Best Office Chair For Sciatica

Disclosure: Thank you for reading our product reviews! Some links may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these links. Additionally, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you suffer from sciatica it can feel like it rules your life. How can you find comfort in the office when your back feels so bad, sometimes you just wish that you had a chair that could help you get through the day without so much pain. 

Trying to find the best chair for sciatica can be a real daunting task, however doing so doesn’t need to be so complicated, worrying, or even expensive.

Once you understand what it is that you need to feel more comfortable in the workplace with your back pain, you can start to seek out a chair that will help you get through the days.

We have done some hard work for you and have compiled a list of fantastic chairs perfectly made for you and your pain that will help you get through the day. Let us help you find that perfect chair.

Need relief real fast?

Life might be getting you down, and you need a new chair that will tailor to your needs, fast.

All that daunting searching, researching, and those YouTube review probably feel overwhelming and unnecessary. You probably just want to get yourself a good chair that will give you pain relief at work as soon as possible. 

We have got you covered. If you are in a hurry to get your perfect Sciatica relieving chair then we seriously suggest the Defy Desk Computer Desk Chair.

This is an ergonomic chair, that is well known for preventing back pains while you work- a key need if you suffer with Sciatica. It has a high back, so your Sciatic nerve gets full support all through the day, it has a head rest so that while you work you can sit and relax in full comfort.

And its adjustable ergonomic construction means that you can adjust the chair so that it fits you. Sciatica suffers are drooling over how good this chair is.

  • Complete Adjustability.
  • Increases blood circulation to where you need it.
  • Mesh back to prevent heat retention.

Overall Best Choice

If you suffer your day-to-day life with agonizing sciatica you don’t want to order a chair that will help only to bust out your back building it.

With this chair, there is no worry about this, put it together in a few very easy steps and get exquisite comfort straight away. No longer will your Sciatica distract you from your work, you can find yourself at the highest of your productivity. 

Did you know that the average person spends the equivalent of 18 years of their life sitting down? No wonder so many of us get sciatica!

After years of testing it was found that a double S-shape waterfall dreamer high back chair provides the best neck and lumbar support you can ask for to help you stand tall and proud without any of that niggling nerve pain you suffer with your sciatic nerve.

You can end slouching with a chair that fits you, and in ending slouching you get to say goodbye to your sciatica. 

You want a chair that won’t only support your back, but supports all of you to end that pain you live with. This chair is even suitable for taking a much-needed nap. It is also made with mesh and foam which helps to increase blood circulation, this in itself will be a god send to sciatica sufferers. 

This chair is more than just a chair, it is a transformer with just how adaptable and adjustable it is! You can alter the headrest angle, the lumbar support pressure, arm height, chair height, tilt tension, and tilt recline with so little effort! What more could you ask for. This chair is the nemesis to sciatica and all back pain! 

Pros: 

  • Very durable. This chair is made to last, and if it doesn’t, they offer money-back guarantee. 
  • It has a Grade-A break-proof BIFMA base, mechanism and class 4 gas lift. Offering optimum stability and height adjustments.
  • Shape mimics the natural shape of your spine to help you achieve comfortable posture that will help to ease your sciatica. 
  • Incredibly comfortable with foam padding, making sitting even more comfortable.

Cons:

  • Weight limit of 275lbs. 
  • May not be suitable for people over 6’5” tall. 
  • Seat adjustment may be a bit too high at its starting point for some.

Best for Airflow

This is a chair for sciatica has futuristic functional design.   It is also made by an up-and-coming manufacturer in the chair production industry; the manufacturer stands behind this product as they offer a lifetime warranty on the chair.

Despite its rather naked appearance, this chair is jam-packed with ergonomic features that can assist you in saying goodbye to pain disrupting your work.

This chair has an adjustable height between 18.5” to 22”, a seat width of 20.5”, a depth of 18.5”, can support up to 350lbs, and has a maximum recline range of 135 degrees. This is undoubtably a chair that will provide support for people with sciatica of all shapes and sizes.

It also offers 6 color options so that you can customize your chair to your style as well as your body. We recommend this chair for people between 5ft2 and 6ft6.

It has an infamous trio of ergonomic features that helped it make its way to our list, including substantial lumbar support, which is heavily sought after in those who have sciatica, this is even better when paired with its ergonomically made seat.

