This article reports the findings of a Department of Health study of easy chairs for people with ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis of the hips and generalised low back pain. Fifteen chairs were tested for comfort, support, ease of sitting and ease of egress by a sample of 100 subjects in a controlled setting. The results demonstrated that several of the tested chairs could be used comfortably by people with arthritis and low back pain, and that common design characteristics influenced comfort for all subjects.
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