Is there an alternative to back-bending office chairs?
If your job involves you sitting in front of a desk and computer everyday, you might need some alternative to your conventional office chair.
Say hello to kneeling chairs, the ergonomical counter-part of office chair, though they aren’t exclusive to working conditions.
Kneeling chairs seem to be quite rare to the sight in our modern world. Heck, I bet you that if you take a survey of the general population and ask them whether they know of such a thing as ”kneeling chairs” that the majority will probably say no.
This great invention is a partial solution to a modern predicament, namely the health risks of a sedentary lifestyle which is closely related to our prevalent usage of chairs.
In this article we’ll go through some of the best kneeling chairs available to buy online, chairs that you can use for a variety of different purposes, like working in front of the computer, at the office, for homes, prayer, meditating and what have you.
Things to consider before buying
- Weight capacity: Kneeling chairs are generally more fragile than normal chairs because of their design, so having an extra look on the weight capacity of the chair is important.
- Adjustable height: Taking the height adjustability of the kneeling chair into consideration is another good thing to be on the watch out for.
- Kneepads: How do you prefer the kneepads? Want them hard or soft? Generally go with soft if you’re not used to sitting on your knees.
- Price: Last but not least, take the price tag into consideration before purchasing the chair. I mean we’re not all millionaires and chairs like these can be too expensive for some us.
In general kneeling chairs are best used as a complimentary tool for correcting posture instead of your standard chair.
Why?
Mainly because sitting in kneeling chairs activate the core muscles in and around your stomach, which is something that your standard chair simply doesn’t do. The core muscles of modern people accustomed to chairs is really weak unless they actively exercise that part on their free time.
Another thing to have in mind before purchasing is the hardness of the cushions, some people have complaint about it being too hard while others weren’t troubled by them.
It’s good to adjust your shins and hips to the new seating position that comes with sitting on a kneeling chair. Don’t forsake your traditional chair at once, rather have both lying around where you can choose whichever your body feels is best at the time.
That being said, active core muscles are great in shorter bursts (20+ min) but can become less so when maintained under longer time spans (multiple hours). In other words, over-active core muscles can do more harm than good and that is why it’s best to compliment kneeling chairs with ordinary sitting on the floor, traditional chairs and even floor chairs, not to mention standing, walking, running, jumping and what have you.
So with no further a due, here are our best picks for kneeling chairs:
Kneeling Chair for Perfect Posture by Sleekform
This kneeling chair by Sleekform is a great choice to alternate between your traditional office chair. If you have a high desk the design of this chair fits good.
That being said, this kneeling chair is a great pick with its adjustable height and durable material. If you however weigh more than 220 pounds, want softer cushions or if you’re shorter than average in height, have a look at some of the other suggestions below.
Pros
Pros
- Good for people with average height
- Adjustable angles
- Easy setup
- Good for higher desks
- Quality design
- Durable material
Cons
Cons
- Hard cushions
- Weight capacity is about 220 lbs
- May not be ideal for shorter people
Pain Relieving Kneeling Chair by Fedmax
Suffering from back pain and bad posture? This kneeling chair specializes in relieving aches and pains in those crucial areas of our body.
This kneeling chair weighs about 22 pounds and is a good choice for smaller spaces, like an small office or similar.
Even though this chair has extra knee padding, as previously advised one should not sit too long in it when first starting out. Alternation is key.
Generally most of the reviews and customers are quite happy with their purchase and we’ve found this kneeling chair to be one of the better options on the list.
Pros
Pros
- Sleek design
- Adjustable height
- Extra thick knee padding
- Optimizes posture
- Good for pain relief
Cons
Cons
- The assembly is a bit of an hassle
Ergonomic Kneeling Chair by DRAGONN
This kneeling chair by Dragonn is a good choice if you have a smaller body frame, although it can carry up to 230 lbs, and want a chair that is highly adjustable when it comes to the angles.
If you’re looking to compliment your traditional chair, in your office or home space, this kneeling chair with its four wheels will get the job done.
