Should Office Chair Have A High Back? (10 Benefits)

Office Chairs are an integral part of any working-class people. However, most of the users are unaware if they should be using a mid-back chair or a high-back chair. In the end, they might end up using the chair with the wrong back height which can lead to back issues.

So, Should Office Chair Have a high back? It is not mandatory to use a high back Office chair, but they carry a lot of advantages and provide comfortable sitting arrangements for prolonged hours. However, you might seek High Back Office Chairs depending on your preference. 

In this article, you will get to know about high back Office Chairs and all the benefits you will be receiving from them. Lastly, I will be providing a bunch of tips regarding High Back Office Chairs. 

So, without any further ado, let’s get started. 

Does A High Backrest Of An Office Chair Really Help?

High Back Office Chair means a chair with a taller backrest that provides equal support to your head and neck. Also, high backrest office chairs are wider and higher than any other office chair.

Mostly high back office chairs come with an ergonomic “S-shaped” curve, in-built neck, shoulder, and back support, making the chair practically more comfortable. Some of the high-back office chairs also come with additional lumbar support.

Although it is assumed that the high back office chairs are only suitable for taller people, the short people might also enjoy the facilities. 

High Back Office Chairs mostly help people with severe neck pain, shoulder and upper back pain. When you need to sit for a long period of time, you need to sit in a chair that supports your upper body as well as lower body. 

The Office Chairs with taller backrests mostly come with maximum weight capacity, making them appropriate for heavy people. You will have a spacious seat to sit in and have the flexibility to comfort yourself by sitting in different positions. 

Benefits Of Having A High Back Office Chair 

Having a High Back Office chair means having the perfect chair that loves to cuddle you from the back, especially when you are a tiny person. 

High Back Office Chairs will provide you with a lot of advantages, making them the most amazing chairs in the market. Let me list them down for you.

1. Adequate Support To Your Upper Body

I have seen people concerned about the lower back and the urge to maintain the natural straight S-shape of the spine. What they miss is that they forget about the upper body, the head, neck, and shoulder.

Let me tell you, without perfectly positioning the upper body appropriately, and you will not be able to sit ergonomically and end up with unwanted pain.

High Back Office Chairs cares for you and comes with the in-built lumbar, neck, shoulder, and head support. Sometimes the additional adjustable headrest can also be present. 

Whenever you need to work for an extended period, you can just rest your back completely on the backrest and enjoy the comfort without having to suffer from serious neck pain at the end of the night.

2. The Perfect Lumbar Support

No matter what kind of the chair is, a clever user will always search for proper lumbar support. Let us be honest, we do not want to compromise with the natural shape of the spine and end up with unsolvable back problems. 

A taller backrest with proper lumbar support is all you need to minimize the back pain or eradicate the strain completely. The chairs with taller backrests mostly come with great lumbar support.

High back office chairs usually have an S-shaped backrest with adjustable lumbar support that offers optimal support to your whole back, especially on lower back.

You can also add an additional lumbar pillow to secure the position. Lumbar pillows are mostly soft and come with memory foams. I recommend you to look for the best lumbar pillow and then purchase the one that fits your needs. 

In the taller backrest of an office chair, you can add the additional lumbar pillow and adjust it as your need, and you do not have to worry about the space.

3. Maintaining The Optimal Posture

Unlike other types of backrests, a high back in an Office Chair will provide you the maximum opportunity to sit in the ideal posture. Sitting in an optimal posture is mandatory, especially when you need to work for hours.

Spending hours after hours in an Office Chair while avoiding sitting in the optimal posture will bring nothing good but bad. You will have to suffer from severe back pain, and gradually you will be destroying your back

A taller back seat will give you the opportunity to hold your body in such a way that you never leave your ideal posture. Shorter people might face trouble resting their feet on the floor. 

If you have such problems, you can purchase the best footrest for you

4. Ensuring The Utmost Comfort

As I mentioned earlier, you will find the chair’s taller backrest as most comforting because you will constantly feel like someone is hugging you from behind. The taller back will support your whole back without any doubt.

Moreover, you will see the office chairs with taller backs are the taller chairs in general. They are also wider with spacious seats. That is, you will have a lot of room in the chair you sit comfortably.

Recommended Article: Can an Ergonomic Chair Cause Back Pain? (Researchers Opinion)

5. Suitable For Average To Taller People

Whereas Office Chairs with short back is suitable only for people with a definite height and sometimes short, but heavy people find it difficult to sit in such chairs.

The Office chairs with high backrests have taller and wider seats and backrests, making them suitable for mostly all categories of people. 

Starting from short but healthy people, tall and heavy people will be able to sit comfortably in the Office chair with a high backrest. 

6. Spacious Sitting Arrangement For Heavy People

As you know, many heavy people struggle to find a suitable chair to sit in. For example, a pregnant woman will always search for a cozy yet comfortable sitting position. 

As sitting for a longer period of time in an uncomfortable chair will definitely be cumbersome. However, you find it pretty comfortable to sit in an office chair with a taller back seat. 

7. Minimizes The Tendency Of Slouching

The taller backrests usually feel like someone is hugging you from the back, as the backrest perfectly contours your back. Such comfort will never let you slump forward; rather, you will love to rest your back on the backrest. 

It will help you to sit in a proper posture and minimize any kind of pain. You will also be able to maintain the desired eye level with the monitor screen. 

8. No Extra Support Require

When the backrest is taller, no additional support is required. For instance, the headrest is not necessarily needed. You will find it comfortable the way it is. 

9. Suitable For Extensive Working Periods

As you know, the chairs with a taller or higher back will provide you with the optimal support while ensuring the ideal posture, and you will never worry about any kind of body pain and fatigue. 

That means, even if you spend a lot of hours sitting in a chair, you can sit comfortably without worrying about the pain.

Recommended Article: Are Ergonomic Chairs Worth It?

10. Materials Are Top-Notch And Comfy

The Office Chairs with high back is comparatively expensive than any other kind of chairs in the market. It is mainly because they are built with top-quality materials.

The high-level built quality of the office chairs increases the chair’s durability. They are most comfortable with the perfect cushioning and structure. 

How High Should The Back Of Your Office Chair Be?

The ideal height of the back varies from person to person as they all have different heights and body structures. You need to sit ergonomically and determine the perfect backrest height for you.

Just keep your feet relaxed on the floor, and after resting your back on the backrest, you need to maintain a 90-degree angle between the hip and knees. Remember that the hands should either be resting in the desk or on armrests. 

Now relax your shoulder on the back and see if the neck, head, and lumbar support are positioned perfectly or not. Remember to change the height if needed, and balance it as per your own preferences. 

Do You Need A High Back Office Chair?

To be honest, experts only recommend the high back chairs to taller people. However, heavy people can also use the high back chairs as they are wider and more spacious. 

What Is The Difference Between High Back And Low Back Chair?

The basic difference between High Back and Low Back chairs are;

  1. Low Back Chairs are less expensive and will cost much lesser than High Back Chair. 
  2. High Back Chairs are more spacious and wider.
  3. Low Back Chairs are only suitable for short to average-sized people, but High Back Chairs suit a wide range of people. 
  4. Low Back Chairs can be stressful to sit in for longer periods, and high back chairs are suitable for an extensive period of time.

Recommended Article: Mid Back Vs. High Back Chairs: 9 Pros And Cons To Help You Decide

Meraj Jahan

Hey, I am a co-author at Office Chair Trends. Not only have I experience working for extended hours behind the desks at my workstation, but I also have seen people in my surroundings suffer from body aches. Being a reader by day and writer by night, I have researched this matter and gathered knowledge along the way. I am sharing all my experiences on this site.