Office chairs

Where Should Lumbar Support Sit on an Office Chair?

Published · By Ergocrew · Specs and guidance as of that date, from the pages under Sources

Summary

Lumbar support should meet the inward curve of your lower back while you sit back with your feet supported. Its position depends on your body and the chair, not a fixed distance above the seat or your belt line. If you must slide forward to reach the support, check seat depth as well as lumbar height rather than assuming the pad's height is the only cause.

Finding the right height

Sit back in the chair with your feet supported on the floor or a footrest. OSHA describes the target as the small of the back: the backrest's outward curve should fit the lower back's inward curve. On a chair with a height-adjustable lumbar pad or backrest, adjust it while seated to meet that area. A belt line or a product photo is not a reliable substitute for checking the fit on your own body.

OSHA recommends "A lumbar support that is height adjustable so it can be appropriately placed to fit the lower back." A fixed backrest can still work, but only if its curve happens to land at your height, so check the backrest diagram and dimensions on the listing. Some chairs also let you move the lumbar pad in and out; that changes how firmly it presses, not where it sits.

Seat depth comes first

A lumbar curve at the right height can still miss your back because of the seat. If the seat is too deep, a shorter person slides forward so the front edge stops pressing behind the knees, and the lower back moves away from the lumbar curve. OSHA's chair guidance says a seat pan that moves forward and backward "will allow shorter users to sit with their backs against the backrest without the front edge of the seat pan contacting their knees." Set the seat depth, then the lumbar height.

Seat height matters too. OSHA's guidance calls for feet to rest on the floor or a footrest. If lowering the chair would leave the work surface too high, a footrest can provide support without requiring that height change.

Chairs without adjustable lumbar support

For a chair that has no lumbar support, OSHA suggests a rolled-up towel or removable back-support cushion as a temporary way to support the lower back's natural curve. This is not a guarantee that an added cushion will make every chair fit. A cushion changes the effective seat depth too, so check that you can still sit back with your feet supported and without the seat edge pressing behind your knees.

OSHA's checklist item for this part of the chair reads "Back is fully supported by chair lumbar support." Persistent back pain is a question for a clinician; chair guidance is about fit and does not diagnose or treat anything.

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Related guides

Sources

  1. OSHA Computer Workstations eTool, Chairs
  2. OSHA Computer Workstations eTool, Evaluation Checklist

We have not tested these products. Specs and guidance are as published on these pages on the date above and can change; the manufacturer's page for your model has the current details.

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