
The Ergohuman, created by Eurotech, contains up to eight different ergonomic adjustable elements all aimed at keeping your neck and spine in perfect harmony with one another.
The various adjustments this ergonomic office chair brings include the adjustability of the back recline angle and the height, the tilt lock technology, the synchro-tilt adjustment, the arm height, the tilt tension control, and the seat height and depth.
The headrest can also be moved up and down so that your neck is never left hanging or misaligned with your spine and back, no matter the position you decide to take.
There is also a unique curvature to the entire setup that makes it easier to adjust your neck and head when you feel like it.
For sheer adjustability and comfort value, the Ergohuman by Eurotech is easily among the very best ergonomic office chairs available on the market right now.
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No products found.
This best-selling chair from Amazon combines a sleek and professional look with ergonomic support for all-day comfort. Made from stylish black leather and silver accents, it’s a great addition to any home or office!
The seat offers 360-degree swivel (a multitasker’s dream), pneumatic seat-height adjustment, a comfortable padded back and butterfly seat, adjustable tilt, and state-of-the-art support for extended periods of sitting.
Nylon casters provide a smooth roll from one office location to another. Find out why this chair is an Amazon #1 best seller! This chair is adjustable between 41.34 and 45.08 inches in height and is suitable for users up to 250 pounds.
Order flat or professionally assembled (additional fee applies); product comes with a 1-year limited warranty.
Sleekform Ergonomic Kneeling Chair
Do you have an injury that makes sitting in traditional office chairs uncomfortable or painful? SLEEKFORM’s unique ergonomic design relieves tension from the spine, making it a great choice for users that may suffer from slipped discs, herniated discs, and/or tailbone pain.
The backless style of this kneeling chair redistributes weight and aligns your spine, without sacrificing luxurious comfort—the extra-large, double-thick padded cushion, located on both the seat and knee area, provides ultimate enjoyment.
SLEEKFORM is so sure you’re going to love this chair, that they offer a 90-day money-back guarantee and free 30-day return shipping.
This is a perfect chair for all your office needs, or to rotate in with your regular office chair when your back needs a break! Complete instructions are included for easy assembly.
Office Star Mesh Back & Seat, 2-to-1 Synchro and Lumbar Support Managers Chair
This super heavy-duty office chair combines ultimate comfort with breathable mesh, padded arms, and a wide range of reclining motion, together with top-notch lumbar support which cushions the spine and encourages beneficial posture.
Plush carpet is no match for this chair’s dual wheel caster system, which ensures effortless rolling on any surface. Detailing on the chair, including silver accents on the arms and legs, and a sleek overall design, make this an attractive addition to any home or office.
The Office Star chair comes in four contemporary colors, so you’ll have no problem finding a chair that looks great with your office décor. You may order this chair fully assembled for a fee, or choose to assemble on your own.
Herman-Miller-Embody-Chair-Graphite
The Herman Miller Embody Office Chair is considered by many as one of the very best ergonomic chairs you can go for today, largely due to the many features and benefits it brings to the table.
First of all, this chair was designed by the late Bill Stumpf, a legend in the field of ergonomic office chair design whose chairs remain a hit among office workers long after his passing away. You can expect this chair to nail the crucial job of keeping you relaxed and focused by stimulating the blood flow and oxygen circulation around your body.
The Herman Miller Embody Office Chair is structured with a unique spine-like design, known as the exoskeleton, attached at the back. This exoskeleton moves in tandem with your body, helping to keep your posture correct.
This ergonomic office chair will minimize your lower back pain by keeping your spine aligned and reducing the pressure on your lower back. The covering of the chair is almost like human skin so there’s little to no friction issues when you sit, and you can enjoy a proper circulation of blood and oxygen no matter how many hours you sit behind your gaming desk.
Another benefit you get from the Herman Miller Embody Office Chair is reduced spine compression and reduced loss of fluid between your discs. This is mainly due to the fact that the chair keeps your spine aligned and in tiptop condition.
And if all the above aren’t enough to convince you to buy, there is a 12 year Herman Miller warranty after purchase that suggests you reconsider.
Steelcase Gesture Chair
The Steelcase Gesture is a multiple times award-winning chair for very good reasons, all of which have to do with the fact that it is one of the best ergonomic chairs ever made.
This office chair has been designed to adapt to the different positions of your body, and also to accommodate different sizes and body shapes. This is a chair that is versatile enough to become your reading chair should you so desire.
Undercutting the entire design and functioning of the Steelcase Gesture is a unique LiveBack technology that mimics the movement of your neck and spine and adjusts accordingly to the different postures of your body. Even the arm rests of the chair can also be adjusted with the various positions of your body should you require it.
