There is no perfect chair!
Spending time and money shopping for the 'right' chair and computer station is important but can be of only limited gain. It is important to learn coordinated use of the self in relation to the workplace environment to facilitate permanent gains in employee health.

Children who have never sat in desks will fidget because it is uncomfortable to sit still for prolonged periods of time. What we blame on youth and a lack of attention span is actually the children's accurate sensory feedback telling them to move when their bodies become uncomfortable in a static position. Gradually children learn to ignore their bodies' signals and focus on the task at hand. By adulthood they are no longer aware of any discomfort from sitting still. It feels normal although many will have developed conditions like carpal tunnel, tendonitis, and/or chronic back pain.

Adults with chronic pain in the workplace will benefit from a helpful ergonomic environment. But regaining awareness of body signals will empower the use of their equipment to its greatest advantage. Adults need to learn a new concept of sitting, in which the chair becomes a tool to use their bodies well, rather than a crutch to collapse into. Otherwise, they will collapse into the new chair as they did into the old. At first it will feel better, as the new chair slightly changes the points of compression in the spine, easing the old painful spots while beginning to wear new ones. Eventually the new chair will also be uncomfortable and the search for the perfect chair continues.

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NOTE:
An ergonomic workstation is very important. Workers will have great difficulty learning a healthy coordinated use of their bodies while sitting if their environment is inhospitable to their aim.

Visit the Kines-Tech website for a model of how the Alexander Technique can be incorporated into the workplace as well as the benefits that can be expected.