At the beginning of October, I threw my back out. Sure, my chiropractor said it was just a “mild back sprain”, but it hurt more than that! It was a “man sprain“.
Anyway, I was not able to sit at my desk for a couple weeks. I’m mostly better now, but sitting in hard, straight chairs is still uncomfortable.
While I was stuck lying down I came across an ad for an office chair in Newsweek. It was called SwingChair and it was supposed to be especially for people with flaky backs.
I went to the web site to check it out and after pondering it for a week or so, went ahead and ordered one. These chairs are not cheap. Mine came to about $550 with shipping (I ordered the SwingChair Exec Chair). But they do have a 90-day money-back guarantee.
The chair arrived within a week or so and assembly is required. Assembly was quite easy, however and no tools were necessary.
It is really quite different than any other office chair. It actually does swing. Both the base and the back rock back and forth depending on how you’re sitting. You should really check out the web site and watch the video to see it in action.
The chair itself is fully adjustable. You can move the back of the seat in or out so that it it perfectly positioned to your size. It is height-adjustable, of course. The armrests are nice in that they are also infinitely adjustable and can swivel. And lastly you can adjust the tension of the back, which controls how easily the chair swings.
The padding is firm and supportive with a soft microfiber-like material.
I’ve been using the chair for about a month and so far, I’ve been extremely comfortable working in it. I know a lot of people will balk at paying $500 for an office chair (my wife did!), but for most people sitting is something they do almost all day. $500 is a small price to pay to be comfortable and, in my case at least, not in pain.
I ordered mine directly from SwingChair.com, but there is another site, SwingSeat.com, that has the same chair at the same prices, but with a bit more information on the site to look at. I also found a review on YouTube, which was helpful in making a decision.