The simple answer is yes. A study has now been carried out on 25 people looking at how different seating depths affect your body. Perhaps you have felt at some point when a chair is incorrectly adjusted that your muscles cannot relax and you feel uncomfortable quite quickly. The wrong setting on your chair can cause back pain and fatigue.
In 2019, a scientific study of 25 people looked at the 'myoelectric activity' of the 'lumbar erector spinae muscles'. In simpler words, they looked at the electrical signals from the muscles around the spine when sitting. They looked at three different sitting depths, small, medium and large, matching the 5th, 50th and 95th percentile of the participants' distance from the back of the knee to the buttocks.
The study showed that sitting depth has a major impact on muscle strain. That depth affects posture and how long you can sit without feeling discomfort because the back muscles are forced to work harder to maintain a stable and upright posture. In other words, sitting depth is very important. But also different as we all look different.
So how do you find your optimal seat depth? Make sure there is a small space (about the width of your fist) between the back of your knees and the chair. Also, spend a few well-invested minutes adjusting your chair to suit you and your body, it's that important.
Source: Myoelectric Activity of Individual Lumbar Erector Spinae Muscles Variation by Differing Seat Pan Depth Mahmood Reza Azghani, Jalil Nazari, Nader Sozapoor, Mohamad Asghari Jafarabadi, Ali E. Oskouei
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Spring support chair and Stool chair is designed by designer Bruno Mathsson who did a lot of ergonomic studies to find a shape that adapts to our bodies, and not the other way around.
All Support Design chairs can also be tried out at home and there is always the option to return them if they don't feel right. To get to all our ergonomic chairs, click here!
