Office Chair

[spyrule]

I normally spend a few good hours on my computer each day. My posture is terrible, I have a tendency to lean forward and rest my elbows on the office chair to get comfortable. I never sit upright. I find it a hassle to force my body to push up against the backrest, it just doesn't feel natural.

I absolutely love gaming on my PC but the main issue I have is trying to get comfy, I just can't do it. I'm constantly changing positions and end up sitting really awkwardly.

I used to have this problem. I then discovered corner sitting. That is, instead of sitting straight to a desk, If your desk has a corner, setup facing into the corner. Here's the other trick, get rid of any keyboard tray holder, or anything underneath the corner. Sit close enough so that BOTH arms can rest equally on the desk, and tilt your chair slightly backways so that your sit into your seat, not ON the seat (think sports car seating position almost). One of the tricks is to have the bottom remain L shaped from the back. So as you tilt the back, the bottom tilts with it. The chairs where the bottom remains flat, and the back tilts are terrible for your lower spine/posture.

I have a terrible back caused by an accident when I was 10. When I was 16 I was starting to get into computers quite heavily, and started to develop severe carpal tunnel syndrome. I then discovered the above seating position. Once I did that (resting the elbows is actually quite critical to prevent CTS), and now I can sit like this for literally a full day if I get carried away with work. Of course, having a good keyboard, mouse and monitor finishes off the scenario perfectly.

I used to sell computers and PC hardware, and I always told people, spend slightly less on the PC, and get a great monitor, Keyboard and mouse. Since those are the things you actually interact with, and if they are poor quality, you'll have using your computer. That leads to stress, and expected side effect of not being comfortable at your desk.

I can't stress this enough, BUY A GOOD MONITOR, your eyes, and thus your spine and stress levels with thank you.
Lastly, I always found using a desk size mousepad makes quite a huge difference from a comfort perspective (Something like the X-Trac Pads Ripper XXL Ripper XXL Desktop Gamer Mat ). This is what I use and it made a huge difference in comfort.

Here's my home office for an idea...
My desk is made from two Ikea desks, where I found the second one literally leaning up against a dumpster at my wifes work, they were throwing it out, with no frame. So I cut the back sides off, and purchased two sets of ikea desktop legs (I forget the name of them) and made the second shelf. It completely changed my work habbit.

 

[CreoleLakerFan]

I normally spend a few good hours on my computer each day. My posture is terrible, I have a tendency to lean forward and rest my elbows on the office chair to get comfortable. I never sit upright. I find it a hassle to force my body to push up against the backrest, it just doesn't feel natural.

I absolutely love gaming on my PC but the main issue I have is trying to get comfy, I just can't do it. I'm constantly changing positions and end up sitting really awkwardly.

It's because you have a shitty chair. You are leaning because your chair is not high enough to sit in a natural position and support your weight. I know, because I had this problem for years. My knees, ankles, hips, and back were always sore from me having to lean on my elbows to support my weight because the chair wouldn't.

I work from home, and am in front of the computer all day - except for when I pace my office while on conference calls. A good chair is absolutely essential for me.