Swivel chairs come with a bewildering array of adjustable features, this simple guide will hopefully inform you what they are all for and how you can best use them.

Seat height
This is the distance of the seat from the floor; if you are buying a new swivel chair that you are going to use regularly you should think of this as a minimum requirement. Altering the seat height allows your feet to be sat on the floor correctly and the worktop height to be set at the correct height for you. See Setting up your Swivel Chair for more information.

Seat depth
This is the distance of the backrest to the front edge of the chair. Being able to adjust this will vary the amount of your legs that is supported – too little and you will feel as though you are sliding off the chair. Having an adjustable seat depth will also allow children to comfortably use the backrest as well as adults.

Backrest angle
This is the angle that the backrest is in relation to the seat of the swivel chair. Some cheaper chairs do not have an adjustable backrest angle, Instead the whole chair (seat and backrest) tilt backwards or forwards. This is actually a very important feature, if you struggle with lower back problems then lean backwards more takes pressure of your lower back.

Chair recline/tilt
This is the amount the seat and backrest of chair can tilt in relation to the floor. Similarly to adjusting the back rest angle, tilting the chair back slightly will reduce pressure on your lower back,

Seat angle
If your spending a lot of money on a chair then you will probably be able to adjust the seat angle independently of the backrest and the overall chair recline/tilt.

Armrests
There are two options of adjustability with armrests:

1. The height of the armrests relative to the seat, setting the armrests to the correct height will reduce some strain on the shoulders.
2. The distance between the armrests i.e. the width.

Lumbar support
If you have the crème-de-la- crème of chairs it may well have an adjustable lumbar support. This is to help maintain the curve in your lower back.

Backrest height
This is so you can adjust the height of the backrest in relation to the seat. In the case of cheaper swivel chairs that don’t have adjustable lumbar supports, altering the height of the back rest can act as a lumbar support.