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Kneeling Chairs

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Picture of Achim Roetger
Achim Roetger

Kneeling Chair pros and cons

You have seen kneeling chairs online, as well as in shops and offices in South Africa. Your friends may have purchased one. You have heard that a posture chair is good for lower back pain. You are thinking about buying a kneeling chair and you ask yourself….”what are the pros and cons of a kneeling office chair, and is it suitable for me?”

The answer to this question is a simple ‘yes’, provided that you understand the ergonomic principle of a kneeling chair, and you know how to use it correctly.

To help you decide if a Kneeling Chair is right for you, in this article we will discuss:

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What will be Explained?

1. What happens to the body when we sit?

We first need to look what happens to our body when we sit and our thighs are at a 90 degree angle to our back:

As we begin to sit, the long thigh bones (femurs) rotate in their pelvic sockets through approximately 600. The physical limitations of our body prevents the femurs from rotating the full 900 required to sit, so the remaining 300 must come from “somewhere”.

As we sit down completely, the ligaments attaching the femurs to the pelvis pull on the back of the pelvis, rotating it backwards through the remaining 300 and this causes a flattening of the lumbar curve.

Due to the rotation of the pelvis, the natural inward (lordosis) curve in the lower back changes to an outward (kyphosis) curve. Most of the change to an outward curve occurs in the first three or four lumbar vertebrae. During this process, the front edges of the vertebrae squeeze closer together while the back edges spread further apart.

This increases the pressure on the front portions of the intervertebral discs.

What actually happens when you sit?

2. Principle of a kneeling chair

In South Africa, the name “kneeling chair” can be a little misleading as it leads you to believe that your knees are taking the bulk of your weight and replacing the function of your buttocks. This is not the case. Your buttocks will still carry about 80% of your weight, and the knee pad is only there to act as a support so you do not slide off the inclined seat.

Conventional sitting with a 90 degree spine-thigh angle (left), compared to a kneeling chair with an ‘open’ pelvis and 110 degree spine-thigh angle (right)

The underlying principle of a posture chair is to maintain an ‘open’ pelvis while you are sitting. This reduces the strain in your lower back that normally occurs when you sit on a conventional chair. 

An ‘open’ pelvis is when the angle between your spine and thighs is at least 1100.

By opening the pelvis and lowering the knees in relation to the hips to create a 1100 back-thigh angle, the disc pressure in the lumbar region of the spine is reduced by up to 65% when compared to sitting in the traditional 900 back-thigh angle position.

3. Benefits of a Kneeling office chair – the PROS

There are numerous pros and cons of kneeling chairs. Let’s first look at the pros.

  • Kneeling chairs create a 110 degree back/thigh angle as compared to the 90 degree back/thigh angle with a traditional chair. This creates a more natural spinal curve which reduces the pressure in the lumbar discs of your spine while you sit. This dramatically reduces the likelihood of lower back pain.
  • Opening the pelvis reduces the compression of the internal organs and abdominal muscles. This allows for easier breathing and better digestion.
  • With no backrest to support you, your core and back muscles are more engaged which strengthens your core.
  • Because your core muscles are more engaged, your blood circulates better, carrying nutrients and oxygen to the brain and the body, so that you feel more energised.
  • Improved blood flow to the brain leads to better concentration.
  • Poor posture eventually leads to fatigue, discomfort and loss of productivity. By keeping the spine properly aligned, comfort and concentration are greatly increased.
kneeling work chair
kneeling chair pros and cons
The Wellback kneeling chair has a low-frame design that allows users to easily sit down and get up from the chair. 

4. Limitations of a Kneeling office chair – the CONS

Although there are numerous pros, there are also cons associated with some kneeling chairs available in South Africa. 

  • Kneeling chairs address posture issues only for the LUMBAR area of the back. Get professional advice if you have upper back problems or you are unsure whether a kneeling chair is suitable for you.
  • Kneeling chairs require that your inclined sitting position is maintained by supporting your knees and/or shins on the knee pad. This will inherently restrict your leg movement and takes getting used to. After a few days you should start to feel more comfortable.
  • The geometry of a kneeling chair results in a HIGHER SITTING POSITION when compared to sitting on a conventional chair. This might require that the height of your working surface needs to be increased. Failing to do this may result in you leaning forwards when you work, negating many of the posture benefits that a kneeling chair offers.
  • The pressure on shins supported on the kneepad can cause some discomfort during the initial use of a posture chair. If you have chronic knee or shin problems, a kneeling chair may not be suitable for you. 
  • A kneeler may restrict circulation to your legs. If you suffer from circulation problems, get professional advice before purchasing a kneeler.
  • Some kneeling chairs in South Africa have a “scissor-type” geometry with a cross-member located high up between the seat and kneepad. This makes is difficult to get onto the chair, especially for females wearing a dress or skirt. Select a chair like the Wellback that has a low-frame design which allows for easy sitting down and getting up.

