When we are sitting on an office chair and working for long hours, most of us have a natural tendency to slouch. This is where lumbar support comes to the rescue.
The lumbar support is one of the most attractive and thoughtful features of any office chair. It sits flat against your lower back and helps maintain the inward curve of the lower spine, which in turn aids in achieving a good, straight posture.
Some office chairs come with lumbar support pre-attached to them, while others need additional support. If you have a chair that lets you remove or add lumbar support, this article will help you learn how to adjust your chair just right.
Since different chairs have different mechanisms, the adjustment of lumbar support varies based on how the chairs and the lumbar support are engineered.
To know more about lumbar support and understand how you can take the lumbar off some popular Steelcase chairs, keep reading.
Table of Contents
What is Lumbar Support?
The term “lumbar” concerns the back’s lower part which includes five vertebrae. Lumbar support in chairs is typically made out of a soft cushion or pillow and keeps this area of your back comfortable. It helps support the natural curvature of the back and minimizes discomfort if one is sitting for a prolonged period.
Lumbar support can also help prevent and/or reduce the risk of various back or spinal problems such as muscle contraction, compromised postures, muscle spasms, and sciatica.
Most high-quality office chairs come with lumbar support, a feature that people with back and posture issues look for. Typically, chairs can have any of the four types of lumbar support — fixed lumbar support, adjustable lumbar support, external lumbar support, and dynamic lumbar support.
Most office chairs have fixed lumbar support. However, because every user has different heights, body types, and back concerns, the placement of the lumbar could be ideal for some and not for others.
This is why learning how to remove the lumbar and replace the lumbar support to suit your personal requirements is very important.
Where Should the Lumbar Support Be on the Chair?
To reap the maximum benefits of the chair’s lumbar support, it is essential you ensure it is placed appropriately. As the name suggests, the lumbar support has to be affixed where your lumbar is — the lower back area where your spine naturally curves.
Since the entire purpose of lumbar support is to support the lower part of your body, if it is in the incorrect position, you will see no difference in your comfort levels or your body posture.
If the lumbar support is placed too high, you may feel an uncomfortable pinching sensation on your lower back. And if the lumbar support is too low, you will sit slouching forwards.
It is recommended to try to place the lumbar support at different angles until you find a position that is the most comfortable for your lower back.
How to Remove the Lumbar Support for my Office Chair?
Every office chair comes with exclusive instructions on how to remove the lumbar support from it.
Let us look into how to remove lumbar support on three of the most popular office chairs.
Steelcase Leap V1
- Remove the back pad from the back frame of the chair so that you can get a hold of the lumbar support.
- With your hands, pull the lumbar up to separate it from the lumbar stop.
- Repeat the earlier steps on the other side of the chair.
- The lumbar support will then snap out of the frame effortlessly.
- Pull the lumbar support out from the side of the chair, and you’re good to go.
You can also follow these simple instructions presented in this video on how to remove the sliding lumbar pad on a Steelcase Leap V1.
Steelcase Leap V2
- Gently pull the back pad away from the chair frame to get a desirable hold on the handle of the lumbar support.
- Reach in with your hands through the space to grab the lumbar support handle and pull it off.
- Tuck the handle a little inside the gap created by moving the pad.
- Repeat the same steps on the other side of the chair.
- After this, you should be able to pull the whole lumbar support out of the back of the chair.
Here’s a video guide on how to remove and attach lumbar support in Steelcase Leap V2.
Steelcase Think
- Put the chair on a soft furniture pad.
- Turn and lay the chair with its right side facing the pad.
- Press the seat slide handle under the front of the chair’s seat and pull the seat forward as much as you can to its maximum setting.
- Find the black tab on the right side of the seat’s side rail, which is the out stop feature on the chair.
- Insert a screwdriver below the stop out and push it upwards.
- At the same time, press the slide handle on the seat and pull the seat forward for it to come off.
- Remove the lower back screws with the help of a drilling machine.
- Detach the back cushion’s center from the frame.
- If the lumbar is adjustable, use a screwdriver to remove the lumbar handles from both sides.
- Pinch and gently pull the lumbar away from the chair until it comes off.
- If the lumbar is fixed, push the lumbar out of its slot from the back frame of the chair.
Refer to this video tutorial on how to replace the lumbar on Steel Think.
Herman Miller Aeron
Aeron by Herman Miller is one of the most iconic chairs to have ever hit the market. Known for offering optimum ergonomics, Herman Miller’s Aeron is highly sought-after.
True to the brand’s dedication to quality and comfort, Herman Miller offers a removable lumbar pad that you can easily attach to any Aeron chair, including the Classic and Side chairs.
This removable lumbar support pad comes in three sizes and is highly adjustable to whichever height you find the most comfortable, providing superior back support.
Simply push the lumbar support pad into the track on the back of the Aeron chair and pull it up or push it down to your preferred height. It’s as simple as that!
Conclusion
While it is important to invest in a chair that has lumbar support pre-attached or has the provision of attaching one, you also need to ensure that the placement of your lumbar support is correct.
Ideally, you should look for a chair that allows easy dismantling and assembly of the lumbar support. By now, you should have a better understanding of how you can remove lumbar support from an office chair.
Hopefully, this article can serve as a helpful guide if you want to switch the lumbar support from one chair to another, give your chair a deep clean, or adjust the height of the lumbar.
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.