'Back in Brighton' offers a 'try-before-you-buy' service. Perhaps you like a couple of chairs you have sat in, in the showroom, but are finding it difficult to make a decision as to which you like the best. At 'Back in Brighton' you can try them out at home or in the office for 24 hours or so, with no commitment to buy.

Poor seating?

“Are you sitting comfortably? It seems most people aren’t. I can’t think of another situation in modern life where we universally use equipment that was never designed for purpose. We sit for hours at the work-place or home-office, using dining, garden or kitchen chairs or poorly designed, flimsy, and often broken, secretary-style chairs that offer none of the benefits of ergonomic seating.” Gerry Carter

Having worked for over twenty years' as an osteopath and lecturer, and having seen thousands of patients with musculoskeletal problems, I recognize the common causes for maintaining ongoing problems that people face with regard all manner of musculoskeletal conditions and often one of the major factors responsible for patients continuing problems is the way they sit or the equipment they use.

Why an ergonomic chair

There are many good reasons to make sure you are using a good chair, whether in your regular work-place or in your home office. Ergonomic chairs have various functions that allow for a change in the position of the chair and your position, while maintaining good support to the back. Some can be set up specifically to suit your particular body size and weight distribution. They are not only recommended for people with back or neck pain, though of course they will be a significant help in preventing such problems from arising in the first place, but they are also designed to improve comfort, enhance good blood supply to the buttock and lower limbs and to help maintain concentration and improve performance.

Why so expensive?

Actually, ergonomic chairs are not expensive. I am often asked by my patients and customers why these chairs cost so much money. Unfortunately, in this country, there is a tendency to buy cheap office furniture. The market is flooded with office chairs brought in from Asia and there are many large furniture companies supplying furniture at knock-down prices. This has led people to believe that ergonomic furniture is therefore expensive by comparison.

In attempting to draw a realistic comparison, I always ask the question, "how much did you pay for your last bed?" Most people it seems are willing to pay many hundreds, or even thousands of pounds for a new bed, but when I ask why the customer spent so much money on their bed, I usually get three answers;

• "I want good quality and want it to last a long time";
• "because I spend a third of my life there;"
• "I need good support."

How does this differ from sitting on a work chair all day?

The need to have good supportive seating is even MORE important than to sleep in a supportive bed, because your spine is weight-bearing when you are sitting and not when you are laying. Often patients ask me why it is that they have more pain on waking in the morning. Rarely does this have anything to do with the bed but rather the fact that spinal inflammation is often worse in the morning. What is often missed is the fact that the condition causing the spinal inflammation is often irritated by poor sitting the previous day!

Where should I buy?

When looking to purchase an ergonomic chair, I believe that it’s extremely important to make sure that you get the right chair for you, and that it meets your personal requirements. Unfortunately, many of the companies selling ergonomic furniture use salesteams that have no experience of what is really required by individuals seeking help. I have personally witnessed young salesmen and women receiving very short tutorials on back care and chair ergonomics before being allowed on the sales floor. There is no experience of back care, no knowledge of the way the human spine functions or its anatomy, nor is there any knowledge of the myriad of spinal conditions affecting people or what is necessary for such problems to be addressed through good ergonomic seating.

'Back in Brighton' guarantees that every person buying a chair from us will receive advice from an osteopath first. Why buy from a salesman, when you can get expert help from a back care specialist?

Should I buy online?

These days it's easy to purchase on-line, virtually anything we want at considerably lower prices than shops can offer. However, there are good reasons why you might want to think carefully about buying an ergonomic chair on-line:

• Bearing in mind that you are likely to spend hundreds of pounds on a good supportive chair, surely you want the chair to be provided with the very best features, functions and upholstery to suit you. Buying an ergonomic chair is not like purchasing a washing machine or television. Many of these chairs can be custom ordered with just the right functionality provided for you and your requirements. In some cases this will actually reduce the cost to the buyer. In an attempt to be seen to be advertising the lowest price, often, the internet 'best deal' will be the promotion of a limited choice, providing, for instance, the cheapest option in fabric - that feels hot and sweaty in the summer, or the least expensive castor - perhaps designed only for carpet use, that maybe totally unsuitable to be used on your beautiful wooden floor!
• Although there are many reputable on-line companies and individuals selling these high specification products, there are also many that are not. Some that are less reputable, get chairs from dubious sources, apparently even selling second hand, sometimes importing from abroad, where specifications are different to those in the UK. Some are not registered dealers and do not have permission to sell these chairs. Buying a chair from a non-registered company invalidates the chair's warranty. This is a significant factor to consider; Some of these chairs come with a ten or twelve year warranty.
• 'Back in Brighton' offers a 'try-before-you-buy' service. Perhaps you like a couple of chairs, but are finding it difficult to make a decision as to which you like the best. At 'Back in Brighton' you can try them out at home or in the office for 24 hours or so, with no commitment to buy. Does the on-line company provide that level of service?
• Many ergonomic chairs have functions and settings that require advice on setting them up. It is important for the individual to make the most of the ergonomic features that they are paying for. Sometimes a visit after delivery is required, in order to help set the chair up for the customer. This service can be arranged through 'Back in Brighton' at no extra cost. Does the on-line company offer this after-sales service?
• Buying from us, doesn't necessarily mean you'll pay any more either, although once the options are explained, often customers go for something a little more than the 'basic' model. Please remember also, that if you do find a chair on-line that is being offered at a lower price, do let us know and we'll do what we can to match that price!