Best Footrest for Short People
Shorter users have a specific problem that taller users don’t: most desks and chairs are sized for average-to-tall adults. Set your chair high enough that your arms reach the keyboard, and your feet dangle. Lower it until your feet touch the floor, and your elbows are too low. A footrest breaks this trade-off — here’s which one to get.
The Specific Problem Short Users Have with Chairs
Standard desk height is 28–30 inches. Standard chair seat height ranges from roughly 17–21 inches. For a person under 5’4″, setting the chair high enough for comfortable keyboard use (elbow at roughly 90 degrees) typically means seat height of 19–21 inches — which puts your feet 3–5 inches off the floor. In that position, your thighs press into the front edge of the seat, cutting off circulation and creating the pressure that causes thigh numbness during long sessions.
A footrest eliminates the trade-off. You set the chair at the keyboard-correct height, put the footrest underneath, and your body is in neutral alignment from feet to elbows — the same position a taller person gets naturally from the floor.
BlissTrends Memory Foam Foot Rest
~$25–30 · Best Overall for Shorter Users
The BlissTrends provides 4–5 inches of lift in its higher setting — which covers the range most people under 5’4″ need. The memory foam surface molds to the shape of your feet and distributes pressure evenly across the sole rather than concentrating it at the heel, which is what causes foot fatigue with hard platform footrests. The rocking design lets you shift between flat and angled positions during the day, which keeps circulation moving better than a fixed platform. At $25–30, this is the footrest most shorter users should start with.
Best for: Users under 5’4″ who need 4–5 inches of lift — the most comfortable option at any price for barefoot or sock-foot use
ComfiLife Memory Foam Footrest
~$35–40 · Best if You Need More Than 5 Inches
For users under 5’1″ — or anyone who’s measured the gap between their dangling feet and the floor at 6 inches or more — the ComfiLife is the better choice. It runs taller and wider than the BlissTrends, providing up to 6 inches of lift and a larger surface for repositioning feet throughout the day. The extra $10 over the BlissTrends is worth it specifically if the BlissTrends’s maximum height doesn’t fully close the gap for your setup.
Best for: Users under 5’1″ or anyone who needs more than 5 inches of lift — larger surface and taller profile than the BlissTrends
The Right Way to Set Up Chair + Footrest Height
Start with your chair, not the footrest. Sit in your chair and adjust the height until your elbows are at roughly 90 degrees with your forearms resting on the armrests or desk surface — this is your keyboard position. Then place the footrest and adjust it until your feet rest flat with no pressure on the back of your thighs. You should feel the thigh pressure disappear almost immediately when the footrest is at the right height.
If you’re still feeling pressure on the back of your thighs after adding the footrest, your chair’s seat depth may also be too deep — try moving slightly forward in the seat so the front edge doesn’t press into your thighs.
→ Read: Best Footrest Under $30
→ Read: Best Ergonomic Chair Under $200