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Mid Back VS High Back Chair: Which One Should I Consider According to My Back?[2023]

Installing the best office chairs for your home and commercial place could be beneficial. Without proper ergonomics, sitting on a chair comfortably will always get difficult. You may start bearing the pain right after a few hours.

Not only will this affect your performance, but it’ll increase stress levels and cause unbearable pain in your lower back. This is why dedicated mid back chairs and high back chairs are built.

However, choosing one between mid back and high back chair completely depends on what your requirements are. Here is a quick guide that you can go through in order to pick between both of them. Without wasting any further time, let’s get started to pick out the best one.

Mid Back VS High Back Chair: Comparison

1. Ergonomics

When you start to work for 9-12 hours in a day, your body will start bearing pain. To get rid of this pain, having a defined ergonomics is important. Office chairs with better ergonomics are great to have under any circumstances.

Mid Back Chair

Mid back chairs come with a decent ergonomic construction. Since they finish just below your shoulder, you may not experience full coverage of ergonomics. Usually, arm rests and seat padding is also a bit low. It is designed to give support to your lower back.

High Back Chair

On the other hand, high back office chairs are much more ergonomic in construction. They are designed to provide support on all sides of your back and also your arm. Construction of any high back computer chair is also much better making it durable to last longer.

2. Lumbar And Back Support

Lumbar and back support defines how good any office chair will help you to work longer. If you get proper back support and an office chair will be defined to give your body a bit of rest. As a result, you can enhance your work productivity and give a better result.

Mid Back Chair

Mid back office chairs are decent when it comes to lumbar and back support. You can get mesh back support on all over the back just up to your shoulders. This type of chair also comes with padded back rest to support your lower back.

High Back Chair

High backed office chair is much better when it comes to giving you orthopaedic support. The lumbar and mesh design in such chairs are much thicker in nature. It is a touch better than that of having a mid back chair.

3. Design

Just placing any random office chair on your desk will not be a good choice at all. Making it look professional and a good fit for your desk is also important. You must consider checking all space available and colors of different models.

Mid Back Chair

Mid back chairs offer a compact size and a decent frame. It is generally designed to fit into small spaces so that you can carry them. Moreover, you can get a variation of colors, build quality and also design as per your choice.

High Back Chair

Chairs with high back are generally vast in size and they are quite big to keep as well. To move around with a tall back office chair, you will require bigger space as well. This is why it is important to keep a high back desk chair in a large space. Design options are also a bit limited to focus mainly on the ergonomic side. They are much more stable to use as  well.

4. Firm Footing

Apart from the design of any office chair, foot placement should always be a key factor to consider. If you have a tall chair, your feet will have difficulty in touching the ground. If it is too low, it will always become a bit uncomfortable for you as well.

Luckily, both these chairs do come up with adjustable height options. There should be a lever just beside your chair that allows you to adjust the height and make yourself comfortable accordingly. By default, they are kept low and you can easily change the height to make it comfortable.

5. Purpose of Purchase

Both high and mid back chairs are genuinely built for different purposes. Although they both are office chairs, they serve differently according to our requirements. It is important to know what your requirements are before you go on to purchase any of these chairs.

Mid Back Chair

A mid back chair only gives support to your shoulders and lower back. They are quite good to sit on if you are working on a PC. However, working for long hours with such chairs can be a difficult task. They are a great choice if you require short hours to sit. This is why most people buy mid back office chairs for their home.

High Back Chair

High back chairs are more ergonomic in nature. They come with a headrest as well. Thus, it is capable of giving support to your head, back and also lower-back. Most commercial places do install such tall back chairs to provide comfort to their employees.

Pros And Cons

Mid Back Chair

Pros

  • They are usually available in lower price
  • It is a great choice for flexible workspaces
  • You can get this in multiple designs
  • It can be of great use in small spaces

Cons

  • May not give full back support

High Back Chair

Pros

  • It helps you to sit for long hours
  • You can get lower chances for suffering
  • Gives you a great back support
  • It is designed to provide decent comfort

Cons

  • The price of such chair is much higher

How To Sit On An Office Chair Properly?

Learning proper sitting postures will only give you benefits. If you sit properly in an office chair, it will lower down your back pain and also allow you to perform better. Here are a few tips that you can follow.

1. Make your sitting height comfortable. Sit at first and make sure that your feet are touching the ground flat. You can easily adjust the height by using a lever present just below your set. Check whether your knees are parallel to your hips.

2. Maintain a proper distance while sitting in front of a PC. Going in front of a digital screen for long hours will slowly affect your retina and bring up a headache. This is why you should follow a minimum distance from your PC screen. A gap of at least 20 inches should be perfect.

3. Angle of inclination will keep your body posture in a better way. If you have a proper angle to sit with, you can work comfortably. Most people do make a mistake of sitting at 90-degrees. But going for 100 to 110 degrees could be slightly better for you to get.

4. Another important thing that you must keep in mind is to sit up a bit straight. Leaning too much will not be helpful either. Give support to your back using the mesh provided with your chair. It will only help you to get proper support. You must also adjust the headrest according to your size.

5. Place your palm always on the table and make sure your elbows are closer to your body. If you have a bluetooth or adjustable keyboard, bring it closer to yourself. Having a 90-degree relation of your keyboard and body is the most recommended.

Frequently Asked Questions [FAQs]

Q1. Is there a weight limit that I should keep in mind?

