Conclusion The findings of this review indicate a consistent trend that supports the role of a chair intervention to reduce musculoskeletal symptoms among workers who are required to sit for prolonged periods .
The review also highlights gaps : for example in showing whether the effectiveness of a chair intervention has long-term impact , particularly with respect to musculoskeletal symptoms , as well as the recurrence of symptoms and the consequent cost of care
Background Prolonged sitting has been associated with musculoskeletal dysfunction .
For desk workers , workstation modifications frequently address the work surface and chair .
Chairs which can prevent abnormal strain of the neuromuscular system may aid in preventing musculo-skeletal pain and discomfort .
Anecdotally , adjustability of the seat height and the seat pan depth to match the anthropometrics of the user is the most commonly recommended intervention .
Within the constraints of the current economic climate , employers dem and evidence for the benefits attributed to an investment in altering workstations , however this evidence -base is currently unclear both in terms of the strength of the evidence and the nature of the chair features .
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the evidence for the effectiveness of chair interventions in reducing workplace musculoskeletal symptoms .
Field studies of comfort and discomfort in sitting.
A previous study defined sitting comfort and discomfort as independent entities associated with different factors : discomfort is related to biomechanics and fatigue factors , and comfort to a sense of well-being and aesthetics . In this study a checklist for evaluation of chair  comfort  and discomfort was analysed in two field studies . In the first study two groups of subjects , ten secretaries and ten managers , evaluated two groups of ten chairs . Subjects assessed each chair three times during a workday using three different types of scales . The results of a factor analysis reconfirmed the factor structure of comfort and discomfort . Analysis of variance demonstrated that discomfort was related to fatigue accumulated during the workday , but it was not related to chair design . There was no significant Chair x Time period interaction , which implies that the rank order of preference among a set of chairs was established during the first assessment and did not change during the day . In a second field study 37 secretaries used three different formats of a Chair Evaluation Checklist with 14 items . The results of a factor analysis again confirmed the factor structure of comfort and discomfort . Analyses of variance demonstrated that subjects can evaluate comfort and discomfort simultaneously without any halo-effect . The results have method ological implication s for measurement of comfort and discomfort . The findings for comfort , as defined , carry an important message that aesthetic design matters . This could provide a unifying focus for ergonomists and design ers
Conclusion The findings of this review indicate a consistent trend that supports the role of a chair intervention to reduce musculoskeletal symptoms among workers who are required to sit for prolonged periods .
The review also highlights gaps : for example in showing whether the effectiveness of a chair intervention has long-term impact , particularly with respect to musculoskeletal symptoms , as well as the recurrence of symptoms and the consequent cost of care
Background Prolonged sitting has been associated with musculoskeletal dysfunction .
For desk workers , workstation modifications frequently address the work surface and chair .
Chairs which can prevent abnormal strain of the neuromuscular system may aid in preventing musculo-skeletal pain and discomfort .
Anecdotally , adjustability of the seat height and the seat pan depth to match the anthropometrics of the user is the most commonly recommended intervention .
Within the constraints of the current economic climate , employers dem and evidence for the benefits attributed to an investment in altering workstations , however this evidence -base is currently unclear both in terms of the strength of the evidence and the nature of the chair features .
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the evidence for the effectiveness of chair interventions in reducing workplace musculoskeletal symptoms .