If you work in an office environment or run your own business, you would spend a good amount of time sitting in an office chair. Quite often, you may be in a chair that is not exactly ideal for your size and profile.

You don't have to search too hard on the internet to find a myriad of studies showing the adverse effects that sitting stationary for long periods has on your body. The risks become even more concerning if you already have pre-existing health complications.

The health conditions listed in these studies are not minor health complaints either. Among these severe conditions and illnesses include:

• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
• Varicose veins
• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Organ malfunction

These conditions are just a shortlist. Sitting for long periods has even been linked to a dramatically increased risk of cancer and a shorter life expectancy. 

It gets no better when looking at the physiological effects either. Sitting for long periods presents the risk of musculoskeletal problems and many other physical health conditions like:

• Osteoporosis
• Carpal tunnel
• Hernias 
• Inflammation
• Chronic neck and back pain and more

On top of the detrimental effects on your physiology, there have also been linked to degenerative brain diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia. There have even been ties linked to mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.

What can be done about this?

So with such a bleak outlook for office workers, what steps can we take to avoid such substantial consequences from our static work lives? 

Ergonomics relates to the design of things to be efficient and comfortable to use for long periods in a working environment. Ergonomic furniture and products in an office environment could include things like:

* Office chairs

• Office desks
• Keyboards and mice
• Wrist rests
• Phones
• Laptop stands

One of the most critical pieces of ergonomic office equipment you can use to reduce risks to your health risks is a well-designed chair.

Ergonomic chairs

Ergonomics chairs rose to prominence in the late 1970s after the effects of repetitive strain injuries and long hours chained to a desk started to become more common in the modern workforce.

Now there is a vast array of different ergonomic chairs on the market with various designs; some made for standard office work, some with many other unique designs customised for specific jobs.

An ergonomic chair means it can be adjusted, and customised to a person's individual body type and unique requirements, meaning the parameters of the chair can be moved via adjustable parts, such as:

• Seat height 
• Seat pan depth 
• Backrest height and angle 
• Armrests
• Back support tilt 
• Headrest control

Ergonomic chairs also usually have caster wheels to make moving in and out of your desk smooth and easy.

Having the ability to adjust your chairs parameters, and maximise your bodies support while remaining stationary has a lot of benefits in the fight against the severe health consequences attributed to being immobile for long periods.

An ergonomic chair can reduce pressure on many parts of your body by offering added support to our natural structure. This includes support for things like:

• Neck and shoulders
• Posture
• Optimised spinal alignment
• Reduction pressure on the hips 
• Improved blood circulation

Although this does not negate all the risks associated with sitting for long hours, it does reduce them by giving our bodies as much structure and support as possible while remaining still and fighting gravity.

Aside from using ergonomic office furniture and support products, it is essential that you take time every hour to get up and move around. Some recent studies have even suggested that this should occur as often as every half hour to negate the risks of years of chronic neck, back and joint pain, muscular deterioration, organ disease and many other serious health conditions.

Need a little help?

With more company employees working from home than ever before, many people are looking into purchasing their own ergonomic office furniture for the first time. 

When learning about something new, it is always good to have a mate to help, and you have plenty of mates here at ChairMATES. Our team of ergonomic professionals can offer expert advice on our extensive range of affordable, high-quality, industry-leading ergonomic chairs and office furniture at mates rates. 

The crew here at ChairMATES care about your comfort and your health, so call one of our friendly staff today for consultation on selecting the perfect ergonomic chair for your business or home office.