A1. Of course there is. Every individual chair comes up with a weight limit. However, you can still expect that a decent ergonomic office chair would be able to put up to 150 pounds of weight. The maximum limit also might change according to every chair model.

Q2. Why is my left back side hurting when I sit straight?

A2. It might be because of your body balance. If you are using an ergonomic chair, it should properly adjust to your body structure. However, if you are inclined towards one side, it will start paining.

Q3. I am a tall guy, which type of chair should I buy?

A3. Both mid back chairs and high back chairs are designed for universal height. However, if you are excessively tall, go for a long back chair. It will also give you a headrest. You can check some great options in this article on big and tall office chairs.

Q4. Which is the best office chair for 500 lbs?

A4. Most office chairs come with a good capability when it comes to the performance. A standard office chair has a good capacity which will allow you to get a good support. Here are some of the best office chairs which have 500 lbs capacity.
·      BestMassage Big and Tall
·      Flash Furniture HERCULES Leather Executive
·      Flash Furniture HERCULES Mesh Executive
·      BrylaneHome Extra Wide Chair
·      Anda Seat Kaiser Chair

Q5. What are the options for most comfortable office chair under 500$?

A5. The comfort of any office chair depends on the cushion, lumbar support and also the comfortable seats which you can get. Here is a list of some comfortable office chairs under 500$.
·      Liccx Ergonomic Office Desk Chair
·      Alera Neratoli Tilt Chair
·      HON Wave Big and Tall Executive Chair
·      Gabrylly Ergonomic Mesh Office Chair
·      SMUGDESK Ergonomic Office Chair

Q6. Which is the best Mid back desk chair?

A6. If you are looking for flexible workplaces, having a Mid back desk chair will always be helpful. They are a great choice if you want to use them for small spaces. Here are some of the best choices.
·      Sihoo M18 Mesh Chair
·      Herman Miller Aeron
·      Unow Ergonomic Office Chair
·      WorkPro Quantum 9000
·      Samofu Mesh Office Chair

Q7. Which is the Best high back office chair under 100$?

A7. The advantage of having a high back office chair is that it provides a good lumbar support. If you get high back chair, then you can retain your body structure. As a result of this, you will be able to sit for more. Here are the best high back office chairs under 100$.
·      Amazon Basics Low-Back Office Desk Chair
·      SMUGDESK Ergonomic Swivel Task Computer Desk Home Office Chair
·      Flash Furniture Sorrento Home and Office Chair
·      OFM ESS Collection Plush High-Back Microfiber Office Chair
·      BTEXPERT Upholstery Office Chair

Q8. What are some Extra high back office chairs?

A8. A lot of people do consider a back support as essential criteria. Getting a head support is possible if you get Extra high back office chair with a proper back height. They are also available all over the market. Some of them are mentioned below.
·      Humanscale Freedom w/ Headrest
·      Eurotech Ergohuman Mesh w/ Headrest
·      Global Arturo
·      Via Oslo
·      Global Obusforme

Q9. Which are some good options for High back office chair mesh?

A9. Mesh chairs with high back can be termed as a great option for people who are willing to get a good sitting position. Not only it helps to retain the posture, but it also supports on working hours. Here are some of them.
·      Nightingale CXO
·      Raynor Ergohuman Mesh w/ Headrest
·      Eurotech iOO
·      Humanscale Liberty
·      BTOD GO-99-3-GG

Q10. Which are the best Mid back mesh office chair?

A10. If you do not want a direct high back mesh chair, having a Mid back mesh office chair will help you to get a good response and also provide comfort. Here are some examples mentioned bellows:
·      Flash Furniture Kelista Mid-Back Black Mesh Swivel
·      SMUG Office Chair Mesh Mid-Back Height
·      KOLLIEE Mid Back Mesh Office
·      BestOffice Home Office Chair Ergonomic Desk Chair Mesh
·      XISHE Office Chair Ergonomic Desk Chair

Q11. What are some amazing High back swivel chair with armrest?

A11. The advantage of High back swivel chair with armrest is that it provides you ergonomics in almost all possible ways. It provides you a great support for your arms so that you can keep working for longer hours. Here are some examples.
·      FDW Office Chair Computer High Back Adjustable Chair
·      SUNNOW Ergonomic Office Chair
·      SMUG Ergonomic Mesh Office Chair
·      Tffice Ergonomic Office Chair Computer Desk Chairs
·      FelixKing Home Office Rolling Swivel Chair

Q12. Which is the best High back modern office chair?

A12. Having a High back modern office chair is not only a simple benefit, but it also helps you to get great aesthetics. With the help of such chairs, you will be able to retain comfort as well as the design of your modern office room. Here are some amazing options.
·      XIZZI Ergonomic Chair
·      ovios Ergonomic Office Chair
·      SEATZONE Pink Office Chair Executive
·      EMMA + OLIVER High Back Black LeatherSoft
·      YAMASORO Velvet Office Chair High Back

Final Verdict

Both high back and mid back chairs have different purposes to solve. They support your body in a different way. However, picking out the right one for your needs should depend on what your requirements are.

If you are here to work for long hours, you can consider buying a high back chair. If your daily work routine is for 4-5 hours, choosing a mid back chair would be great. You must also check the desk space available before you install any office chair. Do let us know about your choice in this comparison.

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