And if you happen to be on the short side of the height spectrum, you need not worry, because the height of this chair is adjustable to meet the different height requirements.
If, up until now, your body has been feeling the consequences of being confined in the prison that most office chairs tend to be, you can consider the Steelcase Gesture to be your get out of jail card. Sitting in this chair gives your body the sort of freedom you would rarely encounter anywhere else.
Nouhaus Ergo3D
The Nouhaus Ergo3D is one of the best ergonomic office chairs for back pain. The design incorporates an innovative 3 piece backrest that works on the lower back and also the neck to release any tension within these parts.
This is a chair you can expect to sit in for hours on end without experiencing any pain, especially as the lowest sections of the backrest automatically curve and respond to the amount of pressure you place on it so that your back always feels supported.
If you’ve gone past the point of prevention and are already experiencing back pain, this office chair can still be of help. It comes with adjustable lumbar support which can be placed in the best position to target the troubled areas on your back. It is thoughtful additions and innovations like these that lie behind the fact that the Nouhaus Ergo3D has earned several awards in the category of back pain relief.
Other features you can expect include an adjustable headrest that is large enough to offer support to your entire head. People with neck pain will especially enjoy the curved nature of the wide headrest.
People suffering from sciatica are also going to feel at home in the Nouhaus Ergo3D thanks to the downward sloping (waterfall) seat edges that help reduce pressure build up in the thighs
Finally, this office comes with adjustable 135 degrees backrest recline angles. Why is this important? Well, according to research at that angle, a backrest exerts the least amount of strain on the spine—an important point to take note of if you happen to be suffering from back pain.
Steelcase Leap Fabric Chair
The Steelcase Leap Fabric chair is a chair you should opt for if you are looking for all the key qualities of an ergonomic chair at a great price.
Like the previous Steelcase product on this list, the Leap Fabric comes with LiveBack technology which ensures that the chair melds and conforms to the various positions which your body tends to fold into while sitting.
The LiveBack technology helps to reduce the pressure exerted on the most vulnerable points along the length of your body like your head, neck, spinal cord, and lower back.
Additionally, this ergonomic chair comes with a gliding technique that adjusts to your reclining positions, relaxing positions, and straight positions. This added flexibility significantly adds to the comfort factor that you experience when you settle into this chair.
Finally, there are numerous features that are adjustable, including the height and width according to your body posture and preferences.
Sihoo Ergonomic Chair
The Sihoo Ergonomic Chair is a budget selection, but a good one nonetheless. Buying a budget ergonomic office chair is always tricky because while the main aim is to buy something comfortable and ergonomic without damaging your pocket, you also want to avoid getting a contraption that will fall apart and become scrap within a few months.
And that’s the reality with most budget ergonomic chairs. But not the Sihoo Ergonomic Chair. This is a chair that is built for comfort and ergonomics and built to last.
For example, it comes with a sturdy metal frame and solid design that is meant to support up to 350 pounds of weight.
The mesh that connects every other part of the chair’s framework is highly resistant to deterioration over time. And the high strength metal gas lift and chair base all hold their own under the most stringent SGS quality testing.
Despite the low price, the manufacturers still added lumbar support and a headrest on the Sihoo Ergonomic Chair, which is unusual for a budget chair. The lumbar support is adjustable both in terms of height and depth and, when combined with the pivoting head support, significantly boosts the level of comfort you would get from sitting in this chair.
Finally, it’s not only the headrest that pivots, so do the armrests. The armrests of the Sihoo are height adjustable and can also be angled inwards or outwards (to form the shape of a V). The V shape is important if you need support when typing on a phone or tablet.
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The Berlman Ergonomic Office Chair is another nice budget option that makes our list of the best ergonomic office chairs you can get. If you are in search of an ultra affordable option to ease the strain your back suffers at the office, you need not look any further.
Granted, as a cheaper option this office chair is not as sturdy as the Sihoo Mesh Chair we have already seen on our list, but a lot can still be said to be going for it even without considering the fact that it costs half what the Sihoo costs.
You can basically reach for this if you are on a shoestring budget. And if you do, you still get to enjoy decent design, improved comfort, and more ergonomic advantages than you would reasonably expect at that price point.
For example, the backrest of this office chair comes with one breathable mesh piece and a comfortable headrest which is large enough to offer reasonable support irrespective of your size. There is also dedicated lumbar support located at the foot of the backrest to provide adequate lower back support. Reviews coming in testify as to how effective this lumbar support is at taking away the pain even after just a few hours of sitting.
