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What is the most important piece of equipment in your office? Your computer? Your telephone? In terms of your ergonomic well being, it can be argued that it's your chair. Most people spend a majority of time sitting on a chair, whether they are working at their computer, in a meeting, talking on the phone, or working in a lab. Yet little thought is given to this very important piece of furniture, and sometimes too much money is spent on the wrong chair! In addition, many people do not even know how to adjust the chairs they sit in.

Even if you have a marvelous new chair, it can cause you lots of trouble if it isn't adjusted properly. Your chair needs to fit your body size and shape, and it needs to be adjusted to support the unique curve of your back and the length of your legs. To correctly design your workstation, the proper adjustment of your chair is crucial. All other equipment and worksurface heights follow after your chair is adjusted (unless they are standing-height worksurfaces).

If you are experiencing back or shoulder pain, if your legs ache or feel numb, or if your hips ache, it is very possible that a minor adjustment to your chair can eliminate these problems. Assuming your chair is not a dinosaur from the Pleistocene era, it is probably quite easy to adjust. Check our webpage that discusses selecting and adjusting your chair.

A few final tips:

1. Guys, take the wallet out of your back pocket! The tilting of your pelvis caused by sitting on a wallet all day can cause spinal misalignment and lower back aches.
2. Stand up when you are talking on the phone! You will feel better at the end of the day because you sat less, and you will have increased the circulation to your legs and reduced the trauma in your upper body caused by sustained awkward positions.
3. An adjustable chair is just as important at home as it is at work. If you spend time on your computer at home, make sure your home office is well-designed, too. Refer to our webpage on workstation design to help you create an office at home that will not create ergonomic problems for you outside of work.

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