How to Properly Adjust an Ergonomic Chair

Place a sheet of paper on the padded chair seat in the spot where the chair indicates your buttocks should rest.

Sit with both feet flat on the floor. If both feet cannot reach the floor, find the lever underneath the seat. Pull it up to raise the seat height, or push it down to lower the seat height.

Place an adjustable footrest under your feet if your feet don't reach the floor even after you've adjusted the seat to the lowest possible point.

Check the angle that your knees form. If you adjusted the chair's height level correctly, your knees should form an angle that is just slightly greater than 90 degrees. If you have trouble evaluating this angle, use a mirror or ask a friend's opinion. You can use a protractor to take a rough measurement.

If your knees do not form this angle, continue to adjust the height until they do and your feet are on the floor.

Check the gap between the back of your legs and the front edge of the chair. It should be 2 to 3 inches. If it is not, continue to adjust the height until it is.

Try to pull out the sheet of paper while you are still sitting. It should slide out easily. If it does not, adjust the backrest by pulling the lever on the chair's backrest. This lever is either directly on the chair's back, where the spine rests, or on the side of the chair toward the back. Pushing the lever down will let the back tilt upward, and pulling it up will cause the back to tilt downward.

Adjusting this tilt will help you increase or decrease the pressure you exert while sitting.

Check to see whether your lower back is touching the backrest. It should feel supported by this backrest. If it is not, continue to adjust the backrest by pulling the lever.

Relax your shoulders and look straight ahead with your eyes relaxed. You should be able to see the computer screen without having to peer up or down. If you cannot, and your seat height is properly adjusted, then adjust the level of your computer monitor.

Check whether your elbows can rest on the armrest while your wrists extend straight onto the desk. Adjust the chair height to these conditions. If you cannot adjust the chair height to suit this need while maintaining proper height as outlined above, then your desk is either too high or too low. It should be adjusted if possible or else replaced.