Ask Lemmy

Maybe not for everyone, but I really enjoy my Swopper stool. Mostly because I can't sit still and it allows me to bounce around all day. It takes some time to get used to, but it's great for keeping your core active during the day.

One downside is that I caused sea sickness with a colleague during a conference call due to all the bouncing :)

I like Hercules office chairs. They're meant to hold 300lb people for 8 hours a day. I'm not that big, and I don't sit that long, but the chair has lasted me a lot longer than cheap or even moderately priced office chairs.

I've never tried those expensive Herman Miller ones though. That's just too outside my budget and mesh doesn't look very comfortable to me. Not too mention my cats would shred that up.

Don't stop with just the chair. Make sure you keyboard and monitors are at the right heights. Consider getting an ergonomic keyboard and mouse (or trackball). The positions of your shoulders arms and wrists have a significant impact on overall comfort. They will also keep you from developing an RSI.

Once upon a time, I was fairly strong but I couldn't touch my toes. That full deep stretch was just a little beyond me. It always had been, as long as I could remember in my adult life. Throughout years of martial arts and parkour that moderately normal level of flexibility eluded me.

Then I quit my job at Amazon. I was so burned out I ended up taking 6 months off. During that time I mostly hung out around the house. Played with my kid. ... played a ton of Minecraft.

The point is, I wasn't doing any new exercise. I was just doing things other than hunching in a chair all day. And just before I started a new job I discovered that I could touch my toes again!

I asked my new job for a standing desk - and I've kept that practice up at every job since. I alternate between standing and sitting on a tall office chair. I estimate that I stand a little more than half the day all in, but being able to transition has made a huge difference for me.

I'm in my forties now and I can grab my feets no problem. I don't do any dedicated stretching - I'm just not hunching all day.

I have an oversized "gamer chair" with a "footrest" that extends the front of the chair that allows me to sit cross legged on it. I replaced the base with a metal one and got rollerskate wheels. It's now quite sturdy and works well for me the last several years.

Yoga ball office chair. They're silly looking, but it's more convenient than a giant yoga ball.

What is your budget?

If you sit at a keyboard for multiple hours every day you should consider getting one of these: https://kinesis-ergo.com/shop/freestyle2-for-pc-us/

Scroll right in the picture carousel to the photo showing the two monitors. That is the configuration I use mine in.

I was developing ulnar neuropathy from typing something like twelve hours a day while working for a startup. I got this keyboard and started using it with the 15 degree tilt configuration, and the ulnar neuropathy cleared up in about a month.

Before that, typing for a couple hours would result in tingling and numbness along the pinkie side of both hands. After about a month, that stopped and never came back.

I’ve since left tech and no longer have crazy long time on the keyboard, and now I just use the keyboard on my macbook, without any issue.

For reference, I was in my late twenties when this occurred. I’m now in my 40s and I will say that the ulnar neuropathy never came back.

The one thing about that keyboard to be aware of: it’s BIG. Each half is nearly the size of a macbook air. So it can be a bit much to carry in a messenger bag. A decent backpack, doable. But it’s really best as a permanent desk fixture.

Sideways mouse is great too.

I got this at the start of the pandemic and it has worked out perfect for me. I would have gone for a normal Herman miller but there’s not much of used market in my location and I’m not paying HM prices.

I have the GABRYLLY Ergonomic Mesh Office Chair from Amazon and I love it.

I have upper back pain due to minor scoliosis. I'm also 6'1" so it's more challenging to find chairs that support my upper back well.

I bought this one because it has a lot of the features of the $1,000+ Herman Miller type chairs, but for less than $300. I bought it during the pandemic and figured if it lasted a year or two it would justify me forking out the money for the real expensive ones. Well 4 years later I'm still loving it.

The only complaint I had was the wheels are kind of crap, but I replaced them with some $30 rubber ones that look like rollerblade wheels. They are smooth fast and don't destroy my laminate floors.

Adjustable armrests make a huge difference. Fixed armrests are better than none but really you need to be able to raise them to the right height for you, so your shoulders and back can properly relax. Without supportive armrests your shoulders need to carry the weight of your arms all day.

If I was required to sit in a chair for hours, I would insist my supervisors allow me to sit on this:

And of course these are made in actual chair models too, with a stable base and a backrest and everything, but I would prefer the actual ball. Very healthy for your spine and core muscles, if you're required to sit, this is the healthiest method.

Herman Miller Embody.

Basic Ikea office chair plus ergonomic butt cushion. No need to spend a ton of money.

I have the bottom half of an unpleasantly upholstered office chair that I pulled out of a dumpster a quarter century ago. I would not recommend it, but it's better than the loose crap I find every time I go chair shopping.

I prefer a mesh chair to prevent sweating, with an adjustable headrest. I bought an Office Max branded chair years ago and it has held up perfectly.

I like my Herman Miller cosim by and large... I have experienced tailbone pain though. I'm not sure if it's the chair or just me getting older really.

In the first month of the pandemic, my employer allowed us to take home our work chairs. They were Herman Miller Aerons. They've been pretty good. The only thing lacking is a headrest, and I can't justify to myself to buy a Herman Miller headrest. Can anyone recommend a cheaper alternative that's compatible with the Aeron?

If you ever want to give standing desk a try I prefer a setup with a high office chair rather than having a desk that goes up and down. Its cheaper and the higher chair gives you part of benefit of standing which is being able to get up and back to work quickly when grabbing food or such and when its so easy to get up and down you will find yourself standing more and more.

I have a standing desk thus I just use an IKEA foldable barstool https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/franklin-bar-stool-with-backrest-foldable-black-black-50406465/

It’s a makeshift standing desk that can’t be lowered and using such a stool forces me to stand. But even if I just sit in it all day I don’t have any back pain or anything like I did when I used a normal office chair at a normal desk.

big desk and stand up or an ajustable table idk

Refurbished Ahrend 220. I bought 2 of them for about 50 Euro a piece on our local marketplace. Best chairs for home office I ever had. Ergonomic, comfortable and sturdy.