Artikel Jun 23

What exactly is an orthopedic office chair and who covers the costs?

What is an orthopedic office chair?

In everyday language, the term orthopedic office chair is used as a synonym for healthy sitting. Orthopedic is to be understood as preventative – after all, the chair should be able to be optimally adjusted to the body of the person sitting and support their natural urge to move.

A dynamic seat that allows and encourages movement and does not impair blood circulation is an ideal option. Smooth seat height adjustment and suspension that can be adjusted to the body weight are important so that the seat can be perfectly adjusted to the user. The purpose of an orthopedic office chair is to relieve existing back pain and, ideally, to prevent it.

Accordingly, instead of orthopedic office chair you can also say ergonomic office chair.

Who needs an orthopedic office chair?

In any case, an orthopedic or ergonomic chair is appropriate if back problems such as disc disease, facet syndrome, lumbago, ankylosing spondylitis, Scheuermann's disease, spondylarthrosis, or spinal insufficiency are present or if arterial diseases such as thrombosis or decubitus ulcers have been diagnosed.

In general, it is advisable for anyone who spends a lot of time sitting (or standing) at work to use an ergonomic office chair or standing chair as a preventative measure.

Who pays for an orthopedic office chair? The costs of an orthopedic chair are not automatically covered by third parties. However, there are various ways to apply for subsidies or reimbursement of costs for ergonomic office furniture.

Depending on the status (student/civil servant), the length of time the pension fund has been paying into it, and whether or not the person is in need of rehabilitation, various institutions decide on the subsidy or cost coverage. These include the German Pension Insurance (BfA), professional associations, employment agencies, the integration office, and in some cases the health insurance company.

In which case will the costs for an orthopedic office chair be covered?

The reimbursement of costs for an ergonomic chair must be applied for BEFORE purchasing the corresponding office furniture. First and foremost, a medical certificate or a discharge report from rehab is required. Furthermore, a job description (is it a computer workstation, in production, etc.) and a cost estimate must be available.

These documents are submitted to the responsible pension insurance agency along with the application documents (available at www.deutsche-rentenversicherung-bund.de ). The maximum amount of the subsidy for orthopedic office chairs is 435 euros.

Which is the right orthopedic office chair?

This question cannot be answered easily, as it depends very much on the activity of the person affected, a possible diagnosis or course of the disease and certainly also on personal preferences. Anyone who has been diagnosed with a decubitus ulcer will be helped with an anti-decubitus seat or a viscoelastic seat.

Anyone who is constantly plagued by back pain may tend towards active sitting and therefore an Aeris Swopper without a backrest or armrests. Others need a seat to relieve the strain on their coccyx. If in doubt, you should consult a doctor - or simply try out the chair and see which one suits you best.