Uncomfortable classroom seating could set students up for a lifetime of poor sitting posture, fidgeting and chronic back pain. It is hard to focus when thinking about aching back and legs.

Ergonomically designed chairs like Educan’s recently revamped 1940 model can help enhance productivity for students by keeping them comfortable and focused on their assignments. To learn more, Educan talked to Katelyn, a kinesiology student at the University of British Columbia (UBC), who analyzed the biomedical, physiological and psychological principles that make this design work. 

“As a student myself, I know how difficult it can be to sit for long periods of time,” she said. “…students often battle with low back pain and stiffness. Fortunately, Educan has taken into consideration the importance of maintaining postural alignment, thereby helping to alleviate these common issues.”

Katelyn identified three main benefits of the Ergo Chair design:

1. Natural spinal curvature

While sitting with bad posture, the concave lordosis of the low back is commonly lost, which causes discomfort. Thankfully, the Ergo Chair bucket is naturally curved to match the contours of the back, which helps maintain a neutral spine.

2. Flexibility

Our chair is also designed to flex, moving with the students as they shift and adjust. “The human body is not really designed for sedentary behavior,” Katelyn noted, emphasizing the importance of choosing seats with wiggle room. As bipeds, it is vital to keep our shoulders, hips, knees and ankles in alignment to maintain a healthy posture, and the Ergo Chair can help achieve that. The flexible back reduces the forces that pull students’ center of gravity into a slouched position.

3. Adaptable

Another important feature to maintain good posture is choosing chairs that fit. All of Educan’s chairs come in various sizes that cater to students of all ages.