The armrests are also designed to be flip-up arms, which is a nice touch because sometimes you may want them out of the way to create more space for yourself or even when you want to put the chair away into storage. Besides, it can also be used as a gaming chair because it is so comfortable, yet stable to help improve your gaming experience. Sometimes, many people ask are gaming chairs worth it, and my answer is always yes as, during gaming, we often forget about our posture.
The major downside to the Berlman Ergonomic Office Chair lies with the one piece design of the backrest and headrest. This poses a problem to users who are either too short or too tall. If you happen to be below 5′ 4” or over 6′ your head will end up below or above the headrest respectively depending on how you sit. This inflexibility is not ergonomically sound and will eventually lead to discomfort.
Apart from that, this ultra affordable budget chair makes an all round great ergonomic office chair that is worth checking out.
How to Choose an Ergonomic Office Chair
There cannot be a one size fits all option for an ergonomic office chair. The very idea of such would make the idea of ergonomics obsolete. So, it is important to find out what makes a good ergonomic chair and then see where your own needs intersect. Here are a few ideas you want to keep in mind when making your choice:
Mesh, Fabric, or Leather?
The office chair is usually made from either mesh or leather, and also, on occasion, fabric. Each of these have their pros and cons which you should know about:
Mesh: Mesh is breathable and thus a good option if you happen to live or work in a hot area where sweating is common. Mesh helps you avoid the uncomfortable feeling of having your skin sticking to your chair on a hot summer day.
The major downside to mesh arises from the fact that there is no cushion at the point where they meet the chair frames, and this might feel uncomfortable for some people. This could easily be remedied by using a cloth to cover the area where your thigh meets the frame.
Fabric: These are not as popular with office chairs as they are with home furniture, but they do get used once in a while. They offer a sensation that is similar to your clothing so you never feel discomfort when you sit in a fabric endowed office chair. They can also be rendered in a dazzling array of colors to boost décor.
As you might expect, the biggest downside to having fabric office chairs is stains. You want to avoid snacking or drinking in them, and you might want to consider spot removers or cleaners.
Leather: This can be said to be the most aesthetically pleasing material to be used on an office chair, no matter whether bonded leather, PU leather, or real leather is used.
Unfortunately, peeling over time and staining are a problem if you don’t properly care for your leather seats. That said, top grain, authentic leather wears much better over time than other forms of leather.
Tilting and Reclining Backrest
You simply can’t sit perfectly upright for hours on end. And that’s why it is important to consider an office chair that tilts and reclines to release the tension that would build up in your back while you work, or to give you a comfortable position to nap.
There are many types of tilting and reclining mechanisms to consider:
- Basic reclining involves the chair’s armrest and backrest moving backwards in unison. This is usually not recommended in office chairs because it lifts your arms and lower body upwards and prevents your eyes from remaining parallel to the floor
- Synchro Tilt Mechanism involves the backrest and seat both tilting, but at a different ratio (like 2:1). The seat remains relatively flat, leaving your feet flat on the floor. This is more ergonomically sound than basic tilting because your knees are left at the medically recommended 75-90 degree angles to the floor.
- Multi-Function Tilt Mechanism involves the seat and backrest tilting independently of each other for increased customizability. This is a step up from the synchro tilt mechanism, even though it needs a lot of extra levers to adjust the angles.
- Reclining Backrest usually refers to a backrest that offers a high degree of recline angle—over and above 135 degrees usually. The best of these usually come with a locking mechanism to help maintain your favorite angles.
In the end, you want to choose an ergonomic office chair that you find easy to adjust with tilting or reclining.
Seat Depth Adjustment
Adjustable seat depths mean you can pull them forward or backwards as you require. Seats like these ensure that your thighs are fully rested on the seat irrespective of your body type and height. They also provide better posture support and back support.
Dedicated Head Support and Lumbar Support
Adjustable head supports are critical and should not be overlooked when choosing an ergonomic office chair. The same can be said about lumbar support. Both are critical for alleviating neck and back pain, and ideally, you want them to be independently adjustable so that you don’t get forced into uncomfortable postures.
Armrests
At the barest minimum, you want armrests that are height adjustable so your hands are not left hanging while you type or work. There are different degrees of armrest adjustability, of course: 2D, 3D, and 4D.
- 2D involves up and down adjustability
- 3D adds another dimension to 2D adjustability, usually inwards and outwards motion.
- 4D takes things further by adding another dimension to 3D adjustability, usually the freedom to push the armrests in and out
At the very least, go for 2D which would allow you to adjust your armrests up and down as needed.