Chairs for posture: Why we need a good chair
Many of us have a favourite chair - the one we always return to for a bit of comfort and calm. But a chair can be much more than just cosy. The right chair can also help support good posture, which becomes especially important as we get older. In fact, research shared by the British Heart Foundation shows that people aged 65 to 75 spend an average of 10 or more hours a day sitting down. That number rises to 11 hours once we’re over 75. So, choosing a posture-supporting armchair isn’t just about comfort - it’s about looking after your wellbeing too.
Evidently, sitting is an integral part of our lives. Correcting and maintaining a good posture is therefore crucial to ensuring your body can rest in a comfortable position. It’s easy to slip into the habit of slouching whilst you’re watching tv or hunching over to read, but good posture is essential to preventing health issues that can worsen over time.
Finding the best supportive chair for you is a great-starting point in taking care of your body by better positioning your hips and knees to keep a healthier back, as well as increasing your confidence with powerful posture.
Keep reading for trusted advice and practical information on how incorporating a good posture chair into your living room will help to support your overall health from our independent Occupational Therapist Julie Jennings Dip COT HCPC.
Why are supportive chairs important?
Having the right chair for posture can make a big difference to how you feel day to day. Ergonomic chairs, sometimes called posture-supporting chairs, are specially designed to help you sit upright, gently encouraging your body into a healthier position. They’re a great choice if you’re looking to reduce back strain and stay comfortable for longer.
Over time, many of us develop what's known as a “comfort posture.” This is the position our body naturally falls into when we sit in the same chair repeatedly. But if that chair doesn’t support you properly, your comfort posture could be doing more harm than good.
That’s why choosing a supportive chair is so important. It helps guide your body into better alignment, which over time can ease pressure on your back, neck, and joints.
And if you're switching to a new chair for posture, it’s perfectly normal to feel some slight muscle aches to begin with. This usually settles within a couple of weeks as your body adjusts—especially if you keep up gentle movement and stretching alongside.
Why is it crucial to have good chair posture?
When you don’t have the right chair, you’re at risk of developing a multitude of health problems that can worsen over time and impact your quality of life. An unsupportive chair can negatively impact the curvature of your spine by neglecting to support your back and its three natural curves – which in turn will load more stress onto your joints.
Poor sitting posture can lead to increased aches and pains and an increased risk of injury/falls, which will eventually lead to a loss of independence. In addition to this, it can cause problems with digestion, breathing and can contribute to poor circulation and fatigue. As we age, our circulatory system becomes slower, and we are at increased risk of developing pressure sores. Ensuring that your armchair provides good postural support and is suitable for your height, weight and body type can go a long way in decreasing this risk.
However, don’t despair, the good news is that these complications can be avoided by adopting the correct seating position on a supportive chair.
How HSL can help with good posture sitting
To maintain good chair posture, your chair must be comfortable, supportive and fit properly to your position. Here at HSL, we have spent a long time in consultation with our independent Occupational Therapist Julie Jennings Dip COT HCPC, developing and perfecting our Exclusive Chair Fitting Service. This is a highly personal test that assesses your needs to find a chair or sofa that gives you total support. We don’t believe that a ‘one size of chair fits all’.
Our armchairs and riser recliners are designed to support your neck and alleviate joint pain, backache, arthritic conditions and headaches. Our friendly and personable Comfort Specialists will check that each of the following parts of your body are fully supported, giving you unrivalled comfort and encouraging proper sitting posture.
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Hip Position |
Bottom fits into the back of the seat. |
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Height |
If the seat height is correct, the feet will be flat on the floor. The entire upper leg should also be fully supported so that the knee almost forms a right angle |
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Seat Depth |
If the depth of the seat is correct, the calf should gently kiss the leg rest or allow for a flat hand to be placed between the calf and leg rest. |
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Width |
The correct width is vital to help spread the weight across the seat. It provides pelvic stability and prevents leaning to one side. |
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Lower Back |
The lumbar area; the natural curve in the back, is supported by the chair. |
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Neck and Head |
When the neck is supported correctly the head is not forced forward or too high above the back of the chair. |
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Arm Position |
Elbows to fingers must be in contact with the arm of the chair. The forearm should be supported with the shoulders in their natural resting position. |
The 6 best armchairs for good posture
To help you decide which may be the best posture armchair to suit you, we’ve gathered our favourite supportive chairs.
Carnaby Armchair
From our Carnaby collection, this ergonomically designed armchair features added extra layers of sumptuous padding on a tall frame. This classic-looking piece is ideal for those searching for increased support for their lumbar region whilst in a seated position. The simple square profile holds reinforced arms to offer a stable platform to lean on, and to help you lift yourself off the armchair. An effortless design lends itself to be a sophisticated addition to your living room layouts, as well as being a supportive chair for your posture.
Aysgarth Armchair
The Aysgarth Armchair is a comfortable posture chair with deep padded back cushions to contour to your spine and maintain posture. A true sanctuary for relaxation, this little armchair looks good whilst keeping your back healthy.
Burrows Classic Armchair
An original piece, the Burrows Classic Armchair features a top tier cushion to support the head and upper back. 60% of the cushioning is placed at the top to provide firmer support to the head and neck, whilst the other 40% remains at shoulder level to support the natural spinal curves of the upper body.
Bramham Armchair
The support we all need – our Bramham Armchair has a 3-tiered back cushion to give you some well-deserved comfort. The armchair is designed with care to make sure that your arms can be rested in a natural position, whilst keeping your feet touching the floor so you can feel completely relaxed.
Ripley Armchair
A reliable high-back chair for maximum support of the spine, the Ripley armchair is one of the most supportive pieces you can get. Luxury fibre-filled back cushions deliver support and security around your spine to help keep good posture.
Where to find us
To find out more details about all of our supportive armchairs, check out our armchair page. Come and speak to us in one of our showrooms or book a free Home Demonstration here.
At HSL, your comfort and well-being are our top priority; our friendly and personable Comfort Specialists ensure that our posture armchairs offer full support to give you unrivalled comfort to encourage a good posture. We offer a range of practical and comfortable chairs, sofas and beds that have been approved by our Occupational Therapist, Julie Jennings COT HCPC, to support a healthy lifestyle.