Which despite lacking on padding is excessively durable and breathable, making it ideal for those who sit for long periods, the last thing that you want is your sciatic pain being doubled up with sweating. 

It also has very adjustable armrests that are capable of swiveling 45 degrees both left and right as well as having height adjustability. Keeping your arms in the correct position can make all the difference in ridding yourself of back pain.

As well as all this it also has a tilt function, it possesses a three-setting tilt and lock mechanism which allows you to set the angle of recline to 90 degrees, 110 degrees, or 135 degrees, so you can be comfy no matter how you sit.

To make this chair even better there is a lifetime warranty on this chair, and they also sell loads of extras to pair with it too! 

Pros:

  • Lifetime warranty.
  • The seat is a mesh waterfall-edge style. 
  • Extensive lumbar support. 
  • Very customizable. 

Cons:

  • The chair does not come ready assembled. 
  • Armrests are adjustable but don’t lock. 
  • Material is mesh which may feel too springy. 
  • The headrest may feel as though it pushes your head forward. 

Best without a headrest

This chair is very suitable for office work much like others we have looked at; it is also very adjustable to your body. It has a backrest that will conform to the shape and movements of your back.

This is considered to be a neutral support backrest which is typical for any S-shaped support that your back should need. This is a feature that helps to shape your spine, giving your back the support it needs where it needs it when you are dealing with sciatic pain every day.

This chair is superior to many others in its design. It has added air pockets that reduce pressure on your body as also helps to reduce pressure on your thighs, which if you spend long periods sitting down you will be thoroughly grateful for. It can be a godsend to these issues. 

Not only this but the seat pan also has a similar waterfall design that you see in many other chairs that seek to add long-term comfort for those with sciatica.

Its rounded edge will further reduce pressure points on the backs of your legs, so there is no reduction in optimal circulation caused by sitting. Having good circulation can make all the difference in easing sciatic pains.

This chair also offers a greater weight capacity at 400lb maximum. Its armrests also rotate 360 degrees, it has 4 custom recline angles and a tilt mechanism.

Pros:

  • Built-in air pockets comfort to your body that helps reduce the pressure from long workdays sitting down. 
  • The armrests will remain parallel to your work surface, so you can stay comfortable at every recline. 
  • Has adjustable seat depth and there is an adjustable lumbar option available too. 
  • Higher weight acceptance than many other chairs. 

Cons:

  • While the padding is strong and durable, it may not be quite as plush as some of the other items in this review.
  • Arms do not lock. 
  • After some time it may click/ make noise when you lean back. 

Best Budget Buy

While it is good to have a comfortable office chair that will alleviate your pains, you do not want to break the bank buying it.

This is why it is good to know that there are budget options out there too, for people who can’t afford to spend four figures on a chair for pain relief.

Hence, we recommend the Office Star ProGrid chair. It has a plethora of adjustable and ergonomic features that will help to relieve pains in your back and other body parts too. As a sciatica sufferer, you probably know sciatica doesn’t just hurt your back, it hurts everything. That is why this is important.

Despite it being lower cost than plenty of other office chairs for this specialty these chairs have easily tweakable and shockingly robust seat pans. The seat’s depth and it can even pitch forward to reduce thigh pressure when you sit like many of the much more expensive options. 

One of the best features of this budget chair is its sculpted seat with a sloping edge, we have already noted how handy it is to have one of these, avoiding any cut off in circulation and worsening your sciatic nerve pains. It also has a firm and dense cushion, enough so to keep it comfortable. 

It also has a mesh back, integrated lumbar support, and height and width adjustable arms. This high back chair offers plenty of features to meet your needs when you sit in the office eight hours a day.

You need no longer feel the pressure on your sciatic nerve when you sit working hard all day, you need a chair that has got your back, and this one certainly does.

Pros:

  • Adjustable seat depth and forward pitch minimize pressure on your hips and back. 
  • Water-fall sculpted seat edge. 
  • Breathable backrest to keep you cool and comfortable.
  • Affordable on a budget. 

Cons:

  • Fixed lumbar support. 
  • Assembly instructions could do with better clarification. 
  • There is no padding on the armrests. 
  • Weight capacity is 250lbs, so is lower than other chairs. 

