The Ergonomic Challenges of Armrests for Short People

By Steph Waaser

Office chair and desk ergonomics is a well-established subject with a wealth of information freely available on the internet. Chair height, lumbar support, and monitor height are all familiar topics for most people who spend the majority of their workday at a desk. But I want to move the spotlight over to a particular topic in chair ergonomics that isn’t discussed as much but has huge ramifications for short people like me (under 5' 4"  for female-assigned bodies or 5' 6"  for male-assigned bodies): armrest height.

I didn’t realize how ill-fitted my home office chair was until I started sitting in it for more than three hours at a time. And then it was painfully clear (literally). It was all because of the armrests.

If only we could all feel this relaxed in our office chairs. Image by StockUnlimited.

So, I went chair shopping. I started with an online search, looking at price ranges and features, but I was resolute in my conviction that an in-store purchase was ultimately the way to go. Why? Well, I’m 5' 2"  with relatively long legs for my height, which means I have the torso of a child. Don’t get me wrong, I still find myself able to freely swing my feet in certain seating situations, but what I discovered while looking for a new office chair was that my torso length was going to be a complicating factor because I need a lower-than-average armrest height. And I didn’t see a way to ensure a new chair was the right fit for me without going to a store and sitting in chairs for a while.

When you have a short torso and you’re seated, the distance from your elbows to the sitting surface is less than that distance is for an average-height, typically proportioned human. Their elbows are relatively higher when seated. When you’re short or have a short torso, finding a chair that works for your seat-to-elbow measurement is tough because a lot of office chairs are designed for the average human. They come with armrests that aren’t adjustable, or the armrests just don’t drop low enough for people with short torsos like me.

The height of your armrest should be set at the same height as the point of your bent elbow when seated. A properly positioned armrest should gently support your forearm when your arm and shoulder is relaxed. When your armrests are too high, even just a little bit, they cause your shoulders to rise. That puts strain on your shoulders, neck, upper back, and even your obliques (the muscles on the sides of your torso that allow you to twist your upper body back and forth). And eventually, it hurts. That was the situation that was driving me to buy a new chair, though I didn’t realize that my problem was solely due to the armrests until I talked to a knowledgeable sales associate at my local OfficeDepot.

There’s not an easy fix for armrests that are too high even at their lowest adjustable setting. If your chair’s seat height is properly adjusted for your desk and monitor setup–meaning the top of your monitor is at eye level and your wrists are comfortably in-line with your forearm when using your keyboard or mouse–but your feet don’t touch the ground when you’re sitting in that chair, you can get a footrest. But if your armrests are too high and won’t drop any lower, there’s not a readily available solution. The fix is a whole new chair.

If you’re a shorter person and you’ve realized your armrests are hurting you, there are chairs specifically designed for smaller folks. Seat depth, seat height, armrest height, even the size and position of the lumbar support are all scaled down for smaller people. And while the selection of these smaller chairs may be limited, it’s not confined to relatively expensive models. There are chairs for smaller people that are priced under $400. The downside of getting a chair designed specifically for smaller people is that you probably won’t be able to sit in it before purchasing it; stores typically don’t keep them in stock.

The next time you sit in your office chair (or if you’re sitting in it right now), take a moment to pay attention to your armrests and how your body feels about them. They are an important part of your ergonomic setup, especially if you’re a shorter person.