Article Jun 23

What actually is an orthopedic office chair and who pays for it?

What is an orthopaedic office chair?

Colloquially, the term orthopedic office chair is used as a synonym for healthy sitting. Orthopedic is to be understood preventively - after all, the chair should be able to be optimally adapted to the sitter's body and support his or her natural urge to move.

A dynamic seat that allows and promotes movement and does not impair circulation is an ideal variant. A smooth seat height adjustment and suspension that can be adapted to the body weight are important so that the seat can be perfectly adjusted to the user. The purpose of an orthopedic office chair is to alleviate pre-existing back pain and, at best, prevent it.

Accordingly, instead of orthopaedic office chair, one can also say ergonomic office chair.

Who needs an orthopaedic office chair?

In any case, an orthopedic or ergonomic chair is appropriate if back conditions such as intervertebral disc disease, facet syndrome, lumbalgia, ankylosing spondylitis, Scheuermann's disease, spondylarthrosis, or spinal insufficiency are present, or if arterial conditions such as thrombosis or a pressure ulcer have been diagnosed.

Basically, it is recommended for anyone who works a lot sitting (or standing) to use an ergonomic office chair or standing seat as a preventive measure.

 

Who pays for an orthopaedic office chair? Cost of an orthopedic Chair are not readily covered by third parties. However, there are various ways to apply for subsidies or cost absorption for ergonomic office furniture.

Depending on your status (student/civil servant), the length of time you have been paying into the pension fund, and whether or not you are eligible for rehabilitation, various institutions will decide whether or not you will receive a subsidy. These include the German pension insurance (BfA), professional associations, employment agencies, integration office and in some cases also the health insurance or health insurance.

In which case are the costs for an orthopaedic office chair covered?

The assumption of costs for an ergonomic chair must be applied for - and this must be done BEFORE the purchase of the corresponding office furniture. First and foremost, a medical certificate or a discharge report from rehab is required. Furthermore, a job description (is it a workstation at the computer, in production, etc.) and a cost estimate must be available.

These papers are submitted with the application documents (available from www.deutsche-rentenversicherung-bund.de) submitted to the responsible pension insurance institution. The maximum subsidy for orthopedic office chairs is 435 euros.

 

Which is the right orthopaedic office chair?

This question cannot be answered without further ado, because it depends very much on the activity of the person concerned, on a possible diagnosis or a course of the disease and certainly also on personal preferences. Those who have been diagnosed with pressure sores will be helped by an anti-decubitus seat or a viscoelastic seat.

Those who are constantly plagued by back pain may tend to sit in an active-moving manner and thus to Aeris Swopper without backrest or armrests. Still others need a seat that relieves pressure on the coccyx. If in doubt, consult a doctor - or simply try it out and find out which chair suits you best.