Ask The Back School: Kneeling Chairs or No?
Another great question from one of our Back Scholars:
I recently had an employee email me asking if a kneeling chair was appropriate for her to use while working at her work station. It was recommended by her chiropractor because she was having back issues. She works at her station 8 hours a day. Could you let me know what your knowledge is about this?
Here’s what Ron had to say:
We do not recommend this chair for prolonged sitting. It can be used for short duration (less than 20 minute intervals) but for longer periods it places too much pressure on the knee and does not allow the individual to adjust the seated position and move into other postures. Any static position will decrease blood flow to muscles by up to 60%.
The advantage is that it gets the knees below the hips and this position of the pelvis makes the individual sit up straight. You can achieve a similar effect in an adjustable office chair by tilting the front of the seat pan down lower than the rear. The seated may say it feels like the chair is throwing them out of the seat.
Do any of you have experience with or opinions on kneeling chairs? Feel free to comment below!
Please may I ask why you are not recommending a saddle chair as an alternative?
Thank you for your question. Yes, a saddle seat could be an alternative to the kneeling chair. It would eliminate the direct pressure on the knee and would be acceptable for short duration sitting. The lack of ability to vary posture in either of these chairs is the greatest concern. Our belief is that your best posture is your NEXT posture.