I am so glad you asked this question! I do have back, neck and hip issues and have recently embarked on a chair search. I tried the foam cushion in my present chair. Did not work! As I have searched for chairs I found that there are differing "grades" of chairs from task to executive. Executive chairs are designed to be set in for longer periods of time. Although the task/secretarial chair probably actually gets more seat time do to the type of work done but that is a whole different issue. I did find out that the more adjustments the better so you can actually change the position of the seat and back according to what task you are doing-sewing vs computer work vs quilting vs embroidery. It is difficult to find an executive chair without arms. My machine is set up very ergonomically as I attended a workshop put on by a chiropractor quilter at a quilt show. Best workshop I ever attended! I am still on the hunt for the best ever chair and am so looking forward to more information from this thread! Thank you everyone!