A Complete Guide To Gaming Chairs – Back Issues? Find Out More.

Introduction

This article will delve deeper into the world of gaming chairs and I will tell you all you need to know in this department. The audience this article is meant for, are people who might be experiencing some back issues due to long periods of sitting, gamers who want to do the best for their bodies, and those who are curious to find out what the differences are between gaming chairs and regular office chairs.

So are gaming chairs bad for your back?

Gaming chairs offer a lot of support for your back because they support your body in all the right places. In most ways, they are better for your back than most office chairs. They have a longer backrest; they have a headrest and a lumbar back pillow, they recline very far and are highly adjustable. If you sit for long periods, it’s important to invest in a good chair to encourage the best sitting habits. A bad chair will do the exact opposite: It will encourage bad sitting habits, which can cause back pain, bad posture, and fatigue. If you’re a fervent gamer, you will be sitting quite a bit, so it might be worth the research to know if gaming chairs are bad for your back.

This article will discuss if gaming chairs are bad for your back, how gaming chairs work, why gaming chairs can be good for your back, tips for when you’re going to buy a new gaming chair, the three best gaming chairs, and differences between office chairs and gaming chairs.

How Do Gaming Chairs Work?

You might not know much about gaming chairs, and although I will go into the differences between gaming chairs and regular office chairs later on in this article, we will first give you a brief insight into gaming chairs:

Build

If you have a good gaming chair, it means that it’s well-built in a way that supports your shoulders, head, upper and lower back, neck, hips, and arms. It will help you maintain a correct posture. If all of these parts of your body are aligned, which is what a good gaming chair makes sure of, you will be able to sit for longer periods.

Design

The design that gaming chairs are often going for is that of a race car. The chair is pretty similar to that of the racing chair with its winged backrests and winged seats. Why, you ask? Well, race car drivers have to sit in their seat for hours at a time, so their seat is designed for the maximum amount of comfort. That says quite a bit about the fact that gaming chairs are a great option for people who have to sit in their chairs a long time, be it for work or play.

Better Than Regular Office Chairs

Gaming chairs (good ones) are designed in a way to support your back the best way a chair can. So the answer is, generally, no; gaming chairs are not bad for your back. They are actually pretty great compared to regular office chairs. They offer quite a bit of extra features that support specific spine/back parts that regular office chairs regularly don’t.

Example:

Razer Iskur Gaming Chair

About this chair: A firm yet comfortable chair, the first chair Razer has created despite having enough other gaming peripherals on the market. A high-quality gaming chair.

Recommended height: between 5’6’’ – 6’2’’ (170cm – 190cm)

Tilt: 90 – 139 degrees

Max weight it can handle: 299 pounds (135.6 kg)

Differences Between Gaming Chairs and Office Chairs

Perhaps you now understand plenty about the differences between office chairs and gaming chairs. However, to get a full scope of the benefits of gaming chairs, seeing the differences written out might be helpful.

Signs That Your Chair Is Bad for Your Back

If you’re already using a gaming chair, but you’re experiencing some issues with your back (for example), it might be due to a chair that isn’t supportive enough. Even though gaming chairs are designed to support your back in the best possible ways, there are still (cheap) gaming chairs out there that don’t offer enough support. Here are a few signs that you need to upgrade your chair:

• Your back aches increasingly after sitting for a long period.
• You have knots in your back.
• You’re experiencing chronic pain in your neck, back, legs, shoulders, or arms.
• You’re feeling fatigued often.
• You’re suffering from depression. Bad posture (due to a bad chair or other causes) can lead to depression in some cases.

8 Reasons Why Gaming Chairs Are Good for Your Back

As you’ve read in the previous paragraph, gaming chairs are actually good for your back since they support your body in all the right places. Keep on reading to find out more about why gaming chairs are good for your back.

1. Tall Backrest

Due to the gaming chair’s tall backrest, your back, neck, and head will be fully supported. The human spine (vertebral column) runs along the entire length of our backs. If you are sitting in a chair such as a gaming chair, your entire back will be supported by the chair. Many office chairs only support the lower half of the back, eventually leading to a bad posture.

Example: Secretlab Titan 2020 Series

2. The Ability To Recline and Tilt Your Seat

The seating position that is best for your back is slightly reclined. Regular office chairs recline about 10 to 15 degrees, whereas all gaming chairs (even the cheaper ones) recline further than 135 degrees. Some even recline as far as 180 degrees so you can relax and take a break during gaming (or working). When you recline in your seat, there is less pressure and strain on your back.

To be more specific: According to research done by the University of Alberta Hospital, a reclined position of about 135 degrees puts the least amount of strain on your spine and can reduce back pain. Since getting the 135-degree angle with a game chair, getting a game chair is a major benefit.