As mentioned above, one common complaint with individuals who switch to kneeling chairs is that their shins and knees start aching after a short while. This will especially be the case if the knee pads are too firm. Luckily this design has softer than average knee pads to ease the transition into sitting more on a kneeling chair.
Pros
Pros
- Tilted seat
- Soft knee pads
- Highly adjustable angles
- Good for smaller body frames
- Promotes good posture
- Great for the office
- Has 4 wheels
Cons
Cons
- A little bit expensive
Ergonomic Kneeling Chair by Modrine
This kneeling chair by Modrine with 3 inches of comfy moulded foam and an adjustable height is a good choice for a kneeling chair for work spaces or offices. The moulded foam makes the sitting easier and more comfortable for beginners who aren’t used to sitting in the kneeling position.
This chair is great for people who are average – above average sized. It has a maximum limit of 250 lbs which makes it the highest one on this list.
All in all this design by Modrine is a great choice for you who travels frequently and want a portable kneeling chair to your disposal.
Plus they have a 90 days refund policy which is awesome.
Pros
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Made of moulded foam
- Adjustable height (21″ to 28″)
- 90 days refund policy
- For normal sized people.
- Easy to store and transport
- The 4 wheels make it a good choice for work and offices
- Weight capacity is at 250 pounds, which is a bit higher than the others listed here
Cons
Cons
- The manufacturer goes out of stock easily
Wooden Ergonomic Kneeling Chair by Flash Furniture
If you’re looking for a kneeling chair with a more natural feel to it, then this affordable wooden kneeling chair by Flash Furniture is the right one for that. Although the quality of the fabric isn’t the best, considering the inexpensive price, we still decided to feature this chair on the list.
Although this chair has four wheels like the rest of the ones mentioned in this overview, the chair has limited ability to swivel and move about and around, which makes this better for home or stationary usage. You can nonetheless use the chair at your office as well if you wish to. You’re the master, never forget that!
That being said if you’re a bigger guy or gal, don’t buy this one as the maximum weight limit is about 200 pounds. Have a second look at the kneeling chair by Modrine above instead.
Pros
Pros
- Affordable price
- Ergonomic design
- Nice natural wooden material
- Comes in two different colours (grey and black)
- Adjustable height between 19 and 25 inches
Cons
Cons
- The quality of the fabric isn’t the best.
- The weight limit is 200 pounds
Benefits of Kneeling Chairs
There are many potential benefits of alternating between traditional chairs and kneeling chairs, here are a couple prominent ones:
- Stable posture: Activates the core muscles thus increasing stability in your posture.
- Increased focus: By sitting correctly you become more focused and less distracted by discomforts of the body.
- Back-pain relief: Can lessen lower-back pain by distribuiting weight between the buttocks and knees.
- Correct posture: Promotes an upright straight posture by pushing your hips forward into a so called ”open hip angle”.
When to Use Kneeling Chairs
You could use kneeling chairs for a variety of different purposes, the most compelling are however the following:
- For work: You can use kneeling chair for your home and/or the office where you work.
- Spiritual reasons: You can also use these chairs for praying, contemplative or meditation purposes.
- Pain-relief: If you have or currently are battling lower back pain, kneeling chairs could be good to try out.
- Variation: If you’re just bored of sitting the same way on the same types of chairs, day in day out, try a kneeling chair.
Conclusion
By now you’ve hopefully found a kneeling chair that you like and that might be good match for you. Even though some of these chairs are a bit on the expensive side we also tried to list other options that were more affordable for you whose on a budget.
Even if you didn’t find a chair, the key take away from the article is to realize that too much sitting on traditional chairs can simply wreck havoc on your health, functionality and wellbeing in the future.
We are all taught to sit for hours upon hours in schools, on wooden chairs that make our bodies stale and cramped. It’s high time we realize what we’ve done and take the proper action from thereon.
Our sitting positions needs more variation and also needs to be more dynamic. Try grounding yourself, sitting on the floor in different positions, kneeling, lotus and what have you. Take walks, start jogging or sprinting more to really stretch out and open up those tendons and ligaments that get hammered by hours of sitting.
Best of luck to you and feel absolutely free to share your own thoughts and experiences on this matter!
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