5. What is the best way to sit on a kneeling chair?

Some people initially find it difficult, and even uncomfortable, to sit on a kneeling chair. It is important to understand why this might be and how to resolve it. It’s likely that as a new kneeling chair user, you will have previously sat on a more traditional ergonomic office chair, so it’s only natural that it will feel awkward at first.

You need to bear in mind that sitting on an office chair and sitting on an ergonomic kneeling chair are two entirely different experiences.

Your body will need time to adapt to sitting on a kneeling chair.

Just like when you change cars or buy a new pair of shoes, you need to allow some time for things to settle down so your body adjusts to a new way of sitting. Muscles and bones that are familiar with a particular seating position will need to become accustomed to a kneeling chair. Your body needs to rebuild the core muscles in your lower back as they may have become weak from sitting on a conventional chair.

a. Vary your sitting position on the kneeling chair

When Peter Opsvik designed the original Balans ergonomic kneeling chair in 1979, movement and variation were very much what he had in mind. Opsvik recognised that sitting in the same static position for a long period of time is bad for your body.

Various sitting positions on a kneeling chair

You should change your position on the kneeler frequently as this will result in improved blood circulation and also relieve some of the pressure points on the knees and shins, thereby reducing any potential discomfort.

With a posture chair, there is no one correct sitting position.

As Peter Opsvik stressed, it is important to vary your seated position on the kneeling chair frequently. Do not continuously sit in the same static position.

When you initially sit down, first sit on the seat of the kneeling chair before moving into the kneeling position.

The bulk of your weight (roughly 80%), should be supported by your buttocks, and the remainder (roughly 20%), is supported by the shins.

b. Ensure the work surface height is correct

The height of your chair with respect to your working surface is the foundation of your posture.

As with any chair, if your working surface is too low, you will automatically hunch forward and your spine will be out of its natural alignment. This must be avoided. With a kneeling chair, hunching forward will further increase the pressure on your knees and shins, thereby increasing discomfort. What is the correct ergonomic height for my desk, computer monitor and office chair?

Working surface too low – the angle of the elbows is greater than 90 degrees.
desk too low when using a kneeling posture chair
If your working surface is too low, you will have to 'stoop' or hunch forward to be able to work. This often causes muscular pain in your neck and shoulders.
Working surface too high – the angle of the elbows is less than 90 degrees.
A work surface that is too high will cause muscular spasm in the neck and shoulders.

Irrespective of whether you are sitting on a conventional office chair or a kneeling chair: 

Your work surface is at the correct height when the angle of the elbows is approximately 90 degrees.

Your forearms should be in line with the top of your working surface and your palms should be resting flat on the table.

correct seated posture on a kneeling chair
The correct height of the working surface is when the elbows are at approximately 90 degrees.

c. Adjust the height of the kneeler

how to adjust a wellback kneeling chair
Adjusting the height of the seat and kneepad on the Wellback kneeling chair

To achieve the correct height relationship between you and the working surface, you will first need to adjust the seat height of the kneeler. It is important to select a kneeling chair that has independent seat and kneepad adjustments – many don’t!

Once the seat height is correct, adjust the kneepad to a position that you find most comfortable.

In some situations, you may find that the height of the kneeler cannot be adjusted to match the work surface, and typically the work surface will be too low. Under these circumstances, you would need to look at changing the height of the work surface or desk.

There are some easy ways of doing this. For example, by using books to increase the height of the work surface. A more elegant solution would be a height adjustable desk. These can easily be set to the correct height irrespective of the type of chair you are sitting on. Height adjustable desks have many pros and few cons, and can be used in conjunction with a kneeling or conventional office chair.

Some companies, like Uber South Africa, truly understand the ergonomic advantages of such desks and have furnished their entire offices with height adjustable desking.  

Buy a Wellback Kneeling chair

Conclusion

There are many variants of kneeling chairs available in South Africa and there are pros and cons of each. Do your homework and test various models. Ensure that you sit correctly on the chair and you have adjusted the seat height to suit your work surface.

It is a good idea to keep your existing office chair so that you can alternate between the two until you get used to your new kneeling chair. In fact, some users actually prefer to use both chairs and this is a highly recommended solution.

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