The 8 Best Office Chairs for Back Pain

Editing for hours on end can put a toll on your back. And if you need to work continuously, you might not have the luxury of time to get off the chair and stretch even for just 5 or 10 minutes every three hours or so.

Thus there is a need for a more supportive ergo chair. And we have picked the best. 

Best Chairs For Extended Hours – Our Top Picks

These are the best chairs you can sit on for continuous editing. Without back pains, you can focus more on what you’re doing. 

Herman Miller Embody

It is pretty adjustable in all the right places, so you can find this chair very comfortable for longer hours. It encourages movement while sitting down. At the same time, it ensures even weight distribution, which is another important factor if you want to stay comfortably seated for longer hours. This leans in the natural movement of the back thereby preventing any resistance that can lead to back pain. The back of the chair also has sufficient give. The design of the chair accommodates almost any type of position.

The distinct pixelated back support design of the chair, with which it is known, also lends the most comfort. 

But here comes the bad bits, this chair might need some time to get used to, especially for those who tend to slouch. This chair, while amenable to movements and all, still pushes one to a more proper posture.  So if you have been a sloucher for a while, then it might take several days for you to be comfortable in the chair. The first few days will be such a learning curve for some folks.

X-Chair X4 Leather Executive Chair

It combines luxury, aesthetics, and function. The chair’s dynamic lumbar support automatically adjusts to your position. So it offers more customized support. It can support your spine in every movement, when you rock the chair, move it further back or sit more upright. 

The downside is, that flickering through the adjustments takes a bit of a learning curve. But once you get there, you will be sublimely comfortable.

Branch Verve

This is a simple-looking and almost basic-functioning chair that can help prevent chronic back pain. The design is simple. Yet it can lend support to the entire back and prevent pain if you have been sitting for longer hours in front of your desk. 

Also, all the adjustable features work well with one another and don’t go against each other. Having a lot of adjustable features is one thing. But having all these features work well with one another is a different thing.

If you are also not up to some learning curve, this is perfect. This chair is straightforward to operate and does not require any learning cure or any adjustment period. 

The lumbar support is sufficient and your hips will not feel any stiffness or numbness. The cons are, that the adjustable features are still limited and might not be that comfortable for taller people

Steelcase Leap V2

The disadvantage is, that it takes some time to find the perfect setting for all the adjustable features, from the right height, lumbar support, and armrest position to the resistance level. 

Also, some may find the lower back support too aggressive. So this chair is not for everyone. If you need more pronounced support, then you will be pretty satisfied with this chair. But if you are not for one that’s too aggressive, you will find yourself trying to remove the lumbar part. While this can work, this can also make your back brush against the hard base plastic, so it can still be uncomfortable. 

So might as well try the chair and feel if the type of lumbar support it has is what your back needs.

Herman Miller Mirra 2

The mesh material helps distribute the weight properly so you can get that even super for the entire body. The material adjusts automatically as you lean back in the chair.

But this can be aggressive if you have a very poor posture. The chair will try to train you to be in a more ergonomic position so that you can work all day long. So if you find it too much, you can take breaks in between until you get accustomed to the chair, or get another one that suits your comfort needs better.

Haworth Zody

The seat is also firmer compared to the Zody 1, so it can give a bit more support for the tush, less likely to flatten out easily too. 

What improvement we loved the most was the recline. If you find the recline of the Embody or the Aeron a bit too much and too hard, then this is a more forgiving chair. This feels akin to the comfort and lumbar support of the more intuitive Haworth Fern.

Humanscale Freedom

This is an ideal option if you are taller and wider in dimensions. The overall size of the chair and the build can carry a weight of up to 400 bs.  The headrest has a larger size that can cradle the neck sufficiently, so you feel supported as you are working on these deadlines. It is not aggressive and won’t push your neck way too forward. 

This is also meant for those who don’t want too much adjustment and a learning curve. Despite the chair having only a few adjustable parts, it can support your back as you move. This self-adjusting mechanism will work well for the minimalist and those who just want to sit in a chair and have everything laid out for them. 

But keep in mind that this feature limits the group of people who will find the chair comfortable, but once you do, you might not want to get out of it.

Haworth Fern

This is another chair with a unique design that you can find extremely comfortable for working longer hours. Let’s start with the super high backrest, this can accommodate even taller users and you will have your entire back fully supported. 

