Connections to Health - Office Ball Chair

THE ISHTA HOLISTIC HEALTH CENTRE

CONNECTIONS to HEALTH

Office Ball Chair

We have recently bought 2 office ball chairs, one for the centre and one for the office at home.
How great are they?!

Not only are they good for the spine but they are comfortable, fun and they look groovy.

As long as the ball is supported within a frame and provides support in the lumbar spine it is usually safe and comfortable for most people. Children require a smaller chair.

The ball acts as a shock absorber and helps the body ease into an ergonomic position. The main reason we like the chair is it keeps your spine moving. If you have been in to see either, Sue, Allyn or Alaine, chiropractors at the Centre, then you may have heard them saying that sitting for 3 hours or more in any one day can result in scar tissue being built up in the joints of the spine. As most people are sitting for much longer than this you can see the implications.

What is wrong with the standard sitting posture?

Whether you sit for minutes or hours, you can't underestimate the value of proper posture while sitting. It has been demonstrated that at times there can be as much as six times the amount of stress on your back when you sit than while lying down. Also sitting places 50% more pressure on your discs than standing. Sitting and leaning forward (i.e., typing at a computer) places 150% more pressure on discs than standing!

What is happening?

It is estimated that 60%-70% of all back pain is the result of muscle strain. Your musculo-skeletal system needs a basic level of strength and endurance in order to protect itself against back pain. Your muscles need a good supply of blood and energy in order to be maintained at peak performance. Poor posture or muscle spasms can deprive the cells and tissues in your back muscles of a good supply of blood and oxygen and result in a stiff and inflexible back.
When you sit and bend forward (i.e., typing at a computer) two of the three muscle groups which support your back (abdominal and hip flexors) are inactive and, therefore, being detrained (weakened). If this posture is maintained, muscles will become painful, weak, less elastic, shortened and scar tissue will begin to be deposited in the facet joints of the spine and around the muscles and ligaments leading to more stiffness, pain etc. It becomes a vicious circle.
Gently stretching your back muscles, through the movement induced by sitting on a ball chair, can help increase the supply of blood and oxygen to your back muscles and with a regular program of stretching and strengthening, the muscle groups can be brought back into balance. And the scar tissue can be softened and may be absorbed back into the body and replaced with softer more flexible tissue.
Sitting at a ball chair with the lumbar support is a dynamic form of seating and encourages the muscle and ligaments and joints of the spine to continually move altering the posture of the body.
You could also remove the ball and use it as an exercise ball.

The chair comes with a pump and the height can be altered by the amount the ball is inflated.
You may want to become gradually accustomed to the chair initially, especially if you are used to sitting for very long periods of time.
If you would like to come in and try our chair, please call us and we will arrange a time that is convenient for both of us, but if you are due to come in soon just ask if you can try it out.
Here's the link to obtain the one we bought.
However, there is a slightly cheaper one which you can get here, but obviously we haven't tried this one out.

Wobble cushion.

However if you haven't got the space or want a more portable solution you may have seen the following at the centre also, a blue Wobble Cushion. This just rests on top of the seat and has a similar affect to the ball chair and according to the supplier it has a wide range of applications ranging from active sitting, muscle strengthening, joint stabilisation, to post natal care. It can also be used like a wobble board for improving balance.

There are two sizes of spike dimples one for standing and practising your balance and the other with smaller ones for sitting on. Basically in the sitting position it destabilises the spine so the postural muscle have to work to maintain an upright position. Again it comes with a pump, and can be used by children and the elderly.

Here's the link for the wobble cushion.