Best Office Chairs for Sciatica

We know terrible pain of sciatica not only affects performance but overall disturbs productivity at office/home office. Sciatica pain can get extremely worse if it is not treated and taken the vital measures to reduce pain. 

However, Sciatica does not occur suddenly it primarily starts with the lower back pain caused by prolonged sitting on an uncomfortable chair. Given that poorly designed office chairs can do much worse by increasing levels of sciatica pain. The most crucial thing to deal with sciatica is the office chair, which serves you comfort by decreasing and treating the symptoms of sciatica.

But how to find out which office chair is best for sciatica, is the biggest concern now and then and due to lack of awareness sometimes people end up buying the wrong office chair.

if you are suffering from this pain and don’t know anything about the best office chairs for sciatica, you are at the right post. 

In this post, we are not only reviewing the top 8 office chairs for sciatica but also will be discussing what are the essential factors you need to ponder over while buying the right office chair for sciatica. 

These are great office chairs for sciatica pain as these ergonomically designed chairs offer ease and premium comfort.

What you should know about Sciatica?

The human body carries the longest sciatic nerve, which serves in areas like the lumbar, hips, feet, and legs. The compression of the sciatic nerve causes severe pain covering the areas from the lower back, buttocks to thighs, and legs is commonly known as sciatica pain. Although the doctors stated that impact on legs occurs in only severe cases.

Sciatica occurs mostly in those who are suffering from a herniated disk and spinal stenosis or bone spurs on the spine. All such are serious problems though, still, sciatica can be dealt with simple stretching and some specific physical exercises without any surgery. Whereas, for relief in extreme situations surgery is the only option left with the doctor.

The sensation in sciatica ranges from mild pain, fatigue, scratchy sensation, burning feeling, and severe pain to paralysis in a particular lower area. 

What is the importance of an office chair for sciatica?

It is wrong to say that sitting for a long time on an uncomfortable chair causes sciatica but sitting on the wrong chair certainly makes Sciatica pain worse. Similarly, wrong sitting posture due to an unergonomic office chair causes big discomfort with sciatica. That is why if you have sciatica or back pain so you must find the best, ergonomic, comfortable, and supportive office chair that offers you lasting support and comfort, in addition, to encourage proper posture.

Are there special office chairs for sciatica available? Simply No, but there are premium office chairs with ergonomic designs, which offer great lumbar and back support are the perfect chairs for sciatica. Such office chairs are aesthetically rich and designed to stimulate natural body curves, which drastically reduce pressure from the spine and provide you relief and reduce sciatic pain.

If you have to work on your working station for hours, you should use the best ergonomic office chair that gives you additional lumbar support by keeping your spine aligned. The high back of such office chairs is mostly based on the natural curvature of the human spine to offer extra lumbar support as well as encourage better posture. 

Also, these office chairs are crafted with various personalized features that help you sit straight with the back by keeping your hips and knees in one angle with your feet on the floor or footrest. Office chairs like these allow you to adjust features according to your body measurement so you can fit properly based on desired comfort and support. 

Many options include extremely supportive saddle-shaped seats that work best to reduce pressure on the spine primarily linked with the pressure on the tailbone and sciatic nerve.

These great office chairs are perfect for prolonged comfortable sitting with sciatica.

Let’s glare at the necessary factors of a prime office chair for sciatica:

The type of chair provides great support for the lower back, in addition, to helping boost blood circulation in the legs and thighs are the ideal office chairs to be used with sciatica. These are some key features you should check in your office chair for sciatica, as follows:

• The best seats shaped with waterfall edges used to reduce pressure on knees and legs 
• A feature of noticeable lumbar support that turns down the pressure on the back 
• Equipped with adjustable seat depth, the aesthetic is vital to customize the distance between the thighs back area, and the edge of the seat
• Seat tilt forward is the feature that helps you tilt forward without putting extra pressure on the back of your thighs 
• And to be obvious a footrest, which is useful for the lower body as it distributes body weight evenly and enable users to change legs positions

Which types of office chairs are useful in Sciatica?

However, there are various kinds of office chairs available that are great to work with sciatica but to a surprise, some types of non-office chairs are also supposed to be helpful for people with sciatica or back pain.

If you are curious about are kneeling chairs are good for sciatica? So, stay with us because this query is to be answered here in a short while.

Let’s dig into details of every type briefly:

• Ergonomic: this is the most adjustable type of office chair that mostly comes with a tall backrest for full back support and good posture. Ergonomic chairs are the best fit for people who suffer from sciatica pain as these chairs are feature-rich options that even include seat depth and tension adjustments. 
• Standard: these are the best supportive office chairs with thickly padded seats. Most chairs carried a u-shaped seat design, which is best to control pressure on the spine. Some of these chairs hold saddle shape seats that minimize the pressure on the sciatic nerve and provide relief from pain.
• Kneeling Chair: kneeling chairs are extremely beneficial for those who are in sciatica pain. This chair type allows you to sit in the posture of open-angle, sitting in this angle proved to reduce the pressure on the spine, lower back, thighs and hips.

