This is the most searched question in our category and the one most often answered badly, usually by a page that lists five expensive chairs and implies that buying one will fix your back. So let us start with the two things that are actually true, both of which cost us sales.
A chair cannot treat back pain. It is a piece of furniture. What a well-fitted chair does is remove some of the mechanical reasons a working day makes your back worse, and let you move while you work. That is worth a great deal, and it is not the same as treatment.
The right chair for your back is the one that fits your body, not the one with the highest price or the best-known name. We sell the Herman Miller Aeron and we sell a $599 chair, and for a specific kind of person the $599 chair is the better answer. The rest of this page is how to tell which person you are.
A number worth putting in context
Safe Work Australia recorded 146,700 serious workers' compensation claims in 2023–24 — claims involving at least one week of lost working time. Body stressing is the largest single cause, at around 50,600 claims, roughly 34.5%.
Here is the honest part. The overwhelming majority of those are manual handling — lifting, carrying, repetitive movement in trades, warehousing, health and aged care. They are not office chairs. Anyone quoting that figure at you to sell a chair is stretching it, and we would rather tell you that than borrow the authority.
What the number does tell you is that back and musculoskeletal injury is the single biggest way Australian workers get hurt at work, which is a reasonable argument for taking your desk setup seriously. It is not evidence that a particular chair will help you specifically.
What actually goes wrong at a desk
Four mechanical things, none of which require a diagnosis to understand:
- The seat is too high. If your feet are not flat on the floor, your thighs carry weight they are not meant to and your pelvis rolls back. This is the single most common bad fit we see, and it is more common in shorter people because most chairs do not go low enough.
- The seat is too deep. If the front edge presses into the back of your knees, you will slide forward to escape it, and then your back has nothing behind it. Femur length varies enormously between people of the same height.
- The lumbar support is in the wrong place. A support that sits above or below the curve of your lower back is worse than none, because it pushes where you do not want pushing.
- You are not moving. Any posture held for three hours is a bad posture. This is the one that no amount of money fixes, and it matters more than the other three combined.
The four measurements that decide whether a chair fits you
Ignore the adjectives on any product page and look for these instead. All four are published figures you can check before you buy.
1. Minimum seat height
The most important number in the whole category and the one nobody puts in the headline. Sit right back in the chair. If your feet do not rest flat on the floor with your thighs roughly level, the chair does not fit you, and no other feature compensates.
Across the chairs we stock, minimum seat height ranges from 366 mm to 470 mm. That is a spread of more than 10 cm, and it is the difference between a chair that works for you and one that does not.
2. Whether the seat depth adjusts
This is where the received wisdom is wrong, and it is worth knowing before you spend two thousand dollars. The Herman Miller Aeron has no seat depth adjustment. Its seat depth is fixed by which of the three sizes you buy — 406 mm on a size A, 432 mm on a size B, 470 mm on a size C. The Aeron handles this by being sized rather than adjustable, which works well if you buy the right size and not at all if you do not.
Chairs that do adjust seat depth give you a range to fine-tune within: the HÅG SoFi Mesh adjusts 380–460 mm, the Capisco 370–470 mm, and the Mirra 2's FlexFront gives 413–457 mm.
3. Whether the lumbar support adjusts for height
Not just depth — height. Your lumbar curve is where it is, and a fixed pad on a tall backrest will be wrong for most people. On the Capisco the backrest itself adjusts through 440–500 mm; on the SoFi and the Tion the lumbar adjusts within the back.
4. Whether the chair moves with you
A chair that locks you in one position is asking you to hold that position. What you want is a mechanism that keeps moving under you without you thinking about it. HÅG calls this inBalance; Humanscale's Freedom does it with a weight-sensitive counterbalance and no tension dial at all, which suits people who will never touch an adjustment lever.
