According to many experts, sitting in one position for too long can put pressure on the spine and cause various symptoms in the shoulders, neck, back, and more. This is why having a suitable chair is essential to ensure physical and mental health after long periods of work.
Ergonomic chairs are becoming the top choice for many offices and managers. In this article, Okamura Vietnam will introduce the concept and benefits of ergonomic chairs for users.
1. General Overview of Ergonomic Chairs
Unlike conventional office chairs, ergonomic chairs are meticulously designed based on extensive experience in ergonomics from leading experts. To understand more about ergonomic chairs, you can refer to the detailed content below.
1.1. What is Ergonomics?
Ergonomics is the science that studies the interaction between humans and other elements within a system. This field applies theories, principles, and data to design activities aimed at optimizing human health and work performance. This includes ensuring that tools and workspaces are suited to human capabilities, helping them work more effectively. (according to IEA - International Ergonomics Association, 2000). (1)
The goal of ergonomics is to create a work environment that protects the physical and mental health of workers, thereby improving performance and work quality. Applying ergonomics to office interior design increases comfort, reduces stress, and prevents injuries for users. This allows workers to perform their tasks under the best conditions.
1.2. What is an Ergonomic Chair?
An ergonomic chair is designed to provide proper seating posture, support the spine, lower back, and neck for the user. The main goal of the chair is to offer comfort for office employees, preventing pain and fatigue during high-intensity work periods. Due to its special design, an ergonomic chair helps avoid bodily harm caused by poor posture or lack of movement.
Common features on ergonomic chairs include adjustable height, flexible tilt angles, and more. Additionally, the soft backrest and seat cushion design provide an excellent relaxing experience, helping to reduce pressure and maximize comfort while sitting.
2. 8 Amazing Benefits of Ergonomic Chairs
With their unique design and many smart features to support the user’s working posture, ergonomic chairs help relax the body, reducing stress during work. Here are 8 incredible benefits of ergonomic chairs that you shouldn't overlook:
2.1. Supports Proper Sitting Posture
An ergonomic chair is designed with a backrest that closely follows the spine, supporting the natural curve of the back. You can use features such as adjustable height, tilt, and seat depth to find the most suitable sitting position for your body type, thereby maintaining a proper and comfortable posture.
When sitting in the correct posture for extended periods, the discs and lower back experience less pressure compared to a forward-leaning position. This helps prevent spinal issues and reduces the risk of chronic back pain.
2.2. Distributes Weight Across Legs and Hips
Ergonomic chairs are designed with an ideal seat depth, allowing adjustment of the distance between the seat cushion and backrest for comfortable sitting. Many ergonomic chairs include features like forward tilt, which helps keep your feet firmly on the floor and your body slightly tilted forward, distributing weight evenly across your hips and legs. This reduces pressure on the hips and spine, providing maximum comfort for the user.
When weight is distributed evenly rather than concentrated at one point, pressure on the lower thighs decreases, making it more comfortable to sit for long periods and reducing the risk of developing aches and joint inflammation.
2.3. Maintains the S-Curve
Ergonomic chairs feature a specially designed backrest that aligns with the spine to help maintain the natural S-curve during long working hours, typically from 6 to 8 hours. The backrest can be adjusted to better fit the user's body characteristics, supporting the lower back and buttocks. This helps maintain a good curve and reduces strain on the spine.
By maintaining the S-curve, pressure on the vertebrae and back muscles is reduced, preventing spinal deformities (such as scoliosis or kyphosis). This is especially important for those who sit for extended periods, helping them stay comfortable and maintain their body shape.
2.4. Reduces Neck and Arm Strain
With easily adjustable headrests and armrests, ergonomic chairs provide the most comfortable sitting posture for users. The headrest not only supports the head but also serves as an ideal resting place for users to relax after long hours of work. Additionally, some models feature 4D armrests, which can be adjusted in four directions (height, depth, width, and tilt), supporting users in performing tasks more conveniently.