How to choose the chair while having sciatica pain?

In case you are all set to get an office chair for sciatica, these are some most indispensable requirements and features for sciatica pain you must aware of. Do check out this guide thoroughly so that you make a worthy purchase. 

• Chair Aesthetics/Ergonomics

You should consider the chair that is designed for comfort, ergonomics of the chair includes major aesthetics, which enhance usability and comfort. 

• High back & Headrest 

The higher backrest is far better than average when it comes to sciatica pain. Along with good back coverage, an ergonomic high-back encourages better posture, which limits the pressure on the neck, shoulders, and back. 

Nowadays many reliable brands are using headrests in their latest models to provide additional neck and head support for optimal comfort. A headrest allows user to lean their head on for a quick stress-relief session and offer fine neck support. 

• Lumbar support 

An office chair without lumbar support will make your sciatica pain bad so be careful with this feature. Try to get a chair offer adjustable lumbar support so that you can alter support according to requirement and condition. Although you can use a lumbar cushion as a support adjustable support option gives you more flexibility.

You can easily adjust lower back support using a knob or button, while in some chairs you just need to mold their plastic or mesh back to the point of your desired support. 

• Reclining Backrest

The chair with an adjustable backrest angle is a great help for sciatica as it relaxes your back muscles while stretching your lower back. It is a feature you can enjoy during breaks from work.

• Seat Height 

Almost all office chairs come with this most useful aesthetic in which you can adjust the height of the seat according to your measurement and working desk. You should consider the height options for the seat carefully so that it matches your height requirement well. 

If you have a sciatica problem so you have to adjust seat height with your feet leveled on the floor to avoid unnecessary pressure on your legs and feet.

• Seat Design & Size

You should pay attention to seat size, cushion, and size of the chair when you are dealing with sciatica pain. Luckily, most of the office chairs in the market used the type of seat that imitates the human body’s shape to make them ultra-comfortable by cutting down the pressure on the nerves and joints.

These are incredibly supportive seats and ideal for lower back wellbeing. Besides, you must consider the seat cushion should not be too soft and too hard, prefer something in between that will help you with sciatica pain. A firm and the comfortable seat would do better for you. 

Lastly, the size of the seat is the crucial factor you must not give over, wider seats allow easy movements and also do not put tension on muscles, joints, and nerves. It helps you with good body posture and provides a comfy sitting experience.

• Adjustability Option

The office chairs with ergonomic features are thoughtfully designed for people with different sizes/shapes, requirements, and preferences. Adjustable features like the armrest, seat height, lumbar support, and seat depth are vital to have in office chairs for premium comfort, flexibility, and support. As much as adjustability options make an office chair customizable and comfortable.

The expensive models, however, offer more detailed and state of the art adjustment mechanism such as 4D or 360-degree arm adjustability, tilt forward, tension control, fully adjustable lumbar, and much more. 

• Footrest 

There are many options in office chairs including foldable footrests to provide better leg and foot support when needed. A chair with a footrest helps you best with sciatica pain therefore you should look into this important detail. With a footrest, you can easily change leg position to relieve compression on muscles and nerves.

8 Best Office Chairs for Sciatica & Back Pain

1. Hbada Ergonomic Office Chair – Our Top Pick

Specs

• Weight: 37 pounds
• Materials: mesh fabric & steel
• Dimension: 26.8″L x 26.8″W x 45.7″-50.4″D
• Type: Ergonomic adjustable
• Load limit: 250 lbs
• Suggested height: 5’10”

PROS

• Ergo-contemporary design 
• Backrest angle 90 degrees to 155 degrees
• Solid build
• Adjustable lumbar support
• Headrest adjustability (rotation & height)
• Thickly padded footrest 

CONS

• Not for the tallest people
• Manual lumbar adjustment

Hbada Ergonomic Office Chair is a premium quality chair amazingly popular due to its cutting-edge ergonomic design, top-of-the-line features, and durability. The factors that make this recliner chair highly rated are the upholstered mesh back for better breathability and day-long comfort while the adjustable ergonomic lumbar and headrest are a great source of neck, back, and lower back support.

This fully adjustable office recliner includes a seat with a slight slope on the edge to decrease pressure or stress from knees and legs. The chair is intended for those who work all day long and want a most comfortable, supportive, and adjustable office chair. Its ergonomic reclining upholstered back, synch arms, pull-out footrest, and seat height adjustability make it an inevitable option for people with sciatica.

