How to Sit Correctly In Your Recliner or Lift Chair

Sitting Position & Lift Chairs

Correct sitting position is more important than usual in Electric Lift Chairs. Not only is it important that the person has their feet flat on the ground in order to minimise stress load on the hips and lower back, but it is also important that the feet are on the ground when the lift mechanism is in action. This gives the sitter security as the lift chair rises.

1. Feet flat on floor (usually affects shorter people*)

Short people generally sit on lift chairs that are too deep in the seat or too high off the ground. As a result, they do not have contact between their feet and the floor.

If your feet do not touch the floor, your legs hang like pendulums off the hips and the spine. This puts excessive pressure on the hips and lower back, leading to pain.

2. 90 degree angle between upper and lower leg (usually affects taller long-legged people)

Tall people often sit on lift chairs that are too low to the ground or too short in the seat. They sit with their “knees up under their chin”. Support under the knees is reduced, and pressure ends up on the lower spine as it slides underneath the body.

A 90 degree angle should be maintained between their upper and lower leg.

3. Correct support under the knees

A significant proportion of the body’s weight should be supported underneath the knees. Little or no weight is supported under the knees in ill-fitting chairs. That weight then has to be supported by the hips and lower back.

Tall People: No weight supported under knees – distributed onto hips and spine.

Short People: Little weight supported under knees – distributed to upper calves.

4. 90 degree angle between torso and hips

In the past lift chairs and recliners were built with reclined backs and deep seats. The angle between the torso and hips changes as the sitter slides forward. With a more upright sitting position, weight is distributed more evenly over the lower back and hips.

5. Back and head fully supported

The headrest of the chair should fully support the back of the head so that the neck and upper back can relax. Many chairs are built with insufficient head support. Full support along the length of the back is also important, particularly in the lower back area.

6. Good lumbar support

Lumbar support is one of the most important elements of sitting. The lower back receives a disproportionate share of the body’s weight when sitting. Recliner Chairs and Lift Chairs that don’t support the lower back will never be comfortable.

All other elements of correct sitting aim to take up weight that is otherwise focussed on the lower back. Lack of lumbar support therefore undermines all other attempts to sit correctly.

7. Arms supported at right height and width

Armrests at the right height and width promote correct sitting as they stop people from slouching across the lift chair or recliner chair. If armrests are too high or low or wide, they create pressure on the upper arms or at the back of the shoulders.

With correct height and width, the arms rest comfortably and create an A-frame between the elbows and head. This props the body and promotes good sitting.

8. Fully steel sprung and padded seat (minimisation of “dishing”)

Seating needs balance between a soft and hard seat. If the seat is too hard, the back of the hips push down through the soft tissues in the buttocks – causing rapid discomfort.

If a chair is too soft, a “dish” is created in the seat as the seat falls away underneath the person weight that should be supported underneath the chair is distributed onto the hips.

This occurs if a chair has a cushion that is too soft, but also occurs when chairs use “webbing” – like seatbelt material – as the basis of the seat. Webbing stretches over time, creating a dish.

As a result, all good chairs should use a fully steel sprung seat with 10 year no-sag springs and high density seat foam – either Dunlop Enduro or Dunlop Elephant foam. This provides a perfect balance between a chair that is not too firm and not too soft.

For more information on sitting correctly please contact us for further information on (03) 5221 1079.

Keegan’s Normal Posture

Over the past 20 years ergonomics has become important. By X-raying people sitting we can see where weight is distributed, and in what position it is distributed most evenly. The position where weight is distributed evenly is called Keegan’s Normal Posture.

60% of a human’s weight is in their torso, 25% is in the legs, and 15% is in the head and neck. When weight is evenly spread, the hips and lower back experience the lowest stress load possible.

People with back or hip problems find significant relief when sitting in Keegan’s Normal Posture (see left).

The Jason La-Z-Boy Rocker Recliner is the only chair that can make this position.

Common problems experienced by people sitting

	Chair too low This is common for people taller than 5’9”. Sitting too low to the ground creates an acute angle between the upper and lower leg. Support under the knee is reduced and the hips are tipped upwards. Pressure is exerted on the lower spine, causing pain.		Chair too wide Lateral slumping occurs in chairs that are too wide. Excessive width reduces the chair’s ability to support the body. The arms are not supported correctly and create stress through the shoulders and arms.
	Chair too high This problem is common in people under 5’6”. Legs hang like pendulums off the hips and spine as feet are not flat on the floor, creating excessive stress on hips and lower back.		Seat too hard or too soft A soft seat causes “dishing”. Weight that should be supported across the seat is focussed on the hips as a dish is created in the seat. Seats that are too hard put pressure on bones in the back of hips. Weight is distributed onto the side of the hips from under the body.