As gaming becomes more popular, people everywhere are creating their own gaming battle stations. What is any good gaming station without an awesome, racing-inspired chair meant for gaming?
One of the biggest questions you might be thinking about is are gaming chairs good for your back?
Whether you’re looking for the right chair for your home office or just to game on the weekends, the comfort and support your receive is one of the more important factors to consider.
You should choose something that promotes good posture, and prevents back issues from cropping up after sitting for long periods of time.
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why buying a gaming chair may very well be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make, and why your back will thank you.
Yes, Gaming Chairs Are Great for Your Back
When it comes to making the right seat choice for your workspace, there are several things you want to consider. The most important feature of a good seat is one that offers support for the natural curve of your spine.
Another important factor of a good chair is its ability to adjust to the individual better, allowing for a more personalized approach to posture. Poor posture causes the muscles in your back to have to work harder and puts unneeded stress on the spinal column. Thus, choosing a chair that promotes adjustability to get the most comfortable position is crucial.
When you choose the right gaming chair, you’ll not only make your back job easier, but you’ll also offer yourself better health overall.
Better posture typically means you’ll notice an increase in energy and productivity due to less work required from your back as you’re sitting all day. If you’re prone to headaches, you may also notice a decrease in the amount you get, as your shoulders and neck aren’t straining as much throughout the day.
Gaming chairs are more often than not loaded with features that you won’t find in a standard office chair, that offer benefits to your sitting position and overall back support. From the way their seat pans are designed, to the customizability of their arm supports, gaming chairs are the way to go if you care about your back.
What Makes A Gaming Chair Good For Your Back?
If you were to put a standard office chair next to a gaming chair, the first thing you’d notice is the personalization factor. But what features make a gaming chair the right choice in the fight against back pain?
Lumbar Support
If you look at any serious gaming chair, nearly all of them come with a separate lumbar pillow accessory that doesn’t come with your typical office chair. These lumbar pillows, when used correctly, prevent slouching when you’re sitting.
How to use A Lumbar Pillow on a Gaming Chair
While most chair manufacturers will explain how to use the lumbar support in your chair manual, most are pretty self-explanatory.
Most lumbar supports on gaming chairs (with the exception of Secretlab) aren’t fixed, you can adjust them to fit your height by sliding them up the straps that affix them to the seat.
When sitting in the chair correctly, you should place the pillow just above the top of your hips, and maintain the natural curve in your lower back.
When it comes to treating your back right, lumbar supports play one of the most crucial roles.
Headrests
Gaming chairs also, for the most part, come with neck pillows as another accessory. Using these pillows to properly support your neck helps to relax your upper back and shoulders, resulting in a better sitting position for your back.
While headrests are not specific to gaming chairs, this is also a feature you typically only find on high-end office chairs. However, the majority of gaming chairs come standard with the proper fittings for ergonomic comfort even at the entry level.
Gaming Chair Neck Pillow Position
Just like the lumbar pillow, the neck pillow supports the natural curvature in your spine between your shoulders and the base of your skull.
Reclining Backrest
Another important feature of gaming chairs that isn’t as prevalent as your standard office chair is their reclining backrests. As mentioned earlier, slouching is easily considered one of the absolute worst positions for your back, and having a reclining backrest helps prevent this.
Since gaming chairs recline, you’re less apt to find yourself slouching in your chair for comfort and instead of leaning backward to stretch your back out. Gaming chairs offer the luxury of proper back support that only some of the most expensive office chairs have to offer.
Arm Rests
Taking a look at the sides of the seat, most gaming chairs also offer more flexibility in terms of armrest adjustability. You’ll be able to adjust your armrests to better support your bar arms properly, in turn reducing the amount of stress on your shoulders.
Now You Know!
So, there you have it, gaming chairs are great for more than their sleek and stylish look, they’re also great for your back. With the right gaming chair, you’ll be offering your back the right support to foster good posture and promote better back health long into the future.
To help you make the right decision when it comes to choosing the correct gaming chair for you, check out this video that better explains how to fit it to your body type and height, so you can continue making good decisions when it comes to better back support.