Are Gaming Chairs Good For Your Back?

In the gaming industry, almost every professional gamer nowadays has his own gaming chair. Gaming chairs are aesthetic and comfortable, and their sleek design makes them look even cooler.

But here is the question many people think of: Are gaming chairs good for your back? In this article, I will tell you whether using a gaming chair is suitable for your back and what you can do to make it even better than in its original condition.

The Appealing Look Of Gaming Chairs

As mentioned above, gaming chairs are known for their sleek design and good looks. They often have different designs available in the market with adjustable height features. They also have an extremely good comfort level compared to normal chairs.

You can also get a chair with neck pillows or adjustable armrests, which will boost the comfort of your gaming chair.

Features That Help Your Back

1. Adjustable Lumbar Support

One of the best standout features of the latest gaming chairs is their adjustable lumbar support. To maintain the natural curvature of your spine, proper lumbar support is helpful in that case.

Gaming chairs usually help lower the strain on lower back muscles by providing lumbar support, especially when sitting too long. In fact, this is the best feature a gaming chair can have for people who sit and work for long hours or play games.

2. Reclining Function

Almost all gaming chairs available in the market come with a dedicated reclining function. This function helps you adjust the chair backward or tilt it a little forward. It enables you to distribute your weight correctly and reduce the strain that the chair puts on your spine.

In fact, for some people, this function means a more comfortable chair and a reduced risk of developing back problems in the future. But the overall comfort of a chair mostly depends on how well the chair is designed and how much time you sit on it.

3. Adjustable Armrests

After the reclining and the lumbar support functions, another feature gaming chairs might have is the adjustable armrests. However, the armrest feature is not common among the various gaming chairs.

Proper armrest adjustment helps you maintain a neutral wrist position, reducing neck and shoulder pain and increasing productivity. It also benefits your back by preventing slouching and encouraging good postural habits.

4. High Back Design

The most common design in gaming chairs is a high-back design. It supports your entire back from the upper back to the lower back. The high back design keeps your spine aligned and reduces strain in your neck as well because you do not have to slouch to view the screen.

Are Gaming Chairs Good For Your Back?

For those people who have problems in their back or neck, I would suggest a high back gaming chair for relief of those symptoms.

Potential Drawbacks of Gaming Chairs

While gaming chairs have many features designed to support your back, they have potential drawbacks. Understanding these limitations can help you make an informed decision.

If you think gaming chairs are the best chairs that support your spine and reduce back pain, well you are missing some drawbacks they have. Below are some cons of gaming chairs:

1. Firm Padding

As you can tell, firm means hard. Gaming chairs often have firm padding in their cushioning mechanism, which might not be comfortable for people who are old or who have spine-related issues. But of course, a firm padding can promote good posture, as a softer padding will lead you to slouch inside the gaming chair.

Office chairs provide better comfort than gaming chairs. But they lack in aesthetics and are not as much appealing as gaming chairs are. And if the padding is too hard, it may lead to pain in your back if you sit for too long.

2. Limited Adjustability

Every gaming chair now a days has the function to adjust its height according to the person sitting on it. Some offer limited level of adjusting the seat height, the reclining angle, or the lumbar support adjustment.

If your gaming chair does have limited adjustability, then you might experience back pain, which, as a result, leads to poor posture. A chair is all about spine control because the main culprit is your spine while sitting on a chair.

3. Aesthetics vs. Functionality

While you may have seen some gaming chairs, they are usually built for gamers that match the gaming setup of a gamer. They are visually appealing with bright, attractive colors and sporty designs. Even if a gaming chair looks good visually, it might lack some functionality features.

For example, a gaming chair may or may not have an ergonomic mechanism in its cushioning, which might not give you the optimal level of comfort you need

4. Durability and Quality

Most gaming chairs out there are built with good quality and durable materials. While some chairs may have been built with cheaper components, which do not make the gaming chair reliable for long term usage.

If you are going to buy a new gaming chair, I would suggest you to buy a chair that is built with quality components. Because if you buy a cheaper material chair, it may not provide better support after some usage, resulting in discomfort.

Comparing Gaming Chairs to Traditional Office Chairs

To fully determine whether a gaming chair might be beneficial for your back, they are needed to be compared with office chairs as well. Office chairs are generally built to support your spine in long sitting sessions.

1. Ergonomic Design

Office chairs are often used as gaming chairs by some people who do not require much visual appeal but rather more comfort. That is because office chairs provide much better ergonomics than gaming chairs as they come with proper lumbar support, height adjustment mechanics, and angle changing functions as well.

As you know that every specific chair varies in price and quality, office chairs are like this too. Their quality, price and design varies from one to another. So, before buying any chair, whether it is a gaming chair or an office chair, make sure you read its full product description first.

2. Customization and Adjustability

If you get a new office chair, you will likely experience a robust level of adjustability and customization options. Gaming chairs may offer customization functions but they may not always be in competition with the excellent level of comfort and adjustability that is found in good-quality office chairs.

3. Build Quality and Durability

Build quality of office chairs is kept in mind by most of the brands out there. That is why they are produced with high-quality materials, which make the sitting experience comfortable for most people. Along with good quality, they offer robust durability as well.

4. Aesthetic Considerations

When it comes to the design of office chairs, you would not find better designs than in gaming chairs. Because office chairs are designed formally and are not mainly focused on the design rather than on the comfort of the person.

If you want a visually appealing chair, you can go with a gaming chair. Otherwise for comfort, you can get any chair you want, gaming or office.

Tips for Choosing the Right Chair

Choosing the right chair for your needs is a difficult choice. That is why I am going to help you pick the right chair for your back. Below are some tips to help you in that case:

1. Look for Adjustable Features

The first thing to look for in a chair is to look for adjustable features. Such as an adjustable lumbar support and height of the seat. These features are put in the chair to maximize your productivity due to extreme level of comfort they provide to your back.

2. Test the Chair

Before buying anything locally, you should test it. If you are not buying it locally, and rather buying the product online, you can check the reviews instead. For example if you are going to buy a chair locally, sit on the chair and adjust the chair according to your body type and needs.

It will tell you if the chair is good for you. Suppose it looks good and provides your relief from back pain, well and good.

3. Consider Build Quality

Build quality of most gaming and office chairs are usually good. However, there are some chairs in the market that are extremely cheap. That means they may have been built with low quality materials. In that case, always check the reviews and the description of the product so that you can find if the quality of the chair is good or not.

4. Pay Attention to Comfort

Along with a good support system, the comfort of a chair is crucial as well. Pick a chair with robust padding and cushioning that relieves your back pain when you sit for too long on the computer.

Conclusion

So, are gaming chairs good for your back? I hope you found the answer to that. By reading this guide, you can quickly know if gaming chairs are suitable for your back or not and if you should pick an office chair or a gaming chair.

Always remember to try different products and then choose the best one. That way, you will be able to pick a chair that suits you. You will also be able to tackle back problems and promote good spine health.

Office chairs provide better comfort, while gaming chairs provide a better visual appearance. However, if you buy a gaming chair that is a little more expensive than the standard gaming chairs, you can get the comfort level even better than that of an office chair.