The backrest can also be tinkered with in five different positions, allowing you to find the perfect angle and spot that can help you be more productive even for extended hours. 

The lumbar support is akin to a rubber balloon shape that can conform to the shape and curvature of the lower back. It feels less aggressive than an Aeron chair. You can buy the Fern without the lumbar support and you need to add money to get that. However, without the lumbar support, this renders the chair less comfortable.

Other chairs we tested

These chairs can also be comfortable and productive options. They just weren’t able to tick all the boxes in our list and hence fell off. 

• Steelcase Karman

This is a really light and easy chair to move around. The chair also has this rather flexible frame that can flower you as you bend, recline, or sit upright. It is also soft and supportive at the same time.

There is just an issue with the seat depth slider, this narrows down the number of people who will find this comfortable for longer hours. But this is an alternative to the Aeron if you find this premium mesh chair too stiff.   

• HAG CAPISCO

The unique saddle seat of the Capisco makes it both a very comfortable chair and a very uncomfortable one for some. Saddle seat chairs can help keep you upright so that you can achieve a more ergonomic position for longer hours, this can be too tiresome for most people. 

This type of seat is not for everybody, especially if you need to stay in front of the desk for hours and dread a painful back.

• Steelcase Gesture

The overall support of the Gesture is a bit similar to the Leap. But we did find the Leap more suitable for longer houses since it has more supportive seats. The seat of the Gesture will not flatten out more easily and lacks support but this can work if you are on the lighter side. You can still get that decent support for your back and butt. 

Also, the chair can sync and automatically adjust to your movement, it still has your back. 

• Knoll Generation chair

This is an incredibly light and flexible chair that can be surprisingly comfortable for longer hours of work. This is a budget-friendly option too. You can squeeze in a more comfortable chair for your editing tasks for less of a price.  Just keep in mind that the type of support the back lends is more springy, though not lacking the support but it feels more lightweight. You don’t need to have a fair amount of resistance to feel the backrest. 

The design is also minimalist and very attractive to those who want a more unobtrusive ergonomic chair. And we find the backrest quite flexible for a chair of its price.

The seat is appropriately padded and the chair has decent adjustable features such as the seat depth which can add comfort to the entire body. This chair can also adjust to your movement. So if you tend to shift movements or wiggle, feel free to do so in this chair. After all, you have to insert micro movements so that you can finish those deadlines. 

The cons are, the arms are quite short and some people might find them lacking support.

What We Considered

Here are the things that made these chairs very accommodating for longer hours of work. And if you are an editor or copywriter, you spend a lot of time burning the midnight oil. So might as well use the most stable chair or you can say hello to back pain every single day,

• Lumbar support and materials of the chair

Chairs with adjustable lumbar support can help you get to a better ergonomic position and prevent back pain. Regardless if you need a more enhanced and pronounced back support or one that is more intuitive, you can get the most suitable chair for your needs.

Those who need to have more control over how deep or how pronounced the back support is can find more satisfaction in a fully adjustable one.

We also have other chairs that, while lacking an adjustable lumbar, can adjust automatically to the user. 

Then we have the material. We did not just settle for an adjustable ergonomic chair or a more intuitive one.  We made sure to pick chairs that are made of a more flexible and responsive backrest. This renders the chair more amenable to movements. Whenever you bend or stretch, the chair will simply move with you and will not allow your shoulder to press too much angst and a too firm base. 

• Build and strong foundation 

We opted for chairs that are more solid and stable. If you’re going to sit for longer hours and need to move now and then, you need a chair that can withstand wear and tear. 

There will also be lots of fine-tuning, and changing of recline or tilt settings within the day. So you need a char that can hold its forth no matter what.

Where We Stand

Among the ergo features, we gave more focus on chairs that can help alleviate back pain. This is very crucial since back pain can result from sitting for a long time without sufficient support. And this encompasses not just the presence of a lumbar support. It also includes the material of the backrest, the build of the unit, and how well the other ergo features work with one another.

Comfortable Chairs for Very Long Hours 

So there we have it. These chairs, albeit some having a higher price tag, will be able to accommodate longer hours of sitting down. Being an editor and copywriter requires more focus, you have to be on top of everything. You will not be able to do that if you are sitting in a chair which can cause back pain.