Benefits of Balance Ball Chairs
People who work for long hours by sitting on a chair in the office or at home often complain about the associated back pain. Multiple researches have indicated the negative effects of long sitting hours on metabolism and posture specifically and on overall health generally.
There are multiple styles of office chairs that help to reduce back pain however, balance ball chairs are an innovation in the ergonomics industry that provides a solution to the above problems. These chairs are designed in such a way that the person is seated on a ball fitted on a chair frame. The ball provides an unstable seat due to which the body constantly has to make adjustments and hence the core muscles remain in motion.
There are many benefits of balance ball chairs including improvement in body posture, reduction in back and neck pain, betterment in breathing experience, increased productivity, inculcation of an inspiration to achieve an active lifestyle, and some fun too!
What are Balance Ball Chairs?
Balance ball chairs are ergonomic seating alternatives to traditional work chairs. They are designed to offset the negative effects of prolonged sitting. A balance ball chair comprises the following three main components:
- The ball: A huge, inflated workout ball, commonly referred to as a stability ball or yoga ball. It serves as the core of a balance ball chair. The ball is the designated place to sit. It has a round shape and hence acts as an uneven seat surface.
- Frame of chair: The exercise ball is typically enclosed within a strong frame to offer stability and support. This frame can have a mobile rotatable base with wheels or a permanent base.
- Backrest: There is a backrest attached to the chair frame in some chairs with balance balls for providing lumbar support, to add to the comfort and maintain good spinal alignment.
Balance ball chairs are like exercise balls being fitted into an ordinary office chair casing. Since a person has to move frequently on a balance ball chair owing to its instability, many researches have shown its benefits on health in case of long sitting hours.
Benefits of Balance Ball Chairs
The main goal of balance ball chairs is to activate the user’s core muscles while they are seated and promote active sitting. There are many potential benefits of using a balance ball chair. Some of them are described below:
Improve body posture
A balance ball chair helps to improve body posture by forcing the seated individual to sit straight. When you sit on the balance ball, your body is constantly micro-moving because you have to periodically modify your position to keep your balance. A better posture while sitting aligns the spine properly.
Give strength and tone the core body muscles
Your core muscles are worked out while you sit on a yoga ball office chair. By switching to a new yoga ball office chair in place of your ordinary office chair, you can avoid hunching or slouching. While working, using a balance ball chair not