2. Steelcase Amia Fabric Chair – Best for Lower Back Pain

Specs

• Type: Modern style, Ergonomic features 
• Weight: 42.5 pounds
• Max load supported: 400 lbs
• Material: upholstered fabric 
• Dimension: 25″D x 27″W x 42.5″H
• Assembled
• Color options available 

Pros

• Best build quality
• 4D adjustable arms
• Suggested weight capacity 400 lbs
• Lumbar adjustable
• Availability of many color options
• Seat front edge adjustability
• 10 years warranty 

Cons

• No headrest
• Pricey option

Steelcase Amia Office Chair is the antecedent of the successful Steelcase Leap, this chair is the perfect blend of smart engineering and innovative design. The attractive and durable design of the seating is finished with ergonomic features and surprisingly supported by 10 years warranty that certainly makes this expensive purchase worth it. 

Its versatile design makes it a good fit for every work environment, the chair is equipped with live lumbar technology to make the lumbar area more supportive, easily adjustable, and comfortable for prolonged sitting. Although with the good additional price you can get some outstanding upgrades on the frame, upholstery, and adjustable arms but for the basic price you will get enough comfortable features flexible seat’s front edge, seat height, and seat depth adjustability. 

3. Herman Miller Aeron – Recommended for Sciatica

Specs

• Dimension: 16.75″D x 27″W x 41″H
• Materials: Recycled material, metal
• Size B 
• Color: Graphite
• Load recommendation: 300 pounds
• Weight: 41 lbs

Pros

• Stylish design
• Breathable mesh back and seat
• Adjustable lumbar
• Arms adjustability
• Durable
• Seat angle adjustment (forward tilt)

Cons

• No padding 
• Mid-back chair 

The legend of the market Herman Miller Aeron has currently been updated for ideal comfort and solid design. Given the popularity of Aeron, the manufacturer has kept this model up-to-date until this date to make it best for the working requirements of modern times. Aeron, therefore, deserve to be one of the top office chairs present in the market, this top-tier seating is engineered with aesthetics & features, which are useful in sciatica pain.

The dynamic Posturefit SL lumbar support offered in Aeron has no match as the upper and lower area of backrest flex and provides ultimate support whenever you move as well as it can be adjusted. The task chair also features a tilt limiter in which the user can recline the backrest to pre-set settings, which are recline, upright, and full recline, however, 135 degrees of reclining angle seems substandard for this class of office chair. 

4. Sidiz T80 Office Chair – Best For Comfort

Specs

• Material: mesh and fabric
• Weight: 49 pounds
• Type: Swivel chair
• Dimension: 21.9″D x 28.9″W x 51.9″H
• Color: Dark grey 
• Maximum Suggested Load: 250 lbs
• Assembly required 

Pros

• Beautiful & sleek design
• Fully adjustable task chair
• Premium personalized neck and lumbar support 
• Seat slope adjustable 
• 3D arms customizable 
• Backed by 3 years warranty 

Cons

• Lumbar can be adjusted in height only 

If a fully-featured ergonomic chair at a moderate price range is what you need, in the case T80 Ergonomic Home Task chair can be a fair deal for you. T80 is the proud, top-of-the-line model of the Sidiz due to its great specs and incredible ergonomic features for better adjustability, premium support, and additional comfort. 

The Sidiz T80 is crafted with a high back, wider seat, adjustable headrest, and seat depth adjustability to make it suitable for almost all body sizes/shapes and requirements. The world-class German design is mixed with artistry ergonomics to make the work design amazingly well and functional in many possible, comfy ways.

Its ergonomically designed back feels extremely supportive in the lower back area while the height of the lumbar area can be adjusted for better support. Besides, the backrest can be adjusted to four different tilting angles with the smooth mechanism of ultimate sync tilt, user can also control tilt tension.

5. Nouhaus Ergo3D Office Chair – Best Overall

Specs

• Type: Ergonomic chair
• Dimension: 16.33″D x 22.05″W x 39.57″H
• Item weight: 51 pounds
• Recommended maximum weight: 275 lbs
• Unassembled 
• Materials: Mesh & Aluminum 
• Color options

Pros

• Ultra-supportive tri-split lumbar system
• 2d adjustable headrest
• Fully adjustable chair
• Solid construction
• Come with 2 sets of blade wheels

Cons

• Assembly needed 
• Only suitable for average height person

Nouhaus Ergo3D Ergonomic Mesh Task Chair may not be an attractive-looking chair but it is absolutely versatile and incredibly capable. This ergonomic office chair by Nauhaus is thoughtfully designed with various significant features to put up with rigorous daily use and provide noticeable comfort with it. 

This best functional desk chair features a rare 3D lumbar support mechanism that offers great back support as it moves easily on the back movement, farther, breathable mesh on the seatback altogether keeps you cool, supported, and comfortable all day long. 

