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Re:Brain, Bytes, Back, Buns - The Programmer's Priorities by mattgreenrocks on Wednesday October 05, 2011 @08:35AM (#3075315)
How do I find the right chair for me? I have visited those expensive chair stores and tried a bunch, but it seems like none of them really clicked with me. Or at least, in the time while I was at the store.

Also, is there anyone/anywhere I can talk about setting up my desk properly? I've reviewed a lot of the literature online but still seem to deal with my desk setup triggering flareups after using for a long time...especially with something like Starcraft. I'm starting to think the fact that I took the arms off my chair is making my forearms tense up since they have to both flex (to move my fingers) and hold themselves up.

Re:Brain, Bytes, Back, Buns - The Programmer's Priorities by zerostar07 on Wednesday October 05, 2011 @08:53AM (#3075362)
UCLA ergonomics is your friend:

http://ergonomics.ucla.edu/office_Chair.html

http://ergonomics.ucla.edu/ws_checklist.html

I dont think there's a perfect chair, just pick a sturdy one that adjusts a lot and keep adjusting it all day. Also, i find that when the chair is on a carpet floor, thus not able to roll easily, i feel more comfortable than when it rolls easily.

Re:Brain, Bytes, Back, Buns - The Programmer's Priorities by ctdonath on Wednesday October 05, 2011 @10:35AM (#3075772)
If in an established company, ask for a new chair. For decades I put up with whatever POS I could scrounge ... until I discovered that one could just ask for a new chair, and whoever was tasked with corporate ergonomics made sure I had one pronto. Maybe not perfect, but chosen for reasons known by someone tasked with understanding such things, and way the heck better than any discarded seating we're used to.
Re:Brain, Bytes, Back, Buns - The Programmer's Priorities by akmiller on Wednesday October 05, 2011 @02:43PM (#3076934)
Most reputable and higher end stores will allow you to take chairs home and try them for several days at a time. Do not make the decision on what chair feels the most comfortable to sit in at a store.

If you've been sitting in cheaper chairs and have bad posture then immediately changing to a chair which forces you to site correctly is going to feel uncomfortable for awhile and you might even experience more pain initially.

It's very important to try any given chair for at least several days before purchasing (even at that, sometimes days is not enough).