(lifepr) (Selsingen, 12.06.2013) It's not just at our desk in the office that we sit for long hours on end: we do it at home too, in front of the television, on the couch or at the dining table. Both dining furniture and the couch and armchairs should therefore also pay as much attention to ergonomic features as to design aspects. But what really matters when it comes to sitting furniture? What makes back-friendly seating stand out? For years now, the Campaign for Healthier Backs AGR has advocated an enlightened informative approach for preventing backache. One key aspect of the association's work consists in certifying everyday commodities whose special ergonomic design can help to prevent backache or support the treatment and therapy of existing conditions. Products satisfying the strict test criteria set up by an independent committee of medical and therapeutic experts are awarded the "certified & recommended" seal of approval. For consumers, the seal is a reputable indication of the quality of the products and, above all, of the health advantages they offer.

What sitting furniture needs

The central criterion for ergonomic furniture consists in having individual adjustment possibilities. After all, backache can only be avoided by adapting furniture to the individual needs of the respective user's body. In sitting furniture, the adjustment possibilities include tilting the seat, as well as altering the seat height and depth. Furthermore, the backrest in back-friendly couches and armchairs must be high enough while offering good support and the right degree of comfort at the same time, as well as a well-functioning lumbar support and a sufficiently wide seat. In an exemplary "ergonomic campaign", the Bavarian furniture manufacturer himolla (www.himolla.com) offers three different product series that have received the AGR seal of approval: the dining benches and chairs in the "Planopoly Dinner" series, the "Senator" armchair and the "Ergoselect 3" suites.

The dining room as new focus for the family

Our hectic everyday lives with countless appointments to keep and obligations to meet often mean that meals are the only time that the family comes together in peace and quiet. Accordingly, both the meal itself and the actual dining furniture take on great significance. Frequently, a dining room is also used as living area. After the meal, conversations often simply continue at the dining table or it is used to play a game. But the new function of the dining room as living area has to be geared to our everyday needs. The furniture should be ergonomically appropriate, as well as comfortable and convenient. The "Planopoly Dinner" series of dining furniture by himolla meets these high demands. Upholstered corner benches with fully adjustable dynamic back rests and arm rests that fold down fulfil these requirements. Another benefit: the so-called Ergoselect function makes it possible to pull the actual seat forwards which raises the height at the same time. In other words, all users can change their sitting position at any time independently of each other, easily adapting the bench to individual personal requirements. The bench can be supplemented by dining chairs that also have a fully variable, dynamic backrest.

Ergonomic living room - for the sake of your back

Although the dining room is playing an increasingly significant role as focus for the family, the living room still has its own purpose. Cosy evenings watching television or afternoons reading a book take place in the living room - and often enough place a burden on the back. Worn-out couches and armchairs that are often unfitting and fail to meet current ergonomic standards can cause problems for the spine together with tension and pain. One positive exception here is the "Ergoselect 3" series by himolla. The special feature: the individual parts of a suite can be produced and adjusted specially customised to individual requirements. The couches not only have individual adjustment possibilities such as depth and height of the seat as well as angle of the head section: what's more, the customer can choose between four seat heights, three seat hardnesses and various upholstery fabrics. Several people sitting on the couch together? That's no problem! The possibility of adjusting the suite individually to different users must be truly unique.

The suites are supplemented by the "Senator" series of reclining and television chairs. Here the individual adjustment possibilities are supplemented by additional features such as vibration massage, together with seat or back heating to round off the back-friendly concept. The recliner is equipped with motors for quick and easy adjustment, while the heart balance function and the stand-up feature provide additional comfort. The memory function saves up to three favourite positions.

IN BRIEF:

It's not just in the office that we sit for long hours on end: we do it at home too, in front of the television, on the couch or at the dining table. Both dining furniture and the couch and armchairs should therefore also pay as much attention to ergonomic features as to design aspects. The "Planopoly Dinner" dining furniture, the "Senator" recliner and the "Ergoselect" series of suites by the furniture manufacturer himolla (www.himolla.com) have been awarded the AGR "certified & recommended" seal of approval, a reputable quality attribute for back-friendly everyday commodities.

More information about back-friendly daily routines and back-friendly everyday products marked with the AGR seal of approval is available on request together with a list of trained, certified retailers in an information package with the "Ergonomic Guide" and the "AGR MAGAZIN" patient guide at a price of €9.95 from the AGR (phone +49 4284/926 99 90 or www.agr-ev.de).