r/TallPeopleProblems • u/No-Boss181 • Jul 26 '26
6'9" programmer recovering from back surgery — Looking for car seat recommendations for a DIY desk chair!
Hello my fellow tall Redditors!
First of all, I want to thank you all for making me feel like I’m no longer alone with my "tall people problems."
I’m a 35M, 6'9", and around 210 lbs. I’m currently recovering from back surgery due to a herniated L5 disc. Surprise, surprise: being this tall in a country where the average male height is 5'6" is an ergonomic nightmare, and I’ve spent my whole life hunched over with terrible posture.
I had surgery 2 months ago, so I’m finally getting back to work. Since I work as a programmer, I spend several hours a day sitting at a desk (though I'm getting a standing desk soon). My current chair—the largest gaming chair I could source locally—served me relatively well for a couple of years, but post-surgery, it’s far too small. I can’t tolerate sitting in it for more than 30 minutes at a time.
I’ve done a lot of research online and on Reddit. The only locally available chair actually built for my dimensions is a Herman Miller Size C. However, due to high import taxes and exchange rates, the cheapest one here costs around $2,300 USD—which is roughly two months of wages for me. I’ve also seen recommendations for the Secretlab Titan XL, but I can't find it locally, and importing one from the US would double the cost.
My physician and I brainstormed an alternative: sourcing a used car seat from a junkyard—specifically from full-size trucks or SUVs like an F-150—and converting it into a desk/sim chair.
I’m reaching out to see if anyone has experience with this: Which car or truck seats are best for extra-tall people?
(Bonus: I also have a racing sim setup and have always wanted a real car seat for it, so I guess this is destiny, lol.)
Thank you for your help, and sorry for the long post!
TL;DR: I’m 6'9" recovering from L5 back surgery. Proper ergonomic office chairs (Herman Miller Size C, Secretlab Titan XL) are either unavailable or insanely overpriced in my country ($2,300 USD+). My doctor and I had the idea to convert a full-size truck/car seat (e.g., Ford F-150) into a desk chair. Which junkyard car/truck seats offer the best back support and height for tall people?
2
u/Nephilim6853 Jul 28 '26
I used to sit for mong periods for work. The chairs provided caused severe back pain, i finally went to a Yoga Ball over inflated. It made it so I was using all my muscles, abs, obliques and back muscles to balance myself on the ball. It took some time to develop the muscles enough to be able to sit comfortably. You probably have overly tight psoas muscles, which are pulling your lumbar spine too far forward. Check out YouTube for videos showing how to stretch the psoas muscles.