3. It Always Comes With a Headrest

Especially if you’re sitting in a reclined position, a headrest has great benefits. It obviously supports your head and makes it possible for your shoulders, neck, and upper back to relax. The headrests on gaming chairs are designed to be height adjustable, and this will make sure that it will always fit right into the curvature of your cervical spine.

Just for clarity: There are office chairs out there that also have headrests available, but many don’t. However, if they are present, they are usually a little bit better than the gaming chair ones since they often come with separate components that are adjustable by height and angle.

4. Good Chairs Come With a Lumbar Support Pillow

Nearly all gaming chairs come with a separate lumbar support pillow to support your lower back. Your lower back has a natural inward curve because that’s the way the spine is shaped. The muscles that keep the spine aligned this way can get tired after a long time sitting, which can make you start slouching or lean forward in your chair. Longer stress on this part of your back can cause back pain, which a lumbar support pillow can solve.

The support this pillow brings will take some of the tension or strain away from these muscles in your lower back. According to research done in 2010, even very simply lumbar support can realign your head and neck in a better position. Even though the lumbar support pillow that comes with your gaming chair is very basic, it is possible to adjust the pillow’s height or remove it completely if it’s bothering you.

Example: Noblechairs Epic Gaming Chair

5. Pain Relief and Strengthening Muscles

When you first start using the chair, and your posture hasn’t been great, it might feel uncomfortable sitting in the position the chair encourages you to sit in. The reason why it might feel uncomfortable is that your muscles need to be conditioned. As soon as your body is used to sitting in this new position, your muscular pain will reduce. It will strengthen the muscles in your back, core, and butt.

6. Cheap Chairs Encourage Slouching Even Though They Look Cool

Like I said, cheap chairs often do not come with all of the desired features, such as an adjustable headrest, 4D armrests, lumbar support pillow, or the ability to recline very far. The same goes for office chairs: The cheapest office chairs will be very simple and not very ergonomic. So, without all of these features, you will not be the most supported that you can be and want to be in order not to have back pain.

7. Lower Quality

Aside from the extra features that come with a gaming chair, all of their parts are often made from the best quality materials. These parts are the armrest, backrest, and seating made out of caster, mesh, or leather. This improves the durability of the chair, which will also automatically increase the cost of the chair. Cheaper chairs are often made out of cheaper materials such as plastic, which will make the chair less long-lasting.

8. Warranty

Another aspect of why you don’t want to go for the cheapest option is the warranty. Chairs that are a bit more expensive often also come with a long warranty period. Companies such as Herman Miller give their chairs warranties for up to twelve years. From this fact alone, you can tell that you’re buying a chair of good quality since the company that sells them even thinks they will last for that long.

How To Use a Game Chair Correctly

You might want to consider what you will be using your gaming chair for and how many hours you will spend on it per day. Obviously, if the answer is “a lot of hours,” you want to invest in something good that will last a long time. The video below follows the same fundamentals as any gaming chair you get

This might sound silly, but in order to reap the benefits of the gaming chair, you must sit in it right. You can slouch and sit all wrong in even the finest chair in the world. If you ensure that you sit properly in your gaming chair, your body will be aligned and pushed into the correct sitting position. This is the way to do it:

• Evenly distribute your body weight by sitting straight.
• Adjust the seat’s height so that there is a 45-degree angle between your upper and lower legs.
• Keep your feet flat on the ground, do not cross your ankles.
• Make sure your lower and upper arms are also at an angle of 45 degrees, and keep your elbows directly below your shoulders, letting your arms rest on the gaming chair armrests. Relax your shoulders to avoid neck tension.
• Adjust the monitor level to your new eye level.
• Adjust lower lumbar support pillow and headrest if necessary.

Tips for When You’re Going To Buy a New Gaming Chair

Despite having already gained a lot of knowledge about what you might want to look for in a gaming chair, here are a few more tips to keep in mind when you’re shopping for a new chair:

• Look for a gaming chair with a headrest that can move up and down (a little bit) to adjust it to your preference. The headrest is usually attached to the chair, which isn’t an issue as long you can adjust it a little bit to prevent discomfort.
• If you are a bigger person, you want to make sure that the chair you’re getting has a wingless backrest and an extra-wide seat if necessary (16 inches or 40.6 cm wide or more). Gaming chairs are designed with the same aesthetic as race car seats in mind, with winged seats and backs.
• If you are short (under 5’3’’ or 160 cm), look for a gaming chair that has a backrest under 30 inches (76.2 cm). If you are tall (above 6’3’’ or 190.5 cm), you benefit from a chair that has a backrest that’s taller than 33 inches (83.8 cm).

Now that you know what is important to look for in a gaming chair, it’s time to look at some current great gaming chairs. There are a lot of great ones on the market, and these are just three options, but I think it doesn’t get much better than these:

Conclusion