Proper support for the neck and arms reduces strain and discomfort, helping to prevent issues like muscle tension and neck pain. As a result, ergonomic chairs enhance work performance while effectively protecting users' musculoskeletal health.
2.5. Improves Blood Circulation
A notable feature of ergonomic chairs is their ability to accommodate various sitting positions, allowing users to easily change their posture. Muscle contraction and relaxation due to body movement act as a pump and aid the veins and heart in circulating blood around the body.
If these muscle movements are minized, blood circulation is impeded, causing muscle fatigue and swelling in the feet. To eliminate these problems, it is necessary to move around, take rest breaks in addition to changing your posture. We should change our posture every 30 minutes.
When blood circulation is smooth, oxygen and nutrients are adequately transported to organs and tissues, contributing to overall health. The chair's cushion is also specially designed to provide optimal body support and evenly distribute weight, creating a comfortable seating experience and supporting blood flow. This allows you to work comfortably for extended periods without experiencing numbness or discomfort.
2.6. Enhances Work Performance
Ergonomic chairs are designed to maximize comfort, helping users focus better on their tasks. The chair components often include levers in convenient positions, allowing users to easily adjust according to their body characteristics to achieve the ideal working posture quickly.
When seated comfortably, users do not need to frequently adjust their posture or endure discomfort. This helps maintain focus and improves work performance while reducing stress and fatigue.
2.7. Boosts Mental Health
Ergonomic chairs are designed to support the spine and key joints such as the neck, shoulders, lower back, and hips by distributing pressure evenly. Sitting in an incorrect posture for extended periods can put excessive pressure on these areas, causing discomfort and interfering with sleep, leading to fatigue and prolonged insomnia.
With the support of an ergonomic chair, users will feel more comfortable and relaxed after a long workday. This helps improve sleep quality and ensures a steady supply of energy each day.
2.8. Enhances Office Aesthetics
Ergonomic chairs are often crafted from high-quality materials such as breathable mesh fabric, luxurious leather, and sturdy metal. Mesh fabric provides a cool and light feel, while premium leather offers a sleek and professional appearance. Additionally, meticulously crafted metal details add a touch of elegance and distinction to the chair’s design.
These materials not only ensure durability and maximum comfort but also contribute to a sophisticated and upscale appearance. They complement various interior styles, from classic to modern, enhancing the overall aesthetics of the office space.
3. Explore 12 Japanese Style Ergonomic Chair Models
Okamura - a leading Japanese ergonomic chair brand established in 1945 in Yokohama. The chair models are designed based on principles of improvement, using high-quality materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, plastic, and environmentally friendly Japanese mesh fabric with high practicality.
The brand currently offers two main types of ergonomic chairs: office ergonomic chairs and executive ergonomic chairs.
3.1. Executive Ergonomic Chair Series
Executive ergonomic chairs are designed with advanced functions tailored to management roles while ensuring elegance and reflecting the user's status within the company. These chairs feature outstanding attributes such as:
Height adjustment can helps users easily find the most comfortable sitting position, accommodating various body types and individual needs.
The backrest of the chair can be adjusted for tilt using the lever on the left side, which provides optimal support for the spine, reduces pressure on the back during long meetings, and maintains a comfortable posture.
The ankle tilt mechanism allows users to easily adjust to find the right reclining angle. This feature is designed with the ankle as the pivot point, moving synchronously with the chair, providing continuous support and relaxation as users change their posture.
The chair uses a unique multi-density cushion made from three types of urethane with varying firmness levels. The front cushion helps reduce pressure on the thighs and improves blood circulation, while the back cushion provides firm support for the hips, enhancing proper sitting posture.
Currently, Okamura offers four main executive ergonomic chair models:
Legender: Known as an outstanding chair from Japan, it combines elegance and sophistication with modern functions, high-quality leather, and meticulous stitching that creates a unique personality. It is ideal for CEOs and top executives in companies.
