By Aleigh Acerni
Assistant Editor

Workers who spend their days in front of computers or at desks can be more productive given the correct chair and ergonomic training, reports a recent study by researchers at The University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston. The study is the first scientific evaluation that links better health and increased productivity to the office chair, an idea that has seen support from medical practitioners for years.

The study, published in the December issue of Spine magazine, examined the effect of using a highly adjustable office chair to reduce musculoskeletal symptoms such as fatigue, pain or stiffness.

“In the United States, lower back pain is the number one cause of physical disability,” says Dr. Marvin Arnsdorff of Chiropractic USA and president of Charleston-based Body Mechanics Inc. It’s also number two behind the common cold as the cause of doctor visits, he adds.

According to the study, with a highly adjustable office chair and “appropriate office ergonomics training,” workers can experience reduced pain throughout the workday and be more productive. The study also concludes there is minimal cost to employers when investing in ergonomics to improve health. Given the rising cost of health care nationwide, preventative measures such as ergonomic desk chairs are seen as economical and a wise investment for businesses.

“Prevention is key,” says Arnsdorff, who sees the effects of poor workplace posture daily in his chiropractic practice. His patients’ three biggest work-related complaints? Lower back pain, neck pain and headaches, all of which can be prevented by proper posture. “Posture is the window to the spine,” he adds, and says that since the spine protects the nervous system, all functions can be impaired by poor seated posture—which is why many office workers leave the office feeling unduly exhausted.

Though undoubtedly a smart investment for businesses in regards to missed workdays and alleviating employee discomfort, some offices may choose not to purchase ergonomic chairs because they are “at least fifty dollars more expensive [than traditional chairs],” says Joe Tarr, furniture sales manager for Wulburn-Koval Co. Inc. “Ergonomic chairs are extremely popular,” he says, but he thinks the higher prices are why he sells more traditional desk chairs on a daily basis.

“Usually companies don’t replace chairs unless they move to a new building, or because the chair an employee has just isn’t working,” he says, but adds that a chair called the Leap® WorkLounge and Ottoman made by Steelcase, which supplied the ergonomic chairs for the University of Texas study, prompts thank you letters from satisfied customers. He’s even sold the chair to Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, who was sent by his doctor to pick out a new chair after complaining of neck pain.

“Ergonomics make sense,” says Arnsdorff, but adds that sitting correctly is the most inexpensive way to get all the benefits of ergonomics. The chair, he says, just makes it easier to sit correctly—and this is why he is a proponent of ergonomic instruction that can teach employees the correct way to sit.

Dr. Mark Luckie of Chiropractic Healthcare of Charleston agrees. Calling office workers “occupational athletes,” Luckie likens correct ergonomic training and stretching at intervals during the workday to an athlete’s set of stretches. “Every athlete stretches,” he says, “why shouldn’t the ‘occupational athletes’ stretch, too?”

Luckie adds that the investment in a good mattress to sleep on for eight hours a night should equal the seat you use at work for the same amount of time. “If you’re going to sit in the same chair eight hours a day, it should be comfortable.”

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