Do you need a footrest at your desk? A quick test

Do you need a footrest at your desk? Only if your feet need somewhere to go. Do the test below before you buy.

The test

1. Raise or lower your chair until your elbows rest at desk height with relaxed shoulders.
2. Look at your feet. Are they flat on the floor?
3. If yes, you do not need a footrest.
4. If they dangle or only the toes touch, you do.

Put a sturdy box or a stack of books under your feet and see if it feels better within a day or two. If it does, a proper footrest is worth having.

Why it matters

When feet dangle, the front of your thighs takes pressure from the seat edge. Many people then perch or hook their feet on the chair base. A footrest gives your legs a base and lets your back relax. It is a small fix that connects to the rest of the desk order.

What to look for

• Adjustable height or angle. One setting rarely fits two people.
• A surface that does not slide. Check the underside.
• Big enough that both feet can shift around.

The exception

If you can lower the desk or raise the chair and still put your feet flat, you do not need one. A sit-stand desk or a taller chair may do the same job. If you have leg swelling or pain, see a clinician.

A free test, step by step

Use a box about as tall as the gap under your feet. A shoebox may be too low and a crate too high. Start with a stack of two or three books and add or remove until your knees sit about level with your hips. Keep it in place for a full working day. If you forget it is there by the afternoon, the height is right. If you keep shifting your feet, try a slightly different height.

Some people like a footrest that tilts or rocks, so their ankles can move through the day. Others like a plain flat one. Neither is wrong. Pick what you will use.

End of shift

• First to go: the non-slip pad underneath.
• Friday check: is it still where you left it, or has it been kicked into a corner and ignored?
• Skip: any footrest that heats, vibrates or promises to cure back pain.