Lumbar Support for Office Chairs

By Sally Ann Quirke, Chartered Physiotherapist | Filed under: Posture Support Products

Published: 04 December 2015

There are many types of lumbar support office chair available today.

The quality of a lumbar support chair is very important, and in my experience, price does not always reflect quality.

A lumbar support chair must have the lumbar support in the correct position for YOUR back. We all have a natural concavity in our lumbar spines at the base of our back, but each of us has a different size and shape to our curve. Therefore, your chair must be specific to your spinal curve and shape.

A physiotherapist or physical therapist is the best person to advise you on the type, size and material of chair required specifically for your back and sitting posture. Do not spend money on a product without professional advice as poorly fitted lumbar support chairs can do more harm than good.

So, where do you start in your search? You have a choice of two types of lumbar support chairs:

1. An All-in Chair: Where your spine is moulded or sized to an inbuilt lumbar support in the chair itself. These chairs, although effective, can be very costly indeed. Ihave included some examples of these chairs further down the page.

2. A Portable lumbar support roll or device: Where you get a specifically shaped lumbar roll in your size, or a portable seat that you can place on top of your existing chair to support your lumbar spine. When it comes to advising my own clients, this is my device of choice generally - I prefer to start simple and cheap! (see more about Lumbar support rolls at the end of this page).

At the very least - please seek professional advice before you purchase your lumbar support chair, as it may save you a lot of money and time. Frequently, training your muscles in active sitting to hold your back in position is the most effective lumbar support system of all!!

Not ready to invest in a chair just yet? Read more about Lumbar Support Rolls.