We spend around a third of our day sitting on office chairs. And it doesn’t help that our office chairs aren’t always adjusted to provide the best lumbar support.
To adjust the lumbar support on your office chair, you can either pull up the lever at the side of your chair to move your backrest forward, or you can push the button at the back of the backrest to adjust the height of the lumbar support.
But different chairs have different ways to adjust their lumbar support. What if your chair doesn’t have a conventional design?
Here we’ll talk about all the possible ways you can adjust your lumbar support.
Table of Contents
Option 1: Pushing a Button
For chairs that have an adjustable lumbar support height, there is usually a button found at the back of the backrest. This button, when pressed, will move the whole backrest up and down.
Office chairs with buttons for lumbar support adjustment don’t have locks on them. When you release your press on the button, the height doesn’t go back down.
You’re probably wondering—if you adjust the backrest higher, doesn’t this leave the lower back with nothing to rest on? Not exactly.
The goal here is not to bring the curved area of the backrest to the middle of your back. Hence, the backrest’s height should be high after all.
Rather, the goal is just to position the curve exactly right at your lower back, a few inches above your butt cheeks.
For example, your office chair’s backrest curve is too low if it’s already touching the upper portion of your buttocks. What you want to do is press the button found at the back and pull the backrest up so that the curve is right at the back of your pelvis.
Option 2: Turning a Lever
There are other chairs whose lumbar supports are adjusted by levers. This lever is attached to the backrest instead of the stand.
To adjust the lumbar support, twist the lever away from your body, in a counter-clockwise movement. Depending on the office chair’s backrest design, you’ll be able to see the lumbar support “tightening” the more you turn the lever.
There are cases when the adjustment is done by turning the lever to a clockwise movement. If you aren’t sure, check the manufacturer’s instructions on lumbar support adjustment.
Office chairs with mesh material for their backrest will allow you to see how the lumbar support shapes your lower back. When you turn the lumbar support lever, you’ll see the lumbar area tightening towards the lower back.
When you’re adjusting your chair’s lumbar support, you want the lumbar area to perfectly “hug” your lower back so that it easily rests on it even when you’re in an upright position.
Option 3: Pulling the Lumbar Up
Sometimes, there are office chairs that don’t have any buttons or levers that will move the lumbar support for you. Usually, those chairs are the ones whose backrest height can’t be adjusted.
Instead of a backrest adjustment, it has adjustable lumbar support found inside the mesh. This lumbar support can be moved up or down depending on your preference.
To adjust this feature, hold the two handles found at each side of your backrest. Slightly push the handles until you can easily move the lumbar support up and down.
When you’ve found the right height for your lower back, simply let go of the handles. This will lock the lumbar support in position.
The lack of an adjustable backrest might be a disadvantage for people who prefer a specific height and angle to fit their backs, but as long as your goal is to support your lower back, an adjustable lumbar support is good enough.
Option 4: Tilting the Backrest Using a Knob
While not exactly a lumbar support adjustment, an adjustable backrest tilt is very beneficial in fitting the lumbar support to your back.
Positioning the backrest in an upright angle or a 90-degree angle to your seat will help support your lower back even better as opposed to having the backrest tilted at a wider angle.
If your office chair has a knob, this knob will help tighten the tilt of your backrest.
For example, if you turn the knob clockwise, you’ll see the backrest loosening. This means that if you lean on the backrest, it can easily tilt back.
If you want to tighten the backrest so that it stays at a 90-degree angle, just turn the knob counter-clockwise. This way, you can maintain an upright position when you’re working.
Option 5: Tilting the Backrest Using a Lever
Another way to fix a backrest’s tilt is by using a lever. If a knob isn’t available, then most likely your office chair will have a lever attached to the stand.
To adjust the backrest forward, pull the lever up until it’s at an angle that’s ideal for you. Release the lever if you’re already satisfied with your backrest’s tilt.
If you want your backrest slanted back a little, you can pull the lever up again and put some weight on your backrest. This will help the backrest move back instead of forward.
When you’re comfortable with the angle, you can release the lever to maintain the tilt.
Conclusion
It’s a good thing that there are a lot of office chairs that provide adjustable lumbar support. Without these adjustable features, office chairs would be a big pain in the back.
There are many ways to adjust the lumbar support, some common methods include pushing a button, turning a lever, and pulling the lumbar manually.
It’s best to know the kind of lumbar support adjustment your office chair has so that you can properly adjust this area to fit your lower back.
Remember, the goal here is to let your lower backrest comfortably against your backrest curve. This prevents back pain by spreading the weight of your back evenly.
My name is Vance, and I am the owner of To Ergonomics. Our mission is to improve your workflow by helping you create a supportive and welcoming environment. We hope that you’ll find what you’re looking for while you’re here.