Are you about to buy an ergonomic chair and are you wondering if you should include those customizable armrests? Armrests can seem unimportant compared to an ergonomic keyboard or mouse, just as the priorities tend to be higher for back support than arms. So read on to explore its benefits.

In our desk jobs, we use our upper body more rigorously. For example, we are constantly moving our shoulders, hands, and wrists when we type at our desk.

No matter how advanced your ergonomic workstation is, the position in which you work—arms on the desk as you type—is not neutral. The neutral position means when your body is in the default position or the natural position. For example, the neutral position of the arms is hanging down.

Stretching or placing your arms on the desk for hours on end causes tension and stiffness in your shoulders and arms.

The benefits of an ergonomic armrest

1. Allow your arms and shoulders to be in a relaxed position.

2. Minimize your tendency to make forceful movements.

3. Provides support to your arms to prevent your shoulder muscles from tightening.

4. Helps maintain a “neutral writing position.”

How to choose the right one for you

The principles of ergonomics consist of adapting the workstation to the worker so that their movements at work are as natural or “neutral” as possible.

Therefore, when choosing armrests, they should be adjustable in

1. Height

Armrests that are too high lead to ‘high shoulders’, which is detrimental in the long run. If they are too low, they will cause you to lean.

2. Length

They should not prevent workers from sitting near the desk. They must also provide adequate support coverage.

3. distance between arms of the chair

This should be customized to the user, allowing for comfort and enough space to get out of the chair easily but without slipping or tipping when in the chair.

What type do you need?

See which one suits you best.

There’s the mouse armrest, which comes in one piece, to support the mouse arm. It fits on the table only.

There is also the Add-on type, in which you add padding and support to your chair’s existing armrest.

Then we have the extendable, fully adjustable type, which comes in a pair and you can adjust the armrest to whatever height and distance you want. It even moves with you while you work.

Lastly, we have the adjustable ergonomic type with MousePad. Similar to the first, the mouse type, which is also fixed to the table, the adjustable ergonomic type moves according to the mouse arm.