Well, ever since work from home became the norm, people all over the world have been scrambling to get their hands on a decent office chair for their homes. Setting up a home office is both exciting and exhausting; we get it.
The time you spend on researching and finding out the best office furniture to suit your needs might be time-consuming, but the moment it arrives at your doorstep you are delighted.
When you are investing in an office chair, you would have looked at aspects like comfort, the features, the amount of lumbar support, how ergonomically designed it is, etc and let us tell you that we would be only too delighted to help you pick out the right chair to ease your backache and shoulder tension.
Office chairs are now available in a variety of shapes and sizes, boasting truly unique features that promise amazing benefits to the user! It can really pay to understand how certain features of an office chair can work.
So, in this article, we’d like to guide you through how to utilize that little knob under your brand new chair to experience all the features and comfort the chair has to offer.
Simply put, those knobs are placed under your chair for your comfort. Now, since we cannot identify what kind of knob is actually present in your chair, we’ll take you through the most common types of chair knobs and what are the functions of the chair knobs.
Chair Tilt Knobs
Don’t you hate it when you take a short break from work and try to stretch or tilt back in your office chair, only to realize the chair won’t budge?
Well, that is why you have a knob under your office chair.
How Does the Chair Tilt Tension Knob Work?
The tilt knob allows you to increase or decrease the tension of the chair. If you turn and set the knob in a way as to decrease the tension, the office chair might rock slightly.
If you prefer to hold and lock at a slightly reclining position, turn the knob the other way to increase the tension.
Where Is the Location of the Tilt Tension Knob?
Follow the + and – marking on the knob to increase or decrease the tension of the chair.
Usually, the chair tilt knob is seen underneath the seat, toward the front of the chair. It is easily recognizable as it’s always the biggest round knob of the lot.
However, keep in mind that some office chairs have the tilt tension located at the side of the chair as small knobs or even cranks.
Height Customization Knob
The height of your chair lays the foundation for your posture. if your feet are not firmly supported on the floor, it can lead to poor circulation throughout the body, discomfort under the thighs, swollen ankles, and cause issues related to sitting in an incorrect posture for a prolonged period of time.
This is why most of the computer, ergonomic, and office chairs come with a knob that allows you to adjust the height of the chair.
Where Is the Location of the Height Adjustment Knob?
It is situated under the seat cushion, either towards the side or towards the middle part below the cushion.
If you find that the height of the chair is too low, you should reach out and pull on the knob to shift the seat to the desired height. In the same way, if you feel that you would be more comfortable at a lesser height and want to reduce the height, just pull up the same knob, but remember to apply your body weight while you pull the knob.
You can lower the height by simultaneously pulling the knob and applying body pressure.
How Does the Height Adjustment Knob Work?
In most chairs, the knob connects to a pneumatic cylinder or hydraulic shaft attached to the chair’s mechanism below the seat. You are able to adjust the seat up and down in a certain height range because this cylinder or metal shaft allows for quick and easy adjustment. The paddle or lever may also be located on either the right or left side of the chair.
Back Height Adjustment
Not all computer or office chairs have this feature, but if you are looking to buy a new office chair, we highly recommend that you get one with a knob to adjust the back height. If you already bought one with a back height adjustment knob and wondering how the mechanism works, read on…
Are you finding the backrest support is too high or low for you? Also, some chairs have a backrest with a bulge for your lower back to contour into, but what if is positioned too high or low for you to sit comfortably?
Another knob to the rescue! Reach down below the backrest to find the knob to adjust the back height.
How Does the Back Height Adjustment Knob Work?
You can turn the knob to release tension, then adjust the backrest to the desired height. Raise and lower it accordingly to find the best position for you. Once you are at the right height, you can tighten the knob again.
Where Is the Location of the Back Height Adjustment Knob?
Now, in the newer office chairs, the back height adjustment knob might be a ratchet. Here too, the mechanism works pretty much the same and all you have to do is to place your hands on the base of the backrest and pull upward. With each pull, you’ll hear a click as the lock falls in place.
On the other hand, if you prefer a lower height, pull the backrest all the way up until there are no more clicks and slide it down.
Seat Depth Adjustment
Okay, so what exactly do we mean by seat depth? The seat depth adjustment simply refers to the forward and backward placement of the seating base. The seat pan can be slid towards or away from the chair as needed. Short people prefer to have the seat pan slid towards the chair while taller people prefer to have the chair further away.
When you are sitting in a chair for prolonged periods of time it is natural to want to adjust the positioning of the chair at times for comfort. The seat pan affects the way your pelvic floor is positioned, which in turn affects your lower back for better or worse. The ideal positioning would be to have a gap about the size of your clenched fist between the front edge of the seat cushion and the back of your knee when seated. When you get this position right, lock the seat pan in place.
Where Is the Location of the Seat Depth Adjustment Knob?
If your chair comes with a sliding backrest, look out for the lever or knob located right at the base where the backrest attaches. Loosen it from its position by turning (in case it is a knob) or pushing (in case it is a lever) and slid the backrest backward or forwards as desired.
Now, if the chair has a sliding seat, the first place to look for would be the left side of your seat, where you may have a lever or knob. If it’s not on the left side, look directly below your seat, towards the front.
In this case, it will be a bar, like the ones usually found under a car seat. Push down on the lever or bar until you reach the desired position, slide the seat in or out, and lock it in place.
Keep in mind that many of the older or less expensive office chairs do not have this seat adjustment mechanism, so it is quite possible that if you are unable to find a gizmo that adjusts the seat depth, it is because your chair does not have that feature.
Lumbar Support Adjustment
A chair with lumbar support allows your spine to rest in its natural alignment with a slight curve when sitting. The advantage is that it prevents your muscles from getting tired of being overworked by supporting the back while you sit for prolonged periods.
The positioning of the Lumbar Support: The ideal scenario is that it must fit snugly in the natural curve of your spine, at the small of your back directly above your belt line. Normally, you should be able to adjust both the height of the chair back and the lumbar support simultaneously, while in some chairs, it’s an independent adjustment.
Where Is the Location of the Lumbar Support Adjustment Knob?
The mechanism to adjust the position of the lumbar support varies in different types and brands of chairs, but it is mostly found as a lever or a sliding mechanism on the back of your chair which you have to set to your comfort.
Now, these are the major knobs that are found in most of the office, computer, or ergonomic chairs these days. If you’re new to the office chair mechanics, we hope that this list would have given you the required knowledge regarding how to adjust the various knobs on your chair to help prevent back pain and rectify your posture.
How about watching a video to fully comprehend how the knob mechanisms should be adjusted for your comfort?
Take a look at this video which shows how to adjust an office ergonomic chair for your ultimate comfort.
Let us know if you found our inputs useful!