Programmers have become important workers in every industry. No longer working just at tech companies, programmers are now a part of many teams across sectors and companies. However, their work life needs are often different from other people working in your office for a number of reasons. Programmers spend the majority of their work day at their desks, and much of that time is spent seated for extended hours, focused on their computer screens. Everything from eye strain to neck and should pain can occur if programmers aren’t supporting themselves in the right way. A quality desk chair is the single most important piece of furniture a programmer should have and probably one of the smartest investments one can make. So where do you go about choosing the best desk chair for a programmer? This is where we can help. Office Designs has helps countless programmers outfit their workstations and desks with the ergonomic essential that support their body while they work. Based on feedback from our customers, here are the 3 best desk chairs for programmers:

The Steelcase Leap Chair has been a consistent and reliable desk chair for programmers for many years. Leap was specifically designed to cater to workers who often sit in one position during the majority of their work day – a perfect match for programmers. It also has the ability to operate with up to 300 pounds of weight without any loss in performance, catering to all shapes and sizes. It comes equipped with 26 unique patents to improve comfort across the body and with its focus on improving both posture and productivity, it’s a natural choice for long days of coding. Highlights: Great Ergonomic Support, Optional Headrest Available Price Range: $770 to $1,418 Financing: As low as $67.70/mo The Herman Miller Aeron has long been a favorite of programmers, and it’s easy to see why. As one of the most iconic office chairs ever made, the Aeron was the first office chair to replace the fabric and foam seat with a mesh seat. This unique design distributes weight properly, relieving pressure points, and reducing heat.

With their PostureFit technology, you also get the added lower back support that ensures the best support spine, a weak spot for workers who spend lengthy stretches of time at their desks. Many of our programmer customers still swear by Aeron as the best desk chair for programmers. Highlights: Great Ergonomic Support, Sits Cool New Price Range: $730 to $1,428 Used Price Range: $499 to $899 Financing: As low as $64.18/mo The Embody chair is one of the newest ergonomic desk chairs by Herman Miller. It’s ranked #1 by our customers as the most popular, comfortable, and supportive desk chair and is extremely popular among our male programming customers. Its wide seat and nimble back have exceptional breathability and movement while maintaining exceptional support for your back. The Embody chair has a striking design, it’s distinctive spine-like back enables each part of the chair’s back to move independently with you. No matter how you move or lean the chair will move with you.

This blend of ergonomic design makes Embody chair a very popular choice for anyone who needs excellent support for long durations seated. Highlights: Best in Ergonomic Support, Sits Coolpink tub chair uk Price Range: $1,160 to $1,540best massage chair pads Financing: As low as $101.98/mowhere to buy x rocker gaming chair Many people complain about how uncomfortable their office chairs can be, even if they only spend a few hours at their desks per day. antique office chairs torontoFor programmers, these problems are not only magnified but can lead to major discomfort and even certain health conditions. art deco chairs for sale sydney

Because of this, it is important to choose the most appropriate office chairs for programmers so that they can stay healthy and productive while they work.The wrong chair = real health problems. best franklin leather club chair (Total read time: 8 minutes)desk chair on rollers In this post I’ll cover how I identified the best high-end chairs in the world, which I ultimately chose, and the tangible results that followed.dining room chairs ontario In January of 2005, I found myself on a veranda in Panama after the usual afternoon rain, dreaming of the upcoming year and reflecting on lessons learned since leaving the US. buy office chairs in mumbai

Maria Elena, the matriarch of the Panamanian family that had adopted me, sipped her iced tea and pointed at my bruised feet: “Tim, let me share some advice I was once given. Buy the most comfortable bed and pair of shoes you can afford. If you’re not in one, you’ll be in the other.” I followed her advice upon returning to CA and the results were sudden: Plantar Fasciitis disappeared, as did shoulder impingement after switching from coil-spring to foam-layered mattresses. But what about chairs? On January 4th, 2009, I tweeted out the following: “Is the Aeron chair worth it? http://tr.im/2uxd Do you have any fave chairs for extended sitting and writing?” Even though I’m financially comfortable now, I didn’t grow up spending a lot of money, which I’m thankful for. To this day, I’ve never paid for first-class airfare for myself. Not that it isn’t worth it — I just can’t do it. Similarly, I had trouble believing a chair could possibly be worth $850-$1,200, but my back pain led me to pose the question to the omniscient Interweb.

