Wondering why I say cheap office chairs cost more? In this article I will answer that question and a few others. Above all, this is an article you want to send to the HR department of every major corporation in America.

Cheap Office Chairs

Cheap office chairs are HUGE! As a rule your office chair needs to have a 100% stable seat. If you feel the seat tilt left or right while you are sitting in it, the chair is cheap. Invest in an office chair with quality construction. Cost is a factor when you buy a quality office chair. Quality chairs will outlast cheap $200 office chairs which makes quality office chairs less expensive. I have had my office chair for over 17 years!. At this point my office chair has cost me less than $100 per year.

~The Damage Cheap Office Chairs Do

The damage cheap office chairs do is immense. Having an office chair that has a weak seat that leans left and right when you move forces your low back to tighten to keep you stable. In short, your back is compensating for the cheap chair. When your back muscles are trying to hold you up on an unstable surface the muscles over contract which compresses your intervertebral discs. Low back compression leads to pain every time.

~Why Do Corporations Buy Low Quality Chairs?

A question I have always pondered is why corporations buy low quality office chairs for their employees. In fact, I worked for a company that took away good quality chairs and replaced them with poor quality chairs. Consequently the complaints around the office of pain skyrocketed. Rather than taking away the cheap chairs they put more in. Many employees began missing work to make appointments to see practitioners to reduce their pain. The domino effect caused by cheap office chairs costs corporations more money in insurance and employees missing work than if they provided proper seating. Seems counter productive.

I Have Had My LifeForm Office Chair For 17 Years!

Think About How Long You Sit

Take a moment and calculate how many hours a day you sit at your desk. The average work day, presumably, is 8 hours. However we all know that is not really true. In fact ask just about any office worker and they will tell you their work day is closer to 10 hours. Still, lets take the “Average” of 7 hours per day. An 8 hour work day minus a 30 minute lunch and two 15 minute breaks.

7 hours per day x 5 days per week = 35 hours per week

Simple math. Next, lets take that out over a year.

35 hours per week x 52 weeks per year = 1,820 hours per year

Therefore you spend 1,820 hours per year sitting in your chair at work. Of course, keep in mind we did not factor in one single minute of overtime. In fact, more than 1/3rd of your day is spent sitting. For this reason you must invest in a good quality office chair. Even from a mindset of comfort. Besides, like I said, cheap office chairs cost more.

My Experience With Ergonomic Office Chairs

Presumably you are reading this because you are looking for an office chair that is “Ergonomic”. Another reason may be an office chair to stop low back pain. Since this website is all about sharing my expert knowledge and experience, allow me to share. Regrettably my experience with ergonomic office chairs has not always been great. By and large you will find that companies slap the label “Ergonomic” on a cheap office chair, misleading the buyer. Don’t fall for this trap. Here a some ways to tell if an office chair is truly ergonomic.

1.) The seat needs to made of wood not plastic.
2.) When you lean left or right the seat should not flex.
3.) There should be an adjustment for the lumbar support.
4.) The arms should adjust up and down at minimum, preferably they should swivel also.
5.) Look for contours that fit your body.
6.) Check for quality padding, preferably memory foam.
7.) The chair should come with a long warranty period.

“There is no greater feeling in the world than when a disabled person calls to tell you how their custom made chair has changed their life”

Cheap Office Chairs Cost More

Next lets dive into the meat and potatoes of this article. How cheap office chairs cost more. Not only to you, the user, but to your employer as well. Spending 1,820 hours in a chair is a heck of a long time. Consequently if you are sitting in a cheap office chair your body will be forced to compensate. Compensation occurs when the body does not feel stable on a surface. For example, think of how you feel when looking out the window of a tall building or crossing a bridge that you can see through. In these examples you get a visual indicator which cues your body to tense up to support itself. This is not the case with a cheap office chair, you don’t get the visual indicator. Thus, for many people, the body compensates and they do not realize it until compensation leads to pain.

Pain From Compensation

When I say compensation I am referring to the core muscles in your legs, hips, low/upper back, abdomen and neck. Pretty much your entire body is tensing to keep you steady on an unstable surface. Pain from compensation for improper seating is the leading cause of back and neck pain among corporate employees. I realize that is a bold statement. However, I’m not afraid to say it it layman’s terms either. The cheap chair the company provided you with is physically hurting you. Ironically, if you are in so much pain that you can’t work the Human Resource department might get you an “Ergonomic” chair. 🙂 Please refer to the statement above about poorly designed “Ergonomic” chairs.

The Pain Cycle

In the medical world there is something called “The Pain Cycle”. The Pain Cycle starts when you experience pain and go to see a medical practitioner for treatment. The practitioner helps you along, you take some time for recovery, and you feel better. Then you go back to the activity that caused the pain in the first place. This is The Pain Cycle. For example, the office worker.

An Example Of The Pain Cycle

For this example lets call The Office Worker Sally. Sally accepts this ongoing pain and decides it’s time to see her Doctor. She makes an appointment however Sally will have to take time off of work to go. The Doctor recommends Chiropractic care. Sally finds a Chiropractor and begins weekly treatment. The drawback is that each Chiropractic visit requires more time off from work. After weeks of sessions Sally’s pain is getting worse. So bad in fact that she takes medical leave from work for 4 weeks by recommendation of her Doctor. Incidentally Sally gets better and finally returns to work. Weeks pass and ironically Sally is feeling her pain again. This is a realistic example of The Pain Cycle.

Cheap Office Chairs Cost More … Here’s The Numbers

Once you start experiencing pain you start to see a Chiropractor, your Doctor, maybe a Physical Therapist because your insurance covers those practitioners. I invite you to dig into what those visits actually cost. Add up how much they bill the insurance and how much you pay in a co-pay. Don’t forget any prescriptions or devices these practitioners recommend. Next, factor in the days that you are not at work because of pain. What do you loose and what does your employer loose?
Next, take a look at the price of the LifeForm Office Chair. The cost of my chair was $1500.00USD, however I have had it for 17 years. In comparison to the cost of medical care I would say a LifeForm ergonomic office chair is pretty cheap, wouldn’t you? In any case you now know, in numbers, that cheap office chairs cost more.

Hands On Experience With LifeForm

LifeForm, like Teeter, was incredible to work with. In my time with the retailer I collaborated with LifeForm on many custom built chairs for people with uniques types of back pain and disfunction. Having hands on experience with LifeForm I can attest to the ethics of the team. In fact, I have worked with just about everyone there. From the receptionist to the production department. Actually it was an honor to work with a manufacture that really cared for the customer. There is no greater feeling in the world than when a disabled person calls to tell you how their custom made chair has changed their life. Together with LifeForm I was able to truly help people by creating seating that allowed them to work again.

Three Ergonomic LifeForm Office Chair Styles

Considering a LifeForm office chair is the best thing you can do to stop low back pain. Even a base model chair will help alleviate your back and neck discomfort. All LifeForm office chairs feature a contoured seat, adjustable swivel armrests and a wider caster base for increased stability. Purchase a LifeForm office chair today and experience true working comfort tomorrow.