Lumbar support comes in a variety of types, offering different levels of ergonomic qualities. Let's go through some of those options now.
FIXED LUMBAR SUPPORT
A fixed lumbar support is one that is completely rigid. It is built into the chair and fixed in place, meaning it cannot change height or depth and is often found on lower-end chairs. Whilst this is more ergonomic than a chair with no dedicated lumbar support, its lack of flexibility can make it counterproductive. People come in all shapes and sizes, and your spine is as unique as your fingerprint, so a lumbar support that cannot be adjusted to fit you will be positioned incorrectly, either protruding too little or too much, providing incorrect support.
ADJUSTABLE LUMBAR SUPPORT
Adjustable Lumbar support offers manual adjustability, allowing it to fit better for a much wider range of spine curvatures. These adjustments come in various ways including
Height: The support can move up and down the chair back to target more accurately.
Depth: This allows the user to control how far the support stands out. Sometimes this is done using a pump that inflates the support.
Firmness: often using a knob of dial, this adjusts how hard or soft the support is.
Whilst the height adjustment is often seen as the most important adjustment option, the best lumbar support combines at least two of the adjustments mentioned above.
EXTERNAL LUMBAR SUPPORT
Chairs that contain no lumbar support can often be supplemented with external support, which most commonly comes in the form of a pillow. This is then held in position with a strap that can be manually adjusted to fit. This solution is a regular feature on dedicated gaming chairs, but can also be used to supplement basic office chairs.
One issue with this option is that the quality can vary dramatically, with cheap complimentary supports merely a token gesture that doesn’t provide ample support. They can also be problematic when it comes to staying in place.