Lower back pain is the bain of any office worker’s existence. Not only does it distract your mind during working hours, but it also keeps you from relaxing and unwinding after work has wrapped up! As such, you’ll want to make sure to prevent it as much as possible.
Research has shown that maintaining a better posture throughout the working day is crucial in preventing back pain. As such, there are now all kinds of different office chairs with features that promise to support your posture. One of the most popular of these features is lumbar support. But you might wonder just what lumbar support is. And most crucially, why it should matter to you!
Want to improve your posture at your desk? Not sure what role lumbar support might play? Then you’ll want to keep reading below. Because our Reliant tech experts are going to take you through every last thing you need to know about lumbar support, and what it means to you!
What Is Lumbar Support?
Let’s start with the big burning question: Just what is lumbar support? Lumbar support is a feature commonly found on office furniture, which is designed to support the lumbar region of the back.
The lumbar region is the lowest part of the back and features an inward curve. Lumbar support is specially designed to help maintain that inward curve. This in turn helps to prevent back pain, which allows you to work comfortably for much longer.
Lumbar support is a feature found in some of the best office chairs. Essentially, it is designed to support the lowest part of your back, the lumbar region. It helps to maintain the curvature of this region. Preventing back pain!
Many of the best office chairs now come with adjustable lumbar support as standard. These can be adjusted as required, to cater to the unique lumbar region of any user.
But why do you need lumbar support? And why is it so important to protect the lumbar region anyway?
Do You Really Need Lumbar Support?
You absolutely do need lumbar support. Especially if your job requires you to sit at your desk for hours at a time. Lumbar support is crucial for maintaining a good posture, as it encourages you to keep your back straight and avoid hunching.
If you were to sit in a standard office chair, with your back perfectly straight, there would naturally be a slight gap between the back of the chair and the lumbar region. Because there is a gap there, you might feel tempted to hunch forward, which would cause your lumbar to bend backwards, filling the gap. Hunching feels very comfortable, but it puts a lot of strain on the lumbar region. When you hunch forward, your lumbar region loses its natural inward curve and instead adopts an outward curve.
A lumbar support is designed to fill the gap between the back of your seat and your lumbar region. This actively prevents you from hunching forward. The lumbar support pushes the lumbar forward so that it keeps its inward curve!
When you reduce the strain placed on your lumbar region, it completely prevents blower back pain from developing.
Lumbar support not only makes the working day much more comfortable. It also ensures you can relax after the day is done!
Where Do You Place Lumbar Support?
The best ergonomic office chairs allow you to adjust the lumbar support according to your needs. This is because one person’s lumbar region might be a little different from someone else’s. It’s important to find just the right spot for it, so it can do the job effectively.
Preferably, you should adjust your office chair’s lumbar support so that it is making contact with the small of your back. This is the area where your back curves inward toward your belly. This will usually be just above the belt line.
Make sure the lumbar support isn’t too high. If the lumbar support is too high, you might find yourself more encouraged to slouch during the day.
For maximum comfort, you should make sure that you are reclined fully into the chair, with your back making direct contact with the chair’s backrest. This ensures that the lumbar support won’t be positioned too low or too high.
How Do You Adjust Lumbar Support?
This will depend on the type of office chair you are using.
Some office chairs come with adjustable levers and knobs that you can twist to slightly adjust the position of the lumbar support. We recommend taking your time with these controls, to find the perfect spot for your lumbar support.
Most office chairs allow you to adjust the position of the lumbar support as needed. Make sure to spend some time finding the perfect position for it, so that it can provide full support.
You can also buy detachable lumbar support attachments that you simply position on your chair. Your best bet is to go for one that you can attach directly to the chair. This ensures it stays in place if you ever leave the chair.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Lumbar Support?
Lumbar support is a special feature found on the best office chairs, which is specifically designed to provide catered support to the lumbar region in the lower back. It discourages slouching, by promoting the inward-curved shape of the spine. This helps to prevent back pain, by reducing the strain on the lower back.
Does Lumbar Support Reduce Back Pain?
Absolutely! This is why many of the best office chairs include lumbar support. Lumbar support promotes a good posture, by supporting the inward curve of the lumbar region. When you slouch, the lumbar region curves in the opposite direction, and supports the brunt of your weight. This creates a strain that causes back pain. Lumbar support keeps you from slouching!
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