Benefits Of An Office Chair With Armrests

There’s no question that this is one of the oldest debates regarding office chairs: should they have armrests or not?

The reality is that while there are some people against armrests and that state that they aren’t needed, we believe that armrests are a crucial part of any office chair. 

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To show you their importance, we decided to go over the benefits of an office chair with armrests. 

Benefits Of An Office Chair With Armrests

#1: “Rethinking Sitting” by Peter Opsvik:

According to Peter Opsvik, a Norwegian industrial designer, office chairs need to always include armrests. In his book, he states that “how when we are seated, our arms require both freedom to move and lots of opportunities for support.” But he goes even further. He also states the main 3 reasons why your arms need support:

1. To ease the load placed on the back by the weight of our arms and hands.
2. If we are to use our hands to carry out an activity, some form of support can in many cases reduce the strain on the muscles that results from holding our hands in the area where the activity is to be carried out.
3. Having support for our hand and underarm can also provide more strength and precision for the work that is to be done.

So, simply put, according to Peter Opsvik, the armrest support is a good thing but it can also lead to passivity and it can end up being detrimental. 

According to him, “When we sit we instinctively try and find a place to put our arms and if we don’t have armrests, we use our laps. But if the chair has armrests, these are a natural place to find support.” 

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#2: “Impact of New Input Technology on Design of Chair Armrests: Investigation on Keyboard and Mouse”:

According to this study from the 1996 Proceedings of the HFES Annual Meeting, the height and rotational adjustable armrests provide superior forearm support during mouse use. For keyboard work, armrests reduced neck and shoulder fatigue. Mouse use is a precision task and benefits from forearm support for better hand accuracy.

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#3: “Chairs with Armrests: Ergonomic Design Issues”:

Written by Ms. Lueder and Paul Allie in 1999, this review ends up identifying some important reasons that lead to the use of armrests in an office chair: 

• Relieve loads on the neck, shoulders, and arms.
• May help promote good postures.
• Alleviate stress on the back by reducing about 10% of user’s body weight.
• Alleviate stress on the lower limbs and help to facilitate rising from a chair cutting hip forces in half.
• Help prevent excessive pressures on the seat.
• Stabilize posture and help us do our work.

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#4: “Work Healthy” By Dr. Alan Hedge:

Back in 2002, Dr. Alan Hedge of Cornell University wrote this paper to ensure that everyone was familiar with the benefits of an office chair with armrests.

According to him, armrests can reduce the static loads on muscles of the neck, back, shoulders and arms especially when the arms are extended forward or abducted sideways. He also states that finger forces are lessened when a user’s arms are supported while keying.