I recently changed jobs and am doing a lot more sitting at the new one. This has exacerbated some on-again-off again neck/upper back pain I’ve been managing for years. I got a posture alert device that sits on my upper back and vibrates if I slouch, which has helped some. But I’ve always had really tight hip flexors (I’m physically pretty tightly-wound and inflexible all over, even when I really work at it), and sitting with my back/thighs/shins at 90 degree angles has never been comfortable for me. My legs desperately want to stretch out, which forces me to move back from the desk, which along with my hips’ desire to be bent at a more oblique angle, forces me to curl my back forward to reach the keyboard and mouse, which causes me to slouch.
So I thought I’d try one of those kneeling chairs. I recently ordered this one from Amazon because it was cheap, adjustable, and had good reviews:
SogesHome Adjustable Ergonomic Kneeling Chair with Thick Cushions Stool Chair Desk Chair Small Office Chair, Adjustable Height and Angle, with Wheels https://a.co/iW8FfA6
And so far, it’s actually kind of working for me. It’s so much easier to sit up straight in this position; my posture buzzy device confirms I’m doing better, and I notice my neck hurts less. My knees do ache a bit after using it all day, especially several days in a row, but some Googling tells me you’re not really supposed to use it 40 hours a week anyway (really, you’re not supposed to sit that much, period), and besides, that discomfort is less than the relief to my neck.
The only thing is, I’m not sure if I have it adjusted right for my body. There’s a pneumatic lift for the seat like most office chairs have, and there are three settings for the knee pad. The included instructions say nothing about how it should be adjusted. This is the first kneeling chair I’ve even seen in real life, so I’m kind of flying blind.
Some specific questions:
-Most of the photos I see online show people’s feet hanging in the air. Is that important? The way I’ve got my chair configured now, my feet touch the ground, and I can even put my toes behind the rear horizontal bar. Should I try to adjust the seat and/or kneeling pad so that doesn’t happen? (Incidentally, the photos on Amazon only show three holes you can use to position the knee pad, but mine came with 5. I currently have it on the lowest hole, so I could move it up quite a bit.)
-I keep reading stuff online that says the seat should be angled at least 25 degrees, or between 25 and 30 degrees. I’m assuming that means 25-30 degrees down from the horizontal plane. I haven’t seen my protractor since high school, but I think I remember enough to make a 22.5 degree wedge by folding paper in half twice diagonally, and by holding that against the seat with a level I can see that it’s a lot more horizontal than that. The angle of the seat pad itself doesn’t appear to be adjustable. But by raising the seat, I can change the angle of my thighs. BUT, even with the seat all the way down, the angle of the top of my thighs is notably more vertical than my paper wedge anyway. So what am I aiming for here?
-Is there a guide somewhere on the optimum height of the seat and knee pad based on your height or leg length? (I’m somewhere between 5’9 and 5’10, with a 34" inseam.) What’s the the ideal angle for your knees? Or is it more important to just get your head and elbows to the correct height for the desk you’re using?
-Anything else I should know? (I’m open to advice on the broader ergonomics issues beyond the chair. Just know that I’ve already spent a lot of time on this subject and have probably already considered most of the common suggestions.)
Thanks!