How to Select the Office Chair That’s Right For You
How to Select the Office Chair That’s Right For You
如何选择适合您的办公椅
I spent years taking office chairs for granted. But when I began working from home six years ago, I learned quickly that the right office chair is the difference between pain and no pain. I prefer “no pain.” Turns out the human body was not designed to sit in the same position for long hours at a time. An ergonomic office chair can mitigate the strain on your back from long hours of sitting and help you keep good posture.
多年来，我一直认为办公椅是理所当然的存在。但六年前当我开始居家办公时，我很快意识到，一把合适的办公椅是“痛苦”与“无痛”之间的分水岭。我更倾向于“无痛”。事实证明，人体构造并非为了长时间保持同一姿势而设计。一把人体工学办公椅可以减轻长时间久坐给背部带来的压力，并帮助您保持良好的坐姿。
But what’s the best office chair? The answer is not the same for everyone. The highest-end chairs offer excellent adjustability for a wide range of heights and builds, but almost none will serve everyone—and some styles and builds tend to suit tall or short people better.
但哪种办公椅最好呢？答案因人而异。最高端的椅子为各种身高和体型提供了出色的调节功能，但几乎没有哪款椅子能满足所有人——而且某些款式和结构往往更适合高个子或矮个子人群。
Here are the main questions and considerations when finding an office chair, in consultation with Kristianne Egbert, an ergonomist at workplace-injury company Briotix Health with two decades’ experience in the field.
在咨询了职场损伤预防公司 Briotix Health 拥有二十年经验的人体工学专家 Kristianne Egbert 后，以下是寻找办公椅时需要考虑的主要问题和注意事项。
How Much Should You Spend on an Office Chair?
您应该在办公椅上花多少钱？
Top-end picks like the Herman Miller Aeron ($2,195)—a favorite of many WIRED reviewers over the years for its elegant design, wide-ranging adjustability, and breathable Pellicle mesh—can rival the price of a good mattress or sofa. The price buys beauty and comfort, sure, but also durability (and a 12-year warranty, in Herman Miller’s case).
像 Herman Miller Aeron（2,195 美元）这样的顶级产品——因其优雅的设计、广泛的调节性和透气的 Pellicle 网布，多年来一直是许多 WIRED 评测人员的最爱——其价格足以媲美一张好的床垫或沙发。这个价格买到的不仅是美观和舒适，当然还有耐用性（以 Herman Miller 为例，提供 12 年保修）。
Top-end ergonomic chairs are designed for people who expect to spend long hours in their chairs and at their desks. If you have the budget, WIRED’s favorite premium chair, the Steelcase Gesture ($1,510), is an investment meant to last for your entire working life—elegant and near-infinitely adjustable to your shape and frame.
顶级人体工学椅专为那些预计需要长时间坐在椅子上办公的人群设计。如果您的预算充足，WIRED 最推崇的高端椅 Steelcase Gesture（1,510 美元）是一项旨在陪伴您整个职业生涯的投资——它优雅且几乎可以无限调节，以适应您的体型和骨架。
The more average your build, the easier it will be to find a lower-cost chair that’s suitable. In the $200 range, you mostly just hope your body is the right size for the chair, not vice versa. The Staples Dexley, WIRED’s lowest-cost recommended chair, is a mesh chair with a seat depth of a little more than 18 inches—workable for people between about 5’4” and 5’10”. The warranty is five years, and I wouldn’t assume it’ll last much longer than this.
您的体型越普通，就越容易找到价格较低且合适的椅子。在 200 美元左右的价位，您主要只能祈祷自己的体型刚好适合这把椅子，而不是反过来。Staples Dexley 是 WIRED 推荐的最低价椅子，这是一款座深略超过 18 英寸的网椅，适合身高约 5 英尺 4 英寸到 5 英尺 10 英寸（约 163-178 厘米）的人群。其保修期为五年，我不认为它的使用寿命会比这长太多。
Starting at around $500, you can find chairs that truly mold to your shape, with adjustable lumbar support and seat depth. My recommendation for most people and budgets is the Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro ($499), because it’s highly adjustable while also remaining affordable and comfortable, with a seven-year warranty.
从 500 美元左右开始，您可以找到真正贴合您体型、并带有可调节腰部支撑和座深的椅子。对于大多数人和预算，我的建议是 Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro（499 美元），因为它高度可调，同时保持了实惠和舒适，并提供七年保修。
What Is Proper Ergonomic Posture?
什么是正确的人体工学坐姿？
The holy ergonomic grail for office chairs is to allow you to maintain proper posture for long work sessions. Strictly speaking, this means that your back is straight and fully supported by your chair. Your thighs are parallel to the floor. Your feet are flat on the floor. Your arms hang naturally at keyboard height, with your hands happily on the keyboard.
办公椅的人体工学“圣杯”在于让您在长时间工作时保持正确的姿势。严格来说，这意味着您的背部挺直并得到椅子的充分支撑。大腿与地面平行。双脚平放在地板上。双臂自然垂下至键盘高度，双手舒适地放在键盘上。
Does Your Office Chair Need Lumbar Support?
您的办公椅需要腰部支撑吗？
Your spine has a natural S-shaped curve. While a flat-backed chair supports your shoulders, it leaves your lower back to fend for itself and then complain loudly about it. If you’re stuck sitting for more than a couple of hours, lumbar support allows the chair to mold to the snakey shape of your back.
您的脊柱有自然的 S 型曲线。虽然平背椅可以支撑您的肩膀，但它会让您的下背部孤立无援，随后引发严重的疼痛。如果您需要久坐超过几个小时，腰部支撑可以让椅子贴合您背部的曲线。
“When you’re sitting in a forward, hunched position and don’t have that curve in your lower back, it increases the forces on the discs in your lower back, definitely resulting in discomfort,” Egbert told WIRED last year.
“当您处于前倾、含胸驼背的姿势，且下背部缺乏支撑时，这会增加下背部椎间盘的压力，绝对会导致不适，”Egbert 去年告诉 WIRED。
Look for lumbar support that’s adjustable both vertically and horizontally, so that it conforms better to your back’s individual curves.
寻找那种可以垂直和水平调节的腰部支撑，这样它能更好地贴合您背部的独特曲线。
Armrests Matter Less Than You Think
扶手的重要性远比您想象的低
A goodly portion of chairs advertise 4D or 5D armrest positioning—tilting this way and that, rotating, moving wider or narrower. This is important, but not because you need armrests for good ergonomics. You don’t, says ergonomics expert Egbert. Your arms can hang naturally, by virtue of being attached to your shoulders.
很大一部分椅子都在宣传 4D 或 5D 扶手定位——可以向各个方向倾斜、旋转、加宽或变窄。这很重要，但并不是因为您需要扶手来实现良好的人体工学。人体工学专家 Egbert 说，您并不需要。您的手臂可以自然下垂，因为它们本身就连接在肩膀上。
“Most of us don’t actually need—or use, for that matter—the armrests on our chair,” Egbert told me. “If I’m sitting correctly, my arm should be at the side of my body…”
“我们大多数人实际上并不需要——或者说根本不会去用——椅子上的扶手，”Egbert 告诉我。“如果我坐姿正确，我的手臂应该自然垂在身体两侧……”