Shibusa: Unlike the Legender, the Shibusa features a minimalist design combined with an exclusive tilt mechanism that allows the backrest to recline up to 11°, providing comfortable seating for meetings. The chair also offers easy height adjustment and is suitable for various spaces and users. The combination of wood and leather not only creates a simple appearance but also highlights the chair's luxury and class.
Contessa II: An improved version of the Contessa chair, it features a modern and flexible design, combining the elegance of the original with advanced technological features. The chair offers a variety of color options for the mesh, fabric, and frame, making it easy to blend with different office design styles. Its intelligent structure allows for comfortable seating adjustments and maximum support, from the backrest to the arms. This chair is a perfect choice for modern and future working styles.
Choral: The Choral chair from Okamura is perfectly adjusted for ergonomic and aesthetic perfection with its minimalist yet elegant design. Integrated features are user-friendly, such as multi-density cushioning and the ankle tilt mechanism, making it both functional and stylish.
3.2. Office Ergonomic Chairs
Office ergonomic chairs are widely trusted by businesses around the world for their aesthetic appeal and high quality. These chairs are crafted from premium, durable materials and feature unique functionalities:
Created by talented designers from Italdesign, these chairs are not only visually striking but also optimize user comfort. Each product is a sophisticated combination of advanced technology and creative design.
Users can adjust the chair's recline tension based on their body weight to find the most comfortable reclining position, encouraging frequent posture changes and continuous relaxation.
The chair features adjustable armrests that can be modified in height, depth, width, and angle. This provides optimal support for the elbows and arms, accommodating various tasks and equipment, and helping maintain the most effective sitting posture.
Office ergonomic chairs come with intelligent adjustment mechanisms, including height adjustment, seat depth adjustment, and recline tension adjustment. Convenient levers and adjustment buttons make it easy for users to customize the chair for maximum comfort.
Okamura currently offers 8 main ergonomic chair models for office use:
Finora Chair: Sharing the same Italdesign heritage as the Contessa II, the Finora chair features a sleek and minimalist design, elevating its aesthetic appeal. This chair applies automotive industry design principles to ensure high-end aesthetics. It features many smart adjustment functions, providing comprehensive support for modern users.
Sabrina Chair: Designed by Italdesign, Okamura's Sabrina chair features an impressive and elegant design with its distinctive flexible backrest. It supports the user's posture and naturally adapts to movement, offering exceptional comfort.
Baron Chair: Baron, a collaborative design between Italdesign and Okamura, features a unique ergonomic design. It stands out with its simple, sharp style, seamlessly combining Italian design with Japanese technology. Baron offers modern beauty and superior functionality with various mesh color options and flexible adjustments.
Sphere Chair: The Sphere ergonomic chair by Okamura is environmentally friendly. It combines advanced technology and recycled materials to create a sustainable, eco-friendly product. Features such as four-dimensional adjustable armrests and varied density cushions enhance a healthy sitting posture.
Sylphy Chair: Designed to accommodate all body types with its unique, easily adjustable back curve, the Sylphy chair features synchronized reclining and forward-tilt mechanisms to optimize sitting posture during long computer use. With its modern design and flexible adjustments, Sylphy is ideal for any office space, from modern to classic, creative to formal.
Portone Smart Chair: The Portone chair blends modern style with maximum comfort. Its flexible frame and contoured backrest follow body movements, offering perfect lumbar support.
Rin Chair: The Rin chair from Okamura features an intelligent design that combines a dignified appearance with maximum comfort. With flexible adjustment features and an ankle tilt mechanism, it helps maintain an ideal sitting posture and provides excellent support for users.
Primp Chair: The Primp chair by Okamura has a smart, minimalist design, with a soft mesh back and adjustable features tailored to individual body characteristics.
8 Benefits of Ergonomic Chairs offer numerous physical and mental benefits, making them especially suitable for those looking to enhance health and comfort during long periods of desk work. With their superior features and elegant design, ergonomic chairs from the Okamura brand are undoubtedly a worthwhile investment for your work environment.
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