The picture above shows a mesh-back office chair, that is characterised by a seat-back significantly tilting backwards through the entire thoracic region - RED (even in its most upright static position - as shown above).  Since tilting backwards in the thoracic region is what Posture Friend also does, if you add a Posture Friend it will create too much of a good thing.   There are occasions when Posture Friend can still significantly improve the function and comfort of a mesh-back chair - depending on how taught the mesh is, if the mesh is attached to an uncomfortable bar at the top, and how vertical your seat-back can get.  The best thing you can do is borrow a Posture Friend and test it on your own chair.

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Even if Posture Friend isn't usable with your mesh-back office chair - Posture Friend's FREE Integrated Movement and Posture Program may assist in your overall postural health, and also improve your other seats and chairs that you use when you are not working.

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• Your seat or chair is not a high-back design - A Posture Friend will work on a medium height chair, it just won't provide optimum performance.  Friend itself is designed to assist the body from the pelvis all the way up to the base of the neck. Optimally you would want a head-rest on your seat/chair as well, but this isn't absolutely essential - just so long as you don't spend countless hours each day with your neck tilted forwards looking down at a keyboard, phone or magazine etc. 

 

• Your seat or chair is unstable and without a supportive seat-back - Some office chairs have a spring loaded seat-back, that will move backwards when you lean back. Nothing (including a Posture Friend) will improve the support provided by such a terrible seat design.

 

• You prefer to not lean back on a seat or chair at all -  If you you prefer to sit perfectly upright without resting back on your chair's back rest at all, then Posture Friend definitely isn't for you. Posture Friend can be helpful in the situation however, if you like some pelvic support to make upright sitting more effortless. If you have an office chair with a vertically adjustable back rest (where there is a gap between the seat back and the seat base), then Posture Friend can't be of assistance in this way. You will require a chair that the Posture Friend can push back against in the pelvic region. In reality, Posture Friend has been designed to lean back upon through the entire spine, yet not feel as if one is leaning back at all - so in fact, it may be exactly what you are looking for.

 

• You have a seat or chair with close to perfect lumbar support - In such a case Posture Friend will naturally increase that lumbar support further, and so may create too much of a good thing. Posture Friend of course is adjustable, so may still improve ergonomics in the thoracic region of the seat/chair while minimising the extra lumbar support component.  Most manufacturers of seats and chairs will play it safe and provide less instead of more lumbar support - and this is what Posture Friend offers a solution for. 

 

• You want elastic straps for your car seat - Posture Friend has elastic straps to hold it in place, but these straps are intended for use with an office chair only. These straps will not work in a car that has any type of side wing, since these will hold Posture Friend away from the seat-back - and because of this the non-slip backing of Posture Friend will not hold it in place. You simply need to adjust the Posture Friend position when you get into the car - the non-slip backing will then keep it firmly in place for your entire trip. It is worth noting of course that, Posture Friend will support your spine in different ways, regardless of how you place it on your seat back - and this can be important for keeping your body self-aware and dynamic. So the short answer is, you really don't need to worry to much about getting perfect placement each time you hop into you car.

 

• My body is getting old and frail, can Posture Friend still help me? YES, but... If you are elderly or frail with reduced muscle mass (natural padding), there is a possibility you may find Posture Friend is slightly too firm for your body.  In general terms those who receive the most benefit from Posture Friend are able to comfortably lie on their back on the floor, with no pillow required under their head. This means their spine is flexible enough to be fully upright in a seated position, and so can take full advantage of Posture Friend's unique design. In this regard Posture Friend is preventative rather than curative in nature. That being said, every spine still has some flexibility (unless suffering from a disease such as Ankylosing Spondylitis), and so Posture Friend may assist in retaining what you have. It must be acknowledged that Posture Friend has its limitations, but may be further improved with additional assistance. I would strongly suggest that you combine the included Posture Friend daily exercises, with professional treatments to assist in loosening your body, and an exercise program to help reclaim strength and spinal mobility - then you may find Posture Friend offering greater rewards.

 

• Posture Friend for erratic city driving - Posture Friend is amazing for long distance travel. If you like to drive at speed with twists and turns around the city however, you may experience your body rolling slightly away from corners (which for some may feel mildly disconcerting at first). I personally prefer this very slight degree of instability, since it results in deep core activation whilst driving, and so providing an additional opportunity for increasing body functional control. It is worth mentioning a patient who is a courier has tested Posture Friend for a 3 months and loved it - so it really depends upon how you drive.

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• You have symptomatic hip arthritis or labral tear - this contraindication applies if you have symptomatic hip arthritis or a labral tear of the hip joint, that has been known to bother you during sitting.  If this is the case, you may need to be cautious when using Posture Friend - especially in a car with bucket style seats, or a deep lounge chair. An aggravation of symptoms may occur because Posture Friend is helping your sit more upright, while your hips are also flexed and potentially creating pressure at the front of your hip joint.  This issue can be largely resolved by including a seat wedge, that creates a flat seat (instead of backward sloping seat base), and certainly is not a problem if your hips are normal.