Best Upgrade

Another fantastic Herman Miller chair is the Herman Miller Aeron. While one of the priciest chairs we have looked at, it is also a vastly favored chair among many who spend a great deal of time sitting, have back or body pains, and those who need extra adjustability in their seating- and sciatica suffers definitely fall into this category.  

Make sure that before you purchase this chair you measure up what size you need and what features you need. This chair has a maximum support weight of 325lbs, and has an adjustable seat; for the A range this is 14.75” to 19”, for the C range it is 16” to 20.5”.

Each model has a recline range between 90 and 135 degrees. It features a seat width of 20.25” and variable seat depth; A range is 16”, B range is 16.75”, and the C range is 18.5”. So, it has an option for whatever your body type is.

While other makes take the one size for all approach, Aeron takes a different approach with narrowing down options for their buyers. Aeron chairs are mesh chairs, like some others, we have looked at, so they are very breathable but do lack some padding.

However, this chair makes up for it with its technology. Using something called ‘PostureFit SL’ which refers to the sacral and lumbar regions of the spine (the parts that cover everything from your lower to mid-back and yes your sciatic nerve).

This technology allows you to just adjust the chair to fit the precise curve of your spine. You can also alter the tension of the chair to provide the best sciatic relief.

It also offers tilt limiting, which allows you to set the recline of the chair. It has adjustable armrests that pivot and are height adjustable with a 3.2” variation. 

Pros:

  • Easy to assemble. 
  • Posturefit Technology- an important mechanical evolution in fighting sciatic pain.
  • Tilt limiting technology giving you different levels of recline up to 135 degrees. 
  • Fully adjustable armrests. 

Cons:

  • Mesh material lacks padding. 
  • The lumbar support system is stationary. 
  • Lacks a headrest.
  • Premium Priced Product

Best Office Chair For Sciatica Buying Guide

Height adjustments

Living with sciatica height adjustments is probably one of the most important of them all in a chair.

To sit comfortably in a chair you will want to be sat up straight with your feet flat on the ground and the height of your seat placing your knees just slightly above the height of your hips.

This will increase blood flow to your lower body and release pressure on your pelvis, hips, and lumbar. Something you want. 

Lumbar Support

If you have sciatica, good lumbar support is a must-have.  

When seeking a chair to support you and ease your pains, the lumbar support should mold the lower part of your spine to be sure that it will be supported when you are sat against the back of the chair. 

Having good lumbar support will also relieve pressure on your lower spine, this will grant you fantastic relief. 

Armrests

Though not as important as the aforementioned requirements, it is still beneficial to have adjustable armrests, by supporting your arms you put less strain on your upper back.

This will reinforce good alignment with the lumbar and won’t disjoint the movement between the two. 

Seat Depth Adjustments

Seat depth adjustments are often overlooked as a ‘need’ however you want to ensure the base of your spine is pressed against the curvature of the chair.

Being tall means you need more seat depth in comparison to a shorter person. So, consider this before your purchase as well. 

Swivel and castors/base 

While not as focused on you need to ensure your chair can move so that your back doesn’t have to, having a swivel mechanism, can therefore be helpful. If you twisted your back you may cause further irritation to the sciatic nerve.

You should also try to ensure that the chair has strong castors and a base. This is because this part is what holds your wait up while you sit, this will help to ensure that your chair offers all-round support. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you sit in an office chair with Sciatica?

Sitting in a chair comfortably if you suffer from sciatica is key, you should sit all the way back in your chair so that your back and buttocks are supported.

Avoiding sitting towards the front of your chair and leaning. You should also have both feet flat on the floor, not just your toes or the front half of your foot.

Try to avoid crossing your legs or leaning to one side. Having your hips slightly below your knees at height is also beneficial. 

Can a chair cause Sciatica?

Sitting causes increased pressure on the sciatic nerve as it travels below the gluteus muscles and down to the legs. You should avoid sitting on a soft couch for a long time, or on hard chairs for a long time.

Sitting too much can trigger sciatica pain, movement gives it a break, so sitting for extended periods can actually cause sciatica, if you must do so then try to ensure that you have a chair that will not irritate your sciatic nerve, or try to take regular breaks and walk around.