Most people who suffer from back pain while sitting begin their search for a better office chair with lumbar support.
There are many things to consider when beginning the search for a quality ergonomic office chair but it is most important to increase your body awareness to understand what exactly is meant when discussing lumbar support for office chairs.
When we stand with a nice neutral balanced position, our spine assumes natural curves such that our lumbar spine has an inward curve, otherwise referred to as a lordosis.
This lordotic lumbar spine curve transitions into a outward or kyphotic curve through the mid back and finishes with an inward curving cervical or neck spine position.
This is the natural shape of the spine and the objective for sitting is similar as it is for standing. We want the pelvis to be best supported to be in a neutral upward position to encourage the aforementioned shapes of the spine.
When we experience sitting in even a very high end ergonomic chair, we may find that our pelvis is in a good position. When the sit surface in parallel to the floor, our sit bones gradually slide forward on this sit surface. When our sit bones slide forward, the top of the back of our pelvis tilts rearward.
When the pelvis is allowed to tilt rearward, this causes our lumbar spine to flatten and lose the natural inward curve that is necessary for this region of our spine.
This is generally when someone tells you that you need a lumbar support office chair. In this case a lumbar support office chair addressed the symptom of the flattened lumbar spine by actually pushing on the lumbar spine to attempt to push it into extension to create the desired inward curve or lordosis.
Unfortunately in many cases, this solution is limited in its effectiveness. Not only does it apply forces on the relatively tiny bony structures of the spinal vertebrae but often it causes the user to slide their sit bones forward on the sit surface. Now the lumbar flattening is still occurring but with excessive force and the pelvis is still tilted rearward.
The well intentioned objective of this lumbar support office chair is to attempt to create extension or an inward curve in the spine so that the mid back attempts to stay as open as possible and so that the cervical or neck spine does not begin to hyper-extend.
The best design solution for a lumbar support office chair is to focus on the pelvis. This is achieved by introducing a sculpted or shaped seat that prevents the sit bones from sliding forward and a pelvic support that prevents the upper back portion of the pelvis from tilting rearward. These two opposing forces, when designed properly, keep the pelvis in such a position that one attains optimal lumbar alignment without applying excessive forces on the actual vertebrae.
This concept of the biomechanics of sitting is often elusive for most to understand as we have always assumed that a lumbar support office chair is just that, lumbar support in the lumbar spine region.
The idea of applying forces over the spine in a traditional lumbar support office chair is simply addressing the symptoms of this poor alignment, whereas a properly designed pelvic support, below and above, address the cause which is a rearward tilting pelvis.
CoreChair has integrated the design of a sculpted seat and a low back, or pelvic support, to place the user into an upright balanced position by positioning the pelvis in this neutral position. When fitted properly, CoreChair is effective in preventing flattening of the lumbar curve and optimizes the balance and alignment of the ascending spine up the back and into the neck.
The added benefit of supporting the pelvis instead of just pushing on the lumbar spine, is that the spine is now able to achieve its other naturally designed features which include flexion, extension and lateral rotation.
When you begin your journey to find the best lumbar support office chair, it is important to understand the biomechanics of your body and attempt to address the cause of your discomfort and not just the symptoms.
CoreChair– your simple solution to back pain.
Similar to an orthotic device that is designed to embrace and support various boney structures and joints within our bodies, CoreChair optimizes pelvic support with a complimentary sculpted seat and pelvic support cushion. In harmony, these cushions embrace your pelvis to encourage an upright neutral pelvic orientation. Like building a house, we need to start with a good foundation.
The outcome is a stable base that allows balance in our spine as well as the ability of our spine to work as designed with ease of natural movement through flexion, extension and rotation.
A healthy spine also requires a diversity of movement which involves stimulating blood flow, mobilizing the joints, strengthening core muscles and hydrating the vertebral discs. Often when we experience back pain our tendency is to rest up and stop strenuous activity. While this may be recommended in the short term, long term it may not be helpful. Movement and specific back exercises are needed to help alleviate and remedy back pain. Moving on a CoreChair provides an excellent opportunity to gradually work the back and core in a controlled manner to help avoid stiffness, strengthen and alleviate pain.
A study completed by Memorial University concluded that participants sitting in the CoreChair adopted a more upright posture, experienced less back pain and stiffness and had enhanced blood flow when compared to sitting in a traditional office chair.
Reduced Back Pain
Pelvic support provides the foundation for a balanced healthy spine to prevent slumping, optimize posture, and reduce back pain and discomfort.
Core Strength
Movement is the key to maintaining core strength and more movement will definitely build strength. One absolute is that if you don’t use it you will lose it.
Extraordinary comfort meets incredible pelvic support.
Proper distribution of our weight when sitting is a critical factor in chair selection as it translates into seating comfort. Poorly designed chairs can result in uncomfortable pressure points and restriction of circulation. The seat of the CoreChair is aggressively sculpted to embrace your sit bones and provide even weight distribution allowing your circulation to flow freely, so you can focus on your work, not your discomfort.
Graduate students from Cornell University (with guidance from Dr. Alan Hedge), investigated sitting pressure on CoreChair compared to a high-end ergonomic office chair and discovered that CoreChair has more evenly dispersed weight thereby significantly lowering pressure points. This means significantly better comfort for you.
Sculpted Seat
Sculpted seat harmonizes with pelvic stabilizer to relieve pressure points, prevents sliding, and provide added comfort.
Pelvic Support
Our seat cushion works in conjunction with the pelvic support to stabilize the pelvis, optimize sitting posture, and reduce back pain.
Boosting brain power through movement.
Being physically active not only helps us avoid negative outcomes such as chronic disease and obesity, but also helps to boost our brainpower! Cognition, how we understand and interact in the world, related to the brain-based skills needed to learn, remember and solve problems. Physical activity, whether exercise in the gym or incidental movement on your CoreChair, aids our cognitive power by stimulating blood flow to the brain, delivering oxygen and glucose to make us better able to work on tasks both simplistic and complex. Introduce movement into your workday and experience the benefits of improved focus, increased productivity, and more brainpower!
Dr. Leah Bent conducted a four-hour investigation at the University of Guelph and discovered there was a significant reduction in calf circumference indicative of improved lower extremity blood flow and a significant reduction of errors commissioned utilizing SART (Sustained Attention to Response Task) suggesting enhanced cognitive function with blood flow.
Blood Flow
Movement stimulates your lymphatic system and blood flow to keep your vital systems working well.
Brain Power
Increased blood flow to the brain keeps you alert and creative, making you happier and more productive in the workplace.
IMPROVING YOUR HEALTH ONE MOVE AT A TIME.
There’s a distinct difference between exercise and physical activity. Exercise is a subcategory of physical activity and is planned, structured, repetitive and purposeful with a fitness objective. Physical activity includes exercise in addition to other activities that involve movement including pacing, household chores and other recreational activities.
CoreChair is proud to be NEAT™ Certified (NEAT™ stands for the science of Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, developed by Mayo Clinic). We now know that activity, all activity, is good for our health.
Increased Caloric Burn
Movement burns calories and helps manage our weight and mood, which bolsters our energy! CoreChair users can expect an increased metabolic demand of 20%!
Increased Circulation
Swollen ankles? Movement stimulates your circulation. Not just to make your heart pump but also assists your vascular return.
