Exercise ball Vs Office Chair

[Lee-hall76]

Good Morning All,

One of our creative peeps has approached me with the idea of replacing their office chair with an exercise ball. They feels this will strengthen their back, abs and leg muscles and allow them to have a little workout at the same time.

Having done some research into this topic there seems to be very little scientific research carried out and I was wondering if anyone has encountered this situation before?

My personal view is that although this does have some health benefits this is something that should be used and practiced outside and of the office. I see much more benefit from using a correctly set-up office chair and workstation.

There are of course the additional risks other than ergonomics that this type of equipment brings into the office environment which should also be considered.

Many thanks in advance.

Lee

[Penfold]

Hi Lee

Following major back surgery last year I have been going to see physio to get movement back and use this type of all most days for core stability training. Talking to the physio a few weeks back he said these balls should only be used for minutes and not hours as they cause more problems with back and leg muscles if used for lengths of time

Hope this helps

Penfold

[Keith1983]

I would personally avoid the use of an "exercise ball", for me the clue is in the name! You're there to provide a safe working environment not a work out. I think the potential risks massively outweigh the potential benefits. There are of course requirements for office chairs to have 5 legs and be adjustable, an exercise ball is not and so for me rules itself out of being an item of office furniture.

[Lee-hall76]

Hi,

Thank you for the quick response.

That is very interesting Penfold I appreciate the information.

I totally agree with you Keith, unfortunately living in the fantasy world that is Dubai we sometimes have to entertain these ideas

Thanks again for the info guys.

Regards
Lee

[Keith1983]

I didn't take note of your location Lee! Is there any applicable legislation?

[Lee-hall76]

There is Keith but it is very, very basic and the biggest issue is that there is no one regulating or enforce it.

As such it is very rare that any formal action is taken against a business and it makes it difficult to influence management on why we must abide by the legislation.

[Indy]

For a different perspective - I'm all in favour of finding ways that people and move in the office and am of the belief that sitting on a chair all day regardless of it's compliance with DSE can create just as many issues as something as radical as a ball. Saying that - my inner maverick is tempered suitably and given the latitude that you seem to have, I might be inclined to look at it a little more but perhaps not as far as replacing the office chair with a ball.

I certainly agree that sitting on a ball all day isn't what the regular human is now trained to do so it can cause fatigue and poor posture as a result - short periods (5-10mins) are useful interspersed through the day. From a safety angle, you can get a big doughnut thing that the ball can sit in which reduces the risk of the ball moving and the user falling off (though you'd laugh if you witnessed it even as you reach for the accident book). Better ideas might be to allow a couple of balls (with doughnuts) in rest areas where people are not likely to sit on them for long but it would allow them to change their posture from a chair.

For the chair bit, there are loads of products available that can reproduce what the ball is trying to inspire - like the inflatable cushions and wedge-shaped cushions, interesting chair designs (saddle seats etc) which all promote a slightly forward tilted pelvis and require that the spine control muscles join in. Again, after years of sitting on office chairs and sofas, we're not well adapted to these things and they offer alternatives that help us get out of that static slump. Sitting on anything can improve things for one person and cause problems for someone else - it's such a personal thing and though we like the look of an office with all matching chairs, a quick look at the population being asked to sit on them tells us that there are going to be quite a number of anomalies to accommodate.

It can be fun to take a look around something like the Back in Action website for the myriad of options that you might be able to explore with your employee rather than the original request for a ball. If it's an employee choice rather than an adjustment for their health then the ball (as it were) is back in their court and you can, as the employer, set out what you would prefer to sanction as an alternative.

http://www.backinaction.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Tin hat and flak jacket on!

[Keith1983]

Despite my previous comment saying it's not something I'd like to allow I do agree with Indy. I'm all for finding ways to allow things rather than just saying no to anything and everything. I like the suggestion of having them in rest areas, or maybe you could agree to their use over the lunch period. Storage of said balls would be an issue for us as we aren't blessed with acres of spare room though!

[Lee-hall76]

Hi Indy,

Many thanks for your feedback. I am totally aligned with you that it never hurts to identify new ways of working to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees.

It is interesting to hear the different views on this topic and I agree that there is always a way to tailor the equipment to suit employee’s needs.

Unfortunately space is a real constraint for us and the storage of these balls would again pose an additional risk. I also know that these balls would most definitely end up in fire escapes routes and then we may have a "Its a Knockout Challenge" so to speak!

Thanks again for everyone’s views.

[bernicarey]

This has been bandied around for many years.

While Penfold's Physio says it's something to use for minutes not hours, if you go back a few years there was a case in 2007 reporting that the Physio Dept at Bath Uni were using them.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6646503.stm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Physiotherapists at the University of Bath say sitting on the balls while working at a desk encourages good posture and tones core muscles.

Their professional body agrees that they are beneficial and carry no risk.

They are pushed by a lot of people/groups/companies with a vested interest, however, I have found this good article , written by Kerri Maurina, B.H.K., M.H.K., AEP
Associate Consultant and Ergonomic Engineer for Humantech, supports ergonomic project deployments, performs ergonomic risk assessments and on-site data collection, facilitates Humantech’s RAPID Team Events®, redesigns workspaces, and delivers training sessions to client engineering and safety personnel.

Which concludes ...

The bottom line is exercise balls have many benefits, but only when used properly. They should remain in the fitness center (hence the name “exercise” ball) and should not be a substitute for an office chair.

http://www.humantech.com/blog/replacing ... ise-balls/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Keith1983]

I wonder if someone has invented one with an adjustable back support and some sort of 5 leg system to creep round the regs? If not you might see me on Dragin's Den in the near future!

Just found these! http://www.backinaction.co.uk/sitness?l ... tAodICUADQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Alexis]

What about looking at the option of standing adjustable desks? They seem to be getting good press at the moment.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26937454" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/features/380731/ ... -or-office" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I would not entertain a ball in the office! Agree exercise is for the gyms, not the office. Either an exercise gym provided in a separate room or one of these tables would suffice. Not a potentially dangerous rolling ball in a small office.