Ergonomic chairs—if you’ve already made the decision to get one to help treat your back pain and neck pain, then you’re on the right track. Neck and back pain are symptoms of a uniquely modern disease: prolonged sitting combined with poor posture. Little do people know that hip pain commonly accompanies these other issues. Ergonomic chairs work to counter neck, back, and hip pain by providing our bodies with the support they need so that we can begin the process of instilling more natural habits.
Now, if you haven’t taken the plunge on getting an ergonomic chair, allow me to interest you in some of its benefits. You did search “tight hips,” after all. Or was it “hip pain”? “Chair for hip pain”? Doesn’t matter how you got here—we’re just glad you’re here now, on the verge of being able to finally put to rest that nagging hip pain, back pain, and neck pain.
Our necks, back, hips, and knees are all connected. So connected, in fact, that the overall health of one sometimes relies completely on the overall health of the other. That’s one reason to always want to have a healthy posture. If our knees are weak, our hip flexors and hip abductors tighten, knotting up into painful fascia. If our lower back doesn’t have enough support, our hips fall out of alignment and become overburdened by the weight of the torso. Aches spread, everything gets inflamed…
Hip health is really important.
Not everybody’s day looks the same, so not everybody will be looking for the same ergonomic functions. You may be looking for an ergonomic gaming chair because your gaming sessions have caused your posture to worsen. You may be looking for an ergonomic office chair to restore alignment in your spine after long hours on the job. Depending on how you spend the bulk of your time, you’ll settle on the best ergonomic chair for you and your hips.
You could go for the Leap Ergonomic Chair from Steelcase , if you’ve got a wad of money to throw at something and less than one second to make a coolheaded decision. Its high-quality black fabric and adjustable seat depth, adjustable armrests, and adjustable headrest will make it attractive to the ergonomically curious. But—why pay so much for an ergonomic chair when you could get the best ergonomic chair that works for you at a much lower cost?
Being able to recline to an optimal angle, having an adjustable seat that will add depth and contour for your body, enjoying a headrest fitted comfortably to the base of your skull, getting to indulge in ergonomic backrests aimed at restoring spinal health—these are features you simply can’t beat. And—all these features relate to the health of your hips. Your hips are in pain because you’re not treating other important areas of your body. A good ergonomic chair can be your window into a future without hip pain.
For a more affordable option, the Ergonomic Chair from Branch will hold some appeal—but the appeal largely ends at the price. It doesn’t include a headrest and its reclining mechanism leaves a lot to be desired, not to mention its sluggish lateral rotation. For a little over $300, you can enjoy a solid build made from quality materials, but in terms of ergonomic chairs, this one falls a little short of the finish line. The standard should be higher, especially considering how many people are affected by hip pain.
Perhaps the condition in your lower back and hips has progressed to the point of osteoarthritis, in which case it becomes especially important to find the best ergonomic chair for healthy posture. Read this great academic study on ergonomic chairs and hip pain for more information on treating your osteoarthritis with an ergonomic office chair or ergonomic gaming chair.
When we sit in regular office chairs, we compress our hip area so that the fascia gets more wound up. This shrinks our range of motion so that we end up walking with a forward-leaning center of balance. Tight hips then end up contributing to tight lower backs, resulting in exponentialized pain. What if your armrests sit too low or high—doesn’t that affect how you hinge your torso?
The Call of Duty® Warzone® Gaming Chair (Blue) from Eureka Ergonomic.
Starting to see how it’s all connected?
Making the decision to get an ergonomic chair is making a decision to take a holistic approach to restoring not only your hip health but your overall health. Don’t deprive yourself of one of the simplest solutions to one of the most common problems.
To reduce your hip pain, just have a seat.