More than 95% of Aeron users replied with “yes, absolutely”, but it wasn’t the only chair with a cult-like following. Four of the five are manufactured by Herman Miller (HM) and Humanscale (HS). Prices are from Amazon, as are the star reviews, but discounts of $200-400 can be negotiated with dealers. Both eBay and Craiglist offer similar discounts. In descending order of popularity: 1. Aeron (Fully loaded) (HM) – $879 (1 review; average review: 5 stars) Used at NASA mission control and tech start-ups worldwide. 2. Mirra (fully loaded) (HM) – $829 (14 reviews; average review: 4.5 stars) Note: the Herman Miller sales representatives I spoke with preferred the Mirra seat feel for shorter legs vs. the Aeron. Easier to adjust: Mirra is about 9 revolutions from loosest to tightest settings; 3. SwingChair – $495 Recommended by a strong contingent of writers, including one of my favorite visual storytellers, Kathy Sierra. I like the design concept, but I would suggest other forms of “core exercise”.

4. Liberty (HS) – $899 (6 reviews; average review: 3.5 stars) 5. Freedom Task Chair with Headrest (HS) – $999.99 (1 review, average: 4 stars) Used at the FBI and by other governmental agencies with three-letter acronyms. 6. Embody – $1,800 list price (negotiated with dealer: $1,200-1,300): Basis of chair design – sitting is bad; Even in locked position, it still has some backward flex at the top position. No forward tilt option. For personal testing, I also added a Swiss-ball chair (Isokinetics Balance Ball Chair – $75) to the mix, as seen below: Surprisingly, the Isokinetics chair is more comfortable than most fixed chairs I tested, though there is some minor… ahem… testicular compression that isn’t nearly as pleasant as it sounds. If you don’t have jewels to worry about, this chair could well be an ideal cost-effective choice. The chair I most wanted to test was the Mirra, which seems to have the best combination of price point (bought used or via eBay) and multiple 5-star reviews.

Not to mention it’s also the name of one of the best BMXers of all time. In the end, I bought a used C-size (technically a bit too large for me) Aeron for $450 on Craigslist. I’m impatient and didn’t want to wait over the weekend to schedule sittings for other Herman Miller chairs with a certified dealer. Once I have some conclusive comparable data, I want closure.I’m 5′ 8″ and 170 lbs., but the C works with no problem. 1) The lumbar support is — by far — the primary determinant of comfort or pain. I’ve lowered this adjustment and found that maintaining the natural S-curve through pressure on the lower back is what prevents pain most consistently. Comfortable sitting time is now 7-8 hours vs. less than 2 hours, with no ill after-effects. Sliding lumbar support on the Aeron. 2) Seat height (and secondarily, depth) will determine the rest. If the flats of your feet don’t make complete contact with the floor, you will move your hips forward and slouch, eliminating the S-curve in the lower lumbar.

If your seat is too low and your knees are above your hips, you will shorten the habitual range your hip flexors (negative neural adaptation) and end up with severe lower-back pain. Aim to keep your hamstrings parallel to the floor, and if the seat is too long for your femur (thigh bone) — as is mildly the case with my C-size Aeron — just separate your knees a bit. If you’re not wearing a tight skirt, I’ve found a basketball of space between the knees to provide the best lateral stabilization, which reduces torso fatigue. Take off heels when sitting at a desk, lest you end up with hot calves and Quasimodo-like posture. Not good for mating. If you are wearing a tight skirt, I suggest taking up the Japanese tea ceremony and sitting on tatami side saddle. It’ll be more comfortable than crossing your legs all day.True, I’ve thought more about chairs in the last few weeks than anyone should, but I do it to save you the trouble. Benefit from my OCD so you can obsess on other things.

3) Using a 3′ long and 6″ diameter foam roller three times per day for 5 minutes can eliminate persistent middle-back pain from mediocre chair use; conversely, it can extend your comfortable sitting time by 30-40%. Knowledge workers often log more ass-in-seat time than sleep. Coders, in particular, are often subjected to a steady diet of Mountain Dew and hunching for 12+-hour marathons. I don’t put in these hours, but I found myself with severe mid-upper back pain from using a non-adjustable chair and craning over a desk that was too low, even for 30-60 minutes per day. Two doctors suggested various therapies, but a quick experiment (placing a laptop on top of a dresser and writing while standing for two days) proved that posture was the problem. In less than a week following my switch to the Aeron, all upper middle-back (lower trapezius, rhomboid major) pain disappeared completely. The results: better output during work and writing, faster and deeper sleep, and a huge smack on the forehead.