Along with a segmented back design, the Ergo3D chair is enriched with an adjustable headrest, reclining backrest, 4D adjustable arms, wide & edgy slope seat, seat depth, and height adjustments.

Even though it is not a good fit for the tallest and has somewhat limited back angle adjustment but considering all the features, functionality, and lasting comfort the chair overall seems a good package for the money.

6. Oline ErgoPro Office Chair – Best Budget Sciatica Chair

Specs

• Materials: Premium Mesh
• Dimension: 26″D x 26″W x 53″H
• Type: Swivel Office Chair
• Suggested Load Limit: 275 lbs
• Color: Grey
• Weight: 51 pounds

Pros

• Ergonomic design chair
• Breathable mesh backrest 
• Reclining adjustment, tilt tension & height adjust lock for reclining
• Smooth and silent wheels
• Good build quality
• Seat height adjustment 

Cons

• Lack of padding
• Installation instructions are not clear

The Oline ErgoPro Ergonomic Office Chair is one of the best affordable options for office chairs proposing some out-class features for excellent comfort, support, and wellbeing. The ergonomically designed unique backrest of the chair aims for good posture and support by using dynamic lumbar support that responds to slight pressure on it and offers day-long lower back support. 

The chair is constructed using premium-grade materials that make it highly durable to put up with 275 pounds of load, similarly, the sturdy wheelbase and blade wheels make mobility smooth on any type of flooring. the task chair has a headrest that can be adjusted in 2 dimensions while the backrest angle can be adjusted to 135 degrees at most, in addition, the arms can be customized in 4 dimensions. 

7. AKRacing Onyx Chair – Best Gaming Chair

Specs

• Maximum Load Capacity: 330 lbs
• Type: Office-Gaming Rocking chair
• Dimension: 55″D x 59″W x 130″H
• Weight: 54 pounds
• Materials: Leather & Steel
• Color: Black

Pros

• Simple yet professional executive chair 
• Best functional task chair
• Padded back & seat
• Rock and lock feature 
• 4d armrest adjustability 
• Heavy-duty steel frame for durability 
• High tensile durable aluminum base

Cons

• Comes with just a lumbar support cushion 
• Lack of footrest 

Next up is the high-end office chair from the brand popular for gaming chairs, Onyx Deluxe is the premium office style chair designed with symmetrical clean lines for a professional executive look. The executive chair featured top-quality grain leather and PU leather with high-density foam padding for durability and ultimate comfort. 

Although Onyx does not offer adjustable lumbar back like other office chair options on the list it does offer headrest and lumbar support cushions to be adjusted for maximum support and comfort. The high backrest of the chair is fully padded with both thickly padded cushions while the padding on the wider seat is quite thick for better support and additionally comfortable.

The chair rock back and forth and used a modern system for tilt lockable positions (with the reclining angle of 90 degrees to 180 degrees) and an adjustable rocking mechanism, as well as the tension, can be controlled.

8. Ergohuman High-Back Swivel Chair – Best for Performance

Specs

• Weight: 66 pounds
• Materials: Recyclable mesh & chrome 
• Dimension: 29″D x 26″W x 52″H
• Proposed Weight Limit: 250 lbs
• Color: ME7ERG Black
• Installation Required

Pros

• Best functional ergonomic design task chair
• Good build quality
• Customizable options available
• Three tilt and lock positions 
• Adjustable arms 
• Fully seat adjustability
• Lifetime warranty 

Cons

• Expensive chair
• Non-ergonomic arms 
• Full mesh design, no padding 

Last but not least, the Ergohuman ME7ERG is a chair that offers proper support, this next-level chair is designed for functionality and posture, therefore it is awfully customizable and amazingly comfortable. The ergonomically designed high-back offers great lumbar support while the segmented backrest cover entire back and encourages better posture as well as helps in reducing pain and pressure from the lower back and making prolonged sitting calm, comfy.

The design is not so unattractive but the whole mesh design does not seem pleasant although it is more of a futuristic style but luckily aesthetics changes the whole front of this chair. 

The ergonomic features of this task chair include a mesh headrest that can be adjusted for the finest neck and head support while the adjustable lumbar and waterfall edgy mesh seat makes it a real comfort solution anyway. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Wrap Up

If you need prime office chairs for sciatica, above mentioned options are worth considering as these chairs are absolutely capable to offer you optimum lower back support and comfort. Any of the chairs from the list can prove to be a perfect solution, which can reduce, prevent and eradicate lower back and leg pain.

However, our top pick is the Hbada Ergonomic Office Recliner Chair for various reasons such as aesthetics, ergonomics, adjustability options, lumbar support, build quality, and footrest. Although a high price tag cannot always guarantee comfort some brands cannot go wrong with their reputation and reliability. 

In case you prefer an office chair to be affordable, simple, and ergonomic then this list will help you to opt for the right one for your sciatic requirements.