How to Adjust Your Office Chair: A Buying Guide

The Ergo Score awards up to 40 points to adjustability, spread across armrests, seat height, seat depth, lumbar adjustment, recline, tilt lock, tilt tension and advanced tilt. Those are the controls that let a chair be matched to you.

Ranking uses the back pain list, so every pick states a lumbar support.

Work from the ground up. OSHA's test for seat height is that the whole sole of the foot rests on the floor with the back of the knee slightly higher than the seat. Next comes seat depth, which OSHA says should leave no contact between the back of the knee and the front edge.

After the seat, set the backrest: lumbar height to fit the small of your back, then recline and tension. Finish with armrests, then the screen and keyboard.

OSHA says the backrest should recline at least 15 degrees from vertical and lock in place or be tension adjustable. Cornell University suggests reclining at about 100 to 110 degrees rather than sitting fully upright.

The score reflects this: 2 points for recline to 100 degrees or more, 3 for a stated tilt lock, 3 for adjustable tilt tension, and 4 for an advanced mechanism such as synchro tilt, weight-sensing recline, knee tilt, a flexing back or self-adjusting tilt.

Armrests are optional in OSHA's guidance but should be adjustable: close enough to support the lower arms while the upper arms stay near the body, and low enough to keep the shoulders relaxed. The score gives 10 points for four-way adjustment, 8 for three, 6 for two, 3 for one, 1 for fixed or flip-up and none for no armrests.

Headrest adjustment, in height or angle, earns 2 more points; it matters most if you lean back to read or take calls.

• Seat height: 4 points for adjustable, plus 2 when the stated range is at least 4 inches.
• Seat depth: 5 points for adjustment, to keep the seat edge clear of the back of the knees.
• Lumbar adjustment: 3 points for height, 2 for depth and 2 for tension.
• Recline and tilt: points for recline to 100 degrees or more, tilt lock, tilt tension and advanced tilt.
• Armrests: up to 10 points depending on how many directions they adjust.

1. Set seat height first: feet flat, the back of the knees slightly higher than the seat.
2. Adjust seat depth so the seat edge does not touch the back of your knees.
3. Move the lumbar support to the small of your back, then fine-tune depth or tension if your chair has them.
4. Set the recline tension so the back follows you gently, and use the tilt lock for any position you want to keep.
5. Position the armrests to support the lower arms with the shoulders relaxed.
6. Adjust the headrest, if there is one, only after the rest, and revisit all settings after a few days of use.