Correct Sitting Posture on Office Chair

The correct sitting posture on an office chair requires comprehensive regulation from multiple aspects such as seat adjustment, body posture, equipment adaptation, and activity habits. The specific key points are as follows:

1. Seat height and leg angle
The seat height should ensure that both feet are completely flat on the ground, with the thighs and calves forming a 95°-100° angle, and the knees roughly at the same height as or slightly lower than the hips. If the chair is too high and causes the feet to hang in the air, a footrest should be used; if it is too low and increases the pressure on the knee joints, it should be adjusted to an appropriate height. This posture can distribute body weight and reduce the risk of varicose veins in the lower limbs.

2. Support for the natural curvature of the spine
When sitting down, move the buttocks as far back as possible to the depth of the seat surface, so that the lower back is in close contact with the backrest, especially the lower back needs to be supported to maintain the physiological curves of the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral regions of the spine. Leaning back slightly at 100°-110° can reduce the pressure on the lumbar spine. If the lumbar support of the backrest is insufficient, a lumbar pad should be used to fill the gap and avoid lumbar strain caused by the lumbar spine hanging in the air.

3. Sitting angle and arm support
The back should be fully in contact with the backrest, and the lumbar support should accurately support the natural curvature point of the lumbar spine. Adjust the height of the armrests so that when the elbows hang naturally, the forearms can be easily placed on the armrests or the desktop, with the upper arms and forearms forming an angle close to 100° to distribute the pressure on the shoulders. Avoid having the arms hanging in the air or over-reaching forward, as this can easily cause shoulder and neck pain.

4. Screen height and line-of-sight angle
The top edge of the monitor should be at or slightly lower than the horizontal eye level, with the line of sight naturally looking down at the center of the screen at an angle of 15°-20°. The screen should be about an arm's length (50-70 centimeters) away from the eyes. When using a laptop, it is recommended to connect an external keyboard and a monitor stand to avoid being forced to lower the head due to the low screen, which can cause excessive forward extension of the cervical spine.

5. Stable placement of the feet
Keep both feet flat on the ground, with the ankles, knees, and hip joints at a 90° angle. Avoid crossing your legs, crossing your feet, or stepping on the crossbar of the chair leg with one foot. Such postures can easily cause pelvic tilt, scoliosis, and compress the nerves and blood vessels in the legs, which may lead to lower limb numbness or venous thrombosis in the long term.

6. Regular activities and muscle exercises
Get up and move around for 5-10 minutes every 30-60 minutes of sitting. Perform stretching exercises such as neck rice-character exercises, shoulder rotations, and waist twists to promote blood circulation. In daily life, you can strengthen the exercises of the core muscle group (such as plank exercises) and the back muscles (such as the swallow fly exercise) to provide stable support for the spine. In addition, you can alternate between sitting upright, leaning back, standing, or using a saddle-style sitting posture to reduce the fatigue accumulation from a single posture.