Working non-stop for many hours and continuous investment in gaming can lead to many back-related problems, inefficiency, less productivity, and other concerning health issues. There is no escape from this hectic lifestyle, but you can prevent all these factors to some extent with well-thought and intelligently designed gaming chairs. These chairs are best known for their support options, quality padding, improved durability, better adjustments, and much more. Therefore, this article answers your queries about are gaming chairs good for you based on comfort, adjustments, support, and durability options.
Are Gaming Chairs Good for Your Back?
The simple answer to this question would be yes, as these are perfectly convenient and comfortable tools to ensure your back is getting maximum benefit. Gaming chairs are best known for their adjustment value and comfortable experience that makes them highly suitable for back pain, issues, and problems related to support. These chairs are perfect for a good posture and lead to increased productivity with absolute assistance in the long working hours.
Can a Healthy Posture Affect Performance?
In terms of efficiency and cognitive performance, a good or quality posture is one of the things that cannot be ignored at any cost. When the body is not comfortable, it falls prey to bad posture making it impossible to concentrate or focus on the task; this is the reason why people with constant eight hours working jobs are often found uninterested or less productive. Here, the introduction of a gaming chair can largely change the outcome with its best back support, adjustment features, and sturdy buildup that can help you throughout. Coupled with this, everything from the padding to the fabric and frame construction is well-thought in the designing of these gaming chairs that give these an edge over the regular office chairs.
Ingredients of a Good Chair for Back
These are some of the significant factors you must consider before buying a chair for a comfortable experience;
Height of the Backrest
As compared to the regular office chairs, gaming chairs come with tall backrests that make sure you are getting additional support for your back. This feature also has the ability to protect your neck, shoulders, and some amount of head as well. Hence, to attain a better posture, you need to give proper rest to your spine that can be done with extra support. These gaming chairs come with back support that holds your entire column, including the lower back making it perfectly suitable for back pain and any other irritation. So, while buying a gaming chair for the back, try to look for the one that has back support ranging from 30 to 33 inches at least and has the capacity to cover your entire back.
Sturdy Reclining Feature
A robust reclining feature and a sturdy backrest are some of the most significant elements in a gaming chair that can help you with performance and comfort alike. Nowadays, there are many contemporary models that offer tilting or reclining characteristics between 135 or 180 degrees in a very reasonable price range. Additionally, if you are going very low on a budget, you can still find models with a 10 or 15 degrees tilting feature for the backrest; however, we recommend you not to compromise on a backrest recline. This is because a good backrest can prevent slouching or any strain on your back, making it suitable for long working hours.
Neck Pillow and Lumbar Support
Similarly, most modern gaming chairs have the ability to offer you a neck and a lumbar support pillow to ease your back and add to the comfort of users. Therefore, the chairs with an external neck pillow are highly appropriate for the support of your neck, making the recline smooth and relaxing your shoulder and back. The neck pillows are mostly adjustable and can be set according to the person’s body while still maintaining a natural alignment of your spine. So, while going for a gaming chair for back support, always try to look for an external neck pillow with height and angle adjustments.
Furthermore, just as a neck pillow is necessary for the upper back, a lumbar support pillow works incredibly well for your lower back. Although all the gaming chairs have a lumbar support pillow, the quality of these elements can vary based on the overall design and price allocation of a chair. Here, continuous slouching or constant sitting can extremely strain your lower back, making back pain unavoidable. For this purpose, gaming chairs come with these tools to prevent any issue or problem in the lumbar region with the reduction of extra burden on your lower back. Hence, for your back, you can look for the one that has a height adjustment with a removable pillow that can add to the convenience and comfort of the user.
Seat Height and Angle Lock
Seat height is another consideration that can determine the efficiency of a gaming chair for your back. You can check a suitable seat height by bending your knees 90 degrees while sitting on a chair; if your feet touch the ground completely, it is one of the best for you. So, anything longer than that can cause extra pressure buildup underneath the thighs, and anything shorter than that can discomfort your knees and thighs, adding extra force on these two areas. Apart from this, you can also find height charts online that can help you in determining your seat size and height based on your body.
Likewise, another factor here is the seat angle lock that can impact the overall gaming experience for you. Many contemporary gaming chairs include an angle lock feature that allows the user to work efficiently in a heavily reclined position. It can simply be explained as an angle when between the seat and the lower body of the chair when you recline or tilt. Hence, with this feature, the seat remains in the upward direction, making it suitable for tilting.
