SLAM - The key to comfortable office seating

What is SLAM?
SLAM is an easy way to remember the key ingredients to setting up a comfortable office environment. HealthyBack believes in rigorous training around the principles of the SLAM method to deliver expert advice to customers who are looking to improve their workstations.

Seat Height and Depth
Lumbar Height and Depth
Angles and
Motion

Seat Height and Depth
We measure the depth of your seat. There should be two to three inches between the front edge of the chair and the back of your calf. Adequate seat depth distributes your weight evenly over the longest possible surface area. Inadequate surface area can impede circulation, cause numbness and result in difficultly when sitting for longer periods. Proper seat height encourages you to sit back in your chair, resulting in correct body position with result to the rest of your workstation.

Lumbar Height and Depth
We measure the lumbar curve in your back to determine the depth and height of your unique body. We then fit you to the right chair.
Stand flat against a wall with your heels and your should blades touching the wall. Now place your hand behind your lower back--does it fit? If you cannot fit your hand behind you, you have a flat back and probably need a chair with very little lumbar support. If you can fit a flat hand behind you, you have a medium curve and need a medium level lumbar support. If you can fit a balled up fist behind your back, , you have a deep curve, or sway back, and need a large lumbar support.

Angles
A chair should allow you to sit with at least 90° angles in the following places: your knees, hips, and elbows. Angles of less than 90° have the detrimental effect of impeding circulation. In static seated situations, this can result in premature fatigue and discomfort. In general, more "open" postures and chairs that support you in "open" postures, will allow you to sit more comfortably for longer periods of time.

Motion
Critical to pain-free sitting is a chair that allows you to stay in motion. The more you move, the more you encourage blood flow, and the less stiff you become. Properly adjust the chair's tension control to achieve your desired level of motion. Rule of thumb: Static positions in and of themselves are a source of pain and fatigue.