Sitting for long hours in your work from home (WFM) office might get hard on your body. Many of us spend considerable time sitting at a desk; making our body feel uncomfortable and eventually causing different health issues. More often we commit the blunder of not giving much importance to office chairs, we hunch on to our computer screens, cross our legs over a knee and so on.
Just like almost anything else, our office chairs come with a finite life. The best way to learn when to replace your chair is when it starts to get a little inconvenient resulting in neck, shoulder and back pain or other similar issues. It is gradual, and you begin realizing only if you are conscious about it. You will start feeling tired more often while sitting on your home office chair, and your productivity also starts taking a dip as you lose concentration.
Ten signs that tell you to get a new home office chair
It’s time to get a new chair if it is no longer comfortable in comparison to a new one. Getting a new chair at the right time leads to a healthier body and a fertile mind as well.
- Your body is shouting it out.
Back pain, stiff neck and other similar signs of discomfort are the signals that your body gives to change your existing chair. Changing your chair is the easiest way to address such health concerns. Also, there are zero gravity chairs available for big person that relieve some pain and offer some health benefits.
- It’s over five years old.
Nothing is forever, and so is your furniture, no matter what’s the quality. Ideally, your chair should be replaced after every five years. If you slink or slouch more often while sitting, it’s a sign you should not ignore.
- Looks are not merely cosmetic.
Have a look at your chair, does it look worn down? If yes, it needs a replacement. The tears or bumps in the fabric means you have used the chair longer than it was actually intended for.
- Issues with the lumbar support
It is one of the essential components of your office chair. Your chair without the lumbar support will lead to back pain by straining the muscles.
- Your sitting posture
A good office chair supports a proper sitting posture. You should be able to place your legs comfortably on the ground and should receive excellent support for your lower and middle back. If you find it missing, get a new chair.
- Flattened seat cushion
With time and use, the seat cushion starts to compress and flatten. In such a situation, your body receives less support from the chair, and it can eventually have far-reaching consequences on your health.
- Discomfort when making specific movements
Do you feel slight pain of stiffness when making specific movements while sitting on the chair or after that? It is a sign that your chair has outlived its life.
- Pain is some parts of the body.
If you feel regular pain in the fingers, wrists, chances are it is because of your chair, that demands a replacement. Even a slightest burning pain should not be ignored.
- Damaged parts
Generally, the damaged parts, when repaired, will leave the chair that is uncomfortable for you when you sit for long hours. Even the early signs of damage are not to be overlooked.
- The chair just does not feel right.
Sometimes there may not be any reasons at all to change the chair, and yet it will not feel comfortable. You spend a good number of hours sitting on it; therefore, it needs to be just perfect for your convenience.