How can you make your non ergonomic office chair more comfortable?
If you are a working mum who sits for long hours at her desk, you may have heard of ergonomic chairs or considered buying one. Ergonomic chairs are designed to promote proper posture by aligning your spine and supporting the natural curve of your lower back. This makes them very comfortable and easy to use. Ergonomic chairs feature adjustable seat height, backrest angle, and armrest positions, that allows you to customize the chair to fit your unique body shape and preferences. This can be easily achieved by using some simple hack and tips that we will discuss in this blog.
 
Most ergonomic chairs come with an in-built lumbar support that can be adjusted to match the curve in your lower back This will support the muscle that are located in the deepest parts of the lumbar curve, thus preventing slouching. This in turn reduces the risk of developing issues like back pain, neck pain, shoulder stiffness, etc. An external lumbar support can be used instead to replace this in an office chair. A quick alternate hack for this is to roll up a towel and place it in the curve of your lower back. 
 
Another way to prevent slouching at the back is to keep your pelvis tilted forwards. This can be easily achieved by keeping your hip joint slightly above the level of your knee joint. This is difficult to achieve with a chair that has a bucket or deep seat. A wedge cushion  can be used to achieve a pelvic forward tilt as it places your lumbar curve in a good posture, thereby avoiding slumping or rounding at the lower back.  This tip is also applicable to your car seat when you are driving. 
 
The height of an ergonomic chair can be easily adjusted to enable you to keep your forearms rested on the desk. This can be replicated by adjusting either the height of your chair or desk,  such that the angle between the arm and forearm is around 90 degrees. This puts the shoulders and upper back into a good posture, preventing shrugging of the shoulders and thus neck and shoulder pain. 
 
Another feature of ergonomic chairs is an in built foot support. This enables you to keep your feet firmly planted on the floor when you sit. This prevents the stresses from building up the chain into the knees, hips, pelvis and lumbar spine. If your office chair is too high this can be achieved by putting a foot stool under your feet, so they can rest on the stool. A bonus tip here is to keep the tripod of your foot on the floor in sitting to make sure that your body weight is evenly distributed on the feet. Tripod of the feet are ball of the big toe and ball of the little toe and the heel.

Watch this video to learn "How Can You Improve Your  Posture When Sitting?"


A bonus hack when using an office chair is to keep your cervical spine in a neutral position. By keeping the top of your screen 5 to 10 degree below the horizontal gaze. This avoids poor postures such as Forward head posture that can lead to neck and shoulder pain. You may have to get a separate keyboard or a monitor if you use a laptop for work, if you want to do this and also keep your forearms on the desk in a neutral position (as described above).

HERE is a guide to help you maintain a good sitting posture while working from home. It is also applicable whenever you are sitting, whether at work in the office or watching television in the house. 

If you like this blog and want to be notified about new blogs as soon as they are published, subscribe to my mailing list below.
 
I would love to see you around the internet! For other places you can explore more about me: https://withswati.com/page/link

0 Comments

Leave a Comment


MEET SWATI

 
Hi there! 
I am Swati, an Executive Mum Power Coach & Certified Posture Expert

I help mums of young kids working in high-stress executive jobs manage back, neck, and nerve pain, even with low energy, brain fog, and little time to spare. My proven system delivers real relief without stealing hours from your already packed day. The result? More productive professionals at work and guilt-free mums who can be fully present with their kids, instead of being sidelined by pain.



My passion comes from personal experience. I’ve been where you are: in pain, overwhelmed, and exhausted. After two pregnancies in three years, juggling my kids, housework, and a demanding job, I was stuck in a constant cycle of back and nerve pain. The physical load of motherhood added strain to my spine and joints. Meanwhile, adrenal fatigue left me drained, even after 10–12 hours of sleep.

Everyday tasks became a struggle. I was forgetful, foggy, and low on energy. Even as a trained physiotherapist and posture expert, I couldn’t escape my own pain. I stood all day at work, spent evenings on the laptop, rocked my kids to sleep, sat through endless meetings, traveled frequently ... I’ve been through it all.

I kept my pain hidden at work, afraid to speak up. I felt like a fraud, someone who coached others on relief strategies but couldn’t find relief herself. I loved my job and my children, but I couldn’t give 100% to either. Pain was holding me back.

One New Year, I made a resolution: to get healthy, not just fix pain, fatigue, or weight. I focused on reducing inflammation, healing my adrenal fatigue, and reclaiming my energy. Slowly but surely, the pain faded. I lost weight, my brain fog cleared, and my energy skyrocketed. Today, my pain is nearly gone. I feel stronger, clearer, and more in control than I have in years.
And now, I want that for you.

I combine professional expertise with lived experience to support other mums like me, those with young kids, high-stress jobs, and no time for complicated health programs. I’ve helped hundreds of women reduce spinal and joint pain, lift their energy, and clear the mental fog that holds them back.

If any of this resonates, you’re not alone. I’ve been there. I got you, mommy!

Let’s get you feeling strong, confident, and fully present at work and at home.
Are you ready to start? Curious about how this works? Just ask.

Let's DO THIS!
xx Swati
** Executive Mum Power Coach **

Contact

Copyrights © 2025 held by respective copyright holders, including Swati Prakash.