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The tyranny of chairs: why we need better design

theguardian.com

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Re: The tyranny of chairs: why we need better design

#21

Post by neilsense »

blunte wrote: post #12

At age 35, otherwise healthy and having spent 10 years in Herman Miller Aeron chairs, I had hip problems and a small but growing waistline. Then I transitioned to working from home and built my own standing desk (sadly before the very affordable mechanical Ikea standing desk was first released... But which I have now happily used for years). The first few weeks were challenging, but within three months I could stand…

It's due to the standing - my mum spent most of her life standing at the counter in our shop and she has suffered from vein issues since she was about 50. Lots of swelling as well.

Like anything, sitting, standing, jumping - it's worth doing everything within reason. Possibly just switching between positions throughout the day.

Of course, these things can be gene dependant as well, but if you already have some spider veins showing, hopefully you can be a bit more aware of the problems that can come about later.

She really suffers badly from all those years and it's not something that's easy to fix.

Re: The tyranny of chairs: why we need better design

#22

Post by chiefalchemist »

grugagag wrote: post #17
blunte wrote: post #12

At age 35, otherwise healthy and having spent 10 years in Herman Miller Aeron chairs, I had hip problems and a small but growing waistline. Then I transitioned to working from home and built my own standing desk (sadly before the very affordable mechanical Ikea standing desk was first released... But which I have now happily used for years). The first few weeks were challenging, but within three months I could stand…

How do you type standing for long periods of time? Do you rest your arms on the table?

If you're using a mouse my PT told me to "anchor" your elbow on the desk so you use your wrist to move the mouse, not your upper back. This is true whether standing or sitting.

There was a good reason I was in PT and was told this ;)

Re: The tyranny of chairs: why we need better design

#23

Post by arnvald »

adamnemecek wrote: post #2

The worst chair in the world is the American high school/college desk+chair combo like this one https://www.schooloutlet.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/Screen... The people making and buying these place are committing crimes against humanity.

I've had to use these for some time, the worst part was that I'm left-handed and of course there was no chair with the armrest on the left side.

Re: The tyranny of chairs: why we need better design

#25

Post by axaxs »

adamnemecek wrote: post #2

The worst chair in the world is the American high school/college desk+chair combo like this one https://www.schooloutlet.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/Screen... The people making and buying these place are committing crimes against humanity.

Uncomfortable, but about perfect for popping your back. Though the back discomfort probably came from the horrid chairs in the first place, come to think of it.

Re: The tyranny of chairs: why we need better design

#26

Post by elindbe2 »

mattlondon wrote: post #16

Just out of curiosity, am I the only one that seems to be happy to just sit on a dining chair when at my desk? When the WFH wave hit, people seemed to be going mad buying webcams and office chairs. Loads of people I work with spent a lot of energy researching and discussing chairs etc. I have a sit-stand desk and I stand for perhaps 2 to 3 hours any working day. But the rest of the time I just sit on a normal old woo…

I've been fine using a dining chair at home too. I don't feel much difference between my office chair at work and my wooden dining chair at home. I'm a runner too, for reference.

Maybe sitting in less comfortable chair is better than a comfortable one over long periods because you adjust your posture more. I personally haven't noticed this but maybe I do it unconsciously.

Re: The tyranny of chairs: why we need better design

#27

Post by dwighttk »

adamnemecek wrote: post #2

The worst chair in the world is the American high school/college desk+chair combo like this one https://www.schooloutlet.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/Screen... The people making and buying these place are committing crimes against humanity.

Huh... had some of those in school and they were fine for me. There were left handed versions available.

Re: The tyranny of chairs: why we need better design

#28

Post by kleer001 »

mattlondon wrote: post #16

Just out of curiosity, am I the only one that seems to be happy to just sit on a dining chair when at my desk? When the WFH wave hit, people seemed to be going mad buying webcams and office chairs. Loads of people I work with spent a lot of energy researching and discussing chairs etc. I have a sit-stand desk and I stand for perhaps 2 to 3 hours any working day. But the rest of the time I just sit on a normal old woo…

You are very lucky. Ergonomics is complex, bodies are complex. You just happened upon a setup that works for you.

Re: The tyranny of chairs: why we need better design

#29

Post by kshacker »

mattlondon wrote: post #16

Just out of curiosity, am I the only one that seems to be happy to just sit on a dining chair when at my desk? When the WFH wave hit, people seemed to be going mad buying webcams and office chairs. Loads of people I work with spent a lot of energy researching and discussing chairs etc. I have a sit-stand desk and I stand for perhaps 2 to 3 hours any working day. But the rest of the time I just sit on a normal old woo…

I used the dining chair for a couple of years when I was not working. But we changed the dining arrangement and it is not the same any more. I also use a sit-stand (stand mode) for 2-3 hours, on a shop stool sitting mode ($60 odd from costco) for a bit, in my recliner for a bit, and recently tried sitting on the floor with a floor chair. It all works to varying degrees. My sit/stand is in my garage, so it does not work 3 months a year and then there is heavy reliance on inside, but for 9 months a year, it is quite habitable.

No RSI/other issues to me also (knock on wood) and I am over 50 but I am starting to sense more and more that recliner (even if 4 hours) is not good and consciously try to reduce an hour or 2, but was quite hard to do that with the recent bay area heat and fires.

Chairs? I am trying to move my office chair home, but that is so that I can cut down the recliner usage, but if I had a better dining arrangement (or my old dining arrangement) I probably would not bother.

Re: The tyranny of chairs: why we need better design

#30

Post by wozzeck »

mattlondon wrote: post #16

Just out of curiosity, am I the only one that seems to be happy to just sit on a dining chair when at my desk? When the WFH wave hit, people seemed to be going mad buying webcams and office chairs. Loads of people I work with spent a lot of energy researching and discussing chairs etc. I have a sit-stand desk and I stand for perhaps 2 to 3 hours any working day. But the rest of the time I just sit on a normal old woo…

Ι also use a wooden dining chair. I find the simplicity and hardness of the wood quite pleasant. I do use an adjustable height standing desk, so the main potential issue of a height mismatch between chair and table isn't a problem. One small issue with the chair is that the seat has a slight upward angle, as opposed to the downward angle recommended in the article. I add a buckwheat crescent pillow, which solves this and gives me the option of sitting in a wider variety of positions.
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