Chairs with a purpose

There are a number of different chairs that can help in terms of seated posture, promoting a healthy lifestyle, standing up, and performing tasks and activities.

The days when a chair was nothing more than a chair have long since gone and now you can buy chairs that are ergonomically designed or inspired by an occupational therapist’s research. These chairs make anything from relaxation to working on a computer more comfortable and less likely to result in aches, pains or structural damage to the back, body or muscles.

Chair types fall into natural groups and the task chair is one very obvious example. The task chair is a chair that is designed to accommodate a person as they perform a specific task or job. This type of chair takes in to account the best way for a person to sit as they perform a particular task and it is designed with this as its aim.

Healthy chairs are chairs that fall into what is often described as the orthopedic category. These are chairs designed to provide good bodily support and to keep the back and spine in a natural and healthy alignment. These chairs often have high backs and higher than typical seats. They are popular amongst the elderly.

Yet another very specific chair is the riser recliner chair. This chair goes under a myriad of different names given to it by different manufacturers. This means that it may be called a riser chair, a lift and tilt chair, a rise and tilt chair and so on! What this chair does is quite unusual because, whereas some chairs have adjustable position settings, the riser recliner chair helps people stand up from a seated position. They do this by using electric motors that move the seat and backrest of the chair- quite literally rising and then tilting them forwards. This motion has the effect of mimicking the natural standing up action of a fit and healthy person and, at the end of it, the person who was previously seated, finds themselves in a near standing position.
Another specialised and recent innovation in chair design is the gamming chair. This type of seat is actually a task chair, but one designed for interacting with a computer game. These chairs can, at the top of the range, include vibrating features and they may have in built load speakers, all of which add to the game’s simulation of a sport, activity or challenge.