The Tribune

By A Monique Graham

You are sitting at your desk, getting ready to take on another work day, telling yourself this is the day you are going to complete all of your tasks, finish that report, work on the spread sheet, et cetera. You start putting away your purse or your briefcase, rolling up your sleeves, turning on your computer, making sure there is paper in the printer and then from nowhere that nagging sensation returns.

Those feelings of shooting pain travelling up the back of your neck, or that dull ache in your lower back that seems to never go away, and that unsolvable mystery of what serious fitness regime that you took part in that is causing your knees, and shoulders to throb.

No, you are not old, nor have you just completed a workout fit for an athlete, you are sitting in the wrong chair!

It is amazing how we invest and complete so much research in respect to our homes, medical issues, vacations, education, and for some, background checks on those we are thinking of dating, but, we will spend eight hours a day, five days a week, 52 weeks of the year in any old, worn, inadequate chair. Well, I say no more!

I try my best to avoid stress in any way, shape or form. Sitting is a position that adds stress to the structures in the spine is not good! Can you believe that? Sitting causes stress, the kind of stress that can lead to the development or exacerbate existing back problems. I'm sure you would agree with me, this is not good news.

Here is the good news though; there are chairs out there that can eliminate or mitigate the stress on your body. They are known as ergonomic chairs, and are designed specifically to support the lower back and evoke good posture.

How many hours will the average office worker sit in a chair over his or her career? 85,500 hours. That's more than nine years! The fact is, using the "cheap" chair your employer provided or what you have bought for yourself, is a recipe to enrich your doctor.

Studies have proven that sitting at a desk for up to 10 hours a day on a poorly designed chair can have a detrimental effect on our bodies. The fact is that human beings are designed to move, not to sit all day. Therefore, if you need to sit, your chair needs to be ergonomic, comfortable and adjustable.

Businesses that have invested in ergonomically designed furniture are reaping the benefits. Before today, if you haven't given thought to the chairs you and your staff sit in at the office, you should do probably do so. The importance and significance of ergonomic office chairs should not be ignored and definitely underestimated.

Buying the least expensive chair for your office is not gambling only with your health but you are also gambling with your employees' health. In most cases, people spend far more money on their desk than the chair.

Most people I know roll their eyes when they hear the price of an office chair. How good can it be?

A highly adjustable office chair definitely has a high upfront cost, but if you do the math, it's actually rather inexpensive. For instance, let's say you buy a $1,000 chair, and you sit an average of 40 hours on it per week, 50 weeks a year, and you use it for just ten years. This means you sit 2,000 hours per year or 20,000 per decade. Really, it costs you $0.05 cents per hour or $0.40 cents a day to own an ergonomic office chair.

Now, compare that to how much you spend on lunch, or your phone bill or your cable bill. Or better yet, compare it to the cost of back massages and doctor visits over a decade. I am certain the chair will be a worthwhile investment if it fits you well.

On top of that, most good chairs have long warranties, and they will easily last for 15 if not 20 years if you don't abuse them.

Not only is a good quality chair going to save your back from wear and tear, but it also helps to maintain blood circulation, and it will make you and your staff more productive. Studies have shown that persons are far more productive at work when they are comfortable and pain-free.

Take a moment to do the math. Increased productivity equals increased profit.

So now, how about that upgrade?

•Style Office Solutions is a full service furniture and interior design firm, offering a wide range of contract furnishings and interior design services such as space planning, layout design, floor coverings, wall coverings and window treatments on East Bay Street.