3D or 4D Armrest
Last but not least, 4D and 3D armrests are by far and undoubtedly the extraordinary features that can help you with back pain and a comfortable experience. So, these armrests take all the pressure from your shoulders and neck and offer perfect support to your back especially, on the upper part of your back. Additionally, the contemporary models also include adjustable armrests that can help you with absolute comfort and convenience. Hence, if you can find a decent product with an adjustable armrest in your preferred budget, we would highly recommend one.
What to Ignore in a Gaming Chair?
Likewise, these elements must be taken into consideration before buying a decision;
Compromised Seat Functionality
The foremost mistake people make while buying gaming chairs is getting the bucket seat design with side elements that are inspired largely by the racing seats. It was a traditional trend that was largely designed to make the users impressed by the aesthetics and looks of the chair with decent or average functionality. As time progressed, new technologies and features emerged that was established to help the user with back support and a comfortable experience. Hence, in the contemporary gaming world, it is significant to prioritize comfort over over-the-top aesthetic value. So, while setting up a PC, make sure your gaming chair doesn’t lack a large deal of functionality.
Compromised Adjustments
There are many gaming models that include a fixed backrest and an external neck pillow with no freedom of movement at all that can be seriously damaging for your back. Hence, if you are going for these designs or a bucket design race-inspired seating option, you can not ensure the functionality and efficiency of the gaming chair. Coupled with this, height adjustments are highly significant when it comes to back support and muscle comfort, as you can set different elements of your chair based on your preferred size and height. Apart from this, you must ignore any gaming chair that doesn’t possess a lumbar support pillow adjustment or an armrest adjustment; it is a big no for you as it can not support your back in any way rather can reverse the mechanism. Finally, while buying a gaming chair for your back, you must look for options with which you can adjust the width and height of the product for improved comfort and better convenience.
Poor Recliner/ Tilted Feature
Almost all the gaming chairs include a tilt mechanism, and most of these also come with a reclining ability. Thereby, these elements help the user with additional upper and lower back support with extra comfort and support. However, many gaming chairs come with a centre tilt feature that is considered as a poor-quality tilt feature because it lifts your knees and feet as you rock on the chair marking the pressure increase in that area and eventually leading to discomfort in your lower back. Yet, at the same time, if you can find a chair with the lowest centre-tilt features with tension adjustments, these can aid you in back support and enhanced comfort.
Size and Weight Compatibility
Another thing you must consider here is the weight and size compatibility. If your seating is not designed for your body weight and size, it can seriously impact the efficiency and comfort of your chair. Hence, it is important to consider the weight capacity of the product with the seating size. Hence, if you are a person of 5’4 height, you must go for a chair that has at least 300 pounds of capacity and 18’’ size with height adjustments that can help you with back support overall. You can also find many online charts with which you can determine the size of your seat perfectly.
Poor Buildup Quality
One of the most common things users ignore because of a variety of factors is the construction quality of your gaming chair. Hence, to find an aesthetic value or a lot of features in one design, many people often undermine the quality of the chair, making it damaging in the long term. Because most of the gaming chairs look alike, there is a misunderstanding that they are made up of the same material. Consequently, it is significant to look for something that can help you with long-lasting usage, high durability and can act as a cushion for your back. Be it your chair’s frame, fabric, or foam; it is important that quality material is used in the construction that can help you in the best manner.
FAQs
Are gaming chairs good for your back?
Yes, gaming chairs are incredibly good for your back, with enhanced comfort, high durability, and improved convenience overall. These chairs are best known for their well-put designs with quality buildups, sturdy padding, better adjustments, and functionality. Yet, there are some things you must consider while buying a gaming chair for your back. Hence, basic research is important before any decision.
How high should my backrest be?
There are many contemporary options that come with an adjustable backrest that can be set according to your height and width. To determine the size that is perfect for you, you can bend your knees while sitting on the chair. So, if your feet touch the ground completely, it is an ideal choice for you. Apart from this, you can also look at many online sources for the sizes that suit you perfectly.
What is the purpose of a neck and lumbar pillow in a gaming chair?
An external neck pillow and a lumbar support pillow are placed in the gaming chairs for the lower and upper back support. Many models in the market come with adjustable pillows that protect the neck, spine, and lower back, making them ideal for non-stop and constant working. Coupled with this, you can also look for removable neck and lumbar pillows that can add to the convenience and comfort of the user.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, it is important to protect your back from potential concerns that can damage your health and can largely impact your productivity. Hence, these highly intelligent and well-organized gaming chairs are great support for long working hours with enhanced durability, better productivity, improved adjustments, and absolutely comfortable padding. However, there are many things you must ignore in terms of gaming chairs, as these waste your money without providing any benefit at all. Therefore, make a wise choice and buy the best gaming chair for your back that can help you in comfort, convenience, and support.
You can also read about are massage chairs any good and worth the money here!