Fit, across everything we stock
Published figures, and live Australian prices checked 16 September 2026. Sorted by how low the seat goes, because that is the first filter. Availability is shown as a band rather than a unit count, because a count published today is wrong within the week — ring us on 02 9640 0642 for the number on the floor this morning.
| Chair | Minimum seat height | Seat depth | From | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herman Miller Aeron, size A | 366 mm | Fixed, 406 mm | $2,150 | Limited — ring first |
| Herman Miller Aeron, size B | 376 mm | Fixed, 432 mm | $2,150 | In stock |
| HÅG SoFi Mesh | 390 mm | Adjustable 380–460 mm | $750 | In stock |
| Herman Miller Mirra 2 | 375 mm, low cylinder | Adjustable 413–457 mm | $2,090 | To order |
| HÅG Capisco 8106 | 400 mm | Adjustable 370–470 mm | $1,858 | In stock |
| HÅG Tion 2100 | 410 mm | None on any Tion | $588.75 | In stock |
| Kyoto | 470 mm | Slider | $599 | In stock |
Also on the floor and worth trying, though we are not quoting dimensions we cannot source from the manufacturer: the Humanscale Liberty Mesh from $1,114, and the LiberNovo Omni from $1,359.
Which chair, by what is actually wrong
| If | Look at | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Your feet do not reach the floor | Aeron size A, or SoFi Mesh | 366 mm and 390 mm are the two lowest seats we stock |
| The seat edge presses behind your knees | SoFi Mesh, Capisco or Mirra 2 | All three adjust seat depth; the Aeron does not |
| You slide forward and lose the backrest | SoFi Mesh | Usually a seat-depth problem, not a backrest problem |
| You stiffen up by mid-afternoon | Capisco, or any HÅG | The mechanism keeps moving rather than locking |
| You will never touch an adjustment lever | Humanscale Freedom or Liberty | Weight-sensitive recline, no tension dial to set wrong |
| You work leaning over something | Capisco | The saddle seat is built for working forward, not reclining |
| You want to alternate sitting and perching | Capisco, 265 mm lift | Reaches 810 mm; nothing else here goes near it |
| Budget is the constraint | SoFi Mesh at $750 | Lowest seat, adjustable depth, EN 1335 Class A |
The Aeron question, since everyone asks it
The Aeron is a genuinely excellent chair and we sell a lot of them. Two things are worth knowing before you assume it is the answer to a sore back.
Getting the size right matters more than anything else about it. It comes in A, B and C, sized primarily by height, and Herman Miller's own advice is to take size B if you fall between sizes. A size B on someone who needs a size A is a chair that does not fit, at full price. Our Aeron size guide works it through. Size A is the one we hold in the smallest numbers at any given moment, so ring us rather than assuming there is one on the shelf.
The seat depth does not adjust. If your femurs are long or short for your height, a chair that adjusts — the Mirra 2 at $2,090, the SoFi at $750 — may fit you better than the Aeron at $2,150. That is not a criticism of the Aeron; it is how it is designed. It is simply a reason to sit in both.
What a chair will not fix, whatever you spend
We would rather say this than sell you a chair that disappoints you.
- A desk at the wrong height. If the desk is too high your shoulders come up, and no chair corrects that. Most fixed desks are 720–730 mm, which suits an average adult and nobody else particularly.
- A monitor at the wrong height. A screen too low pulls your head forward, and your neck and upper back carry it all day. A monitor arm is a fraction of the cost of a chair and often does more — our monitor arms comparison covers the options.
- Eight hours without standing up. The best chair in the world held still for a full day is still a full day held still.
- A laptop on a kitchen table. No chair rescues that geometry.
If your feet do not comfortably reach the floor once the seat is at the right height for your desk, a footrest is the fix rather than a lower chair — the HÅG StepUp mounts to the chair itself.
When a chair is not the right purchase
If your back pain is persistent, getting worse, waking you at night, or comes with numbness, pins and needles or weakness in a leg, the person to talk to is a GP or a physiotherapist, not a furniture retailer. We are happy to wait. A chair bought instead of an assessment is a chair bought for the wrong reason, and it will not do what you are hoping.
Where we are genuinely useful is afterwards: if a clinician has told you what your setup needs — a particular seat height, forward tilt, a specific lumbar position — bring that to us and we will fit a chair to it. Several of our regular customers arrive with a physio's note and leave with something that matches it.
Twenty minutes in the showroom, done properly
This is the part that actually settles it, and it is free. When you come in, do this rather than sitting in each chair for thirty seconds:
- Set the seat height first, before anything else. Feet flat, thighs level. If the chair will not go low enough, stop there — that chair is out, whatever else it does.
- Check the gap behind your knees. Two or three fingers between the seat edge and the back of your knee. If there is none, adjust the seat depth; if it does not adjust, try a different size or a different chair.
- Find the lumbar. Move it up and down until it sits in the curve of your lower back rather than above or below it.
- Then sit still for ten minutes and do something. Answer an email on your phone. Most chairs feel fine for thirty seconds; the differences show up at minute eight.
- Then move. Lean forward as if reading something on the desk, then recline. A chair that fights both is a chair you will fight all day.
We are at 1/209 Harris Street, Pyrmont, Monday to Friday by appointment — call 02 9640 0642 or get in touch, and tell us your height and your desk height when you book so the right chairs are set up before you arrive. Our showroom page has parking and transport details.
Where to start
If you take one thing from this page: measure your desk height and check the minimum seat height of any chair before you buy it. That single check eliminates most of the bad purchases in this category.
Then browse the full ergonomic task chair range, the home office chairs collection, or our guide to office chairs under $1,000 if budget is the constraint. If you would rather understand the movement argument first, the science of active sitting covers why your next posture is your best posture.
This page is general information about how chairs are built and measured. It is not medical advice, and nothing here is a claim that a chair treats, relieves or prevents any condition.
Frequently asked questions
Can an ergonomic chair fix back pain?
No. A chair is a piece of furniture, not a treatment. What a well-fitted chair does is remove some of the mechanical reasons a working day makes your back worse, and let you move while you work. If your back pain is persistent, worsening, waking you at night, or comes with numbness, pins and needles or weakness in a leg, see a GP or physiotherapist rather than buying a chair.
What is the most important measurement when choosing a chair?
The minimum seat height. Sit right back in the chair; if your feet do not rest flat on the floor with your thighs roughly level, the chair does not fit you and no other feature compensates. Across the chairs we stock, minimum seat height ranges from 366 mm to 470 mm, which is a spread of more than 10 cm.
Is the Herman Miller Aeron the best chair for back pain?
It is a genuinely excellent chair, but two things matter before you assume it is the answer. It is sized A, B or C rather than one adjustable shell, and getting the size right matters more than anything else about it. And its seat depth does not adjust — it is fixed at 406 mm on a size A, 432 mm on a size B and 470 mm on a size C. If your femurs are long or short for your height, a chair that adjusts, such as the Mirra 2 or the HÅG SoFi Mesh, may fit you better.
Do I need to spend a lot to get a chair that fits?
No. The HÅG SoFi Mesh at $750 has the lowest minimum seat height of any conventional chair we stock at 390 mm, adjustable seat depth of 380 to 460 mm, and EN 1335 Class A certification. Fit is decided by measurements, not by price.
Why do I keep sliding forward in my chair?
Usually because the seat is too deep, not because the backrest is wrong. If the front edge of the seat presses into the back of your knees you will slide forward to escape it, and then your back has nothing behind it. Aim for two or three fingers of gap between the seat edge and the back of your knee, and choose a chair whose seat depth adjusts if you cannot get there.
What will a new chair not fix?
A desk at the wrong height, a monitor at the wrong height, eight hours without standing up, or a laptop on a kitchen table. A monitor arm costs a fraction of a chair and often does more for neck and upper back load, because a screen that is too low pulls your head forward all day.
Is a saddle chair better for back pain?
It is better for a particular way of working rather than for a condition. A saddle seat is built for people who work leaning over something — a patient, a bench, an instrument — rather than reclining back from a desk. If that describes your work, a HÅG Capisco is worth sitting in. If you work back from a screen, a conventional chair is likely to suit you better.
How long should I sit in a chair before deciding?
At least ten minutes, doing something rather than just sitting. Most chairs feel fine for thirty seconds and the differences show up around minute eight. Set the seat height first, check the gap behind your knees, position the lumbar support in the curve of your lower back, then sit and work, then lean forward and recline to see whether the chair fights either.
Sources
- Safe Work Australia, Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia — 146,700 serious workers' compensation claims in 2023–24, and body stressing as the largest single cause
- Herman Miller published specifications and the Aeron size and fit reference — seat heights and fixed seat depths by size
- Herman Miller Mirra 2 specifications — cylinder seat heights and FlexFront seat depth range
- Flokk, 2025 HÅG Capisco and HÅG SoFi Collection factsheets — seat heights, seat depth ranges and backrest adjustment
- Flokk, HÅG Tion 2025 factsheet — seat heights and the absence of seat depth adjustment
- Chair Dinkum published Kyoto specifications
- Chair Dinkum live product data, checked 16 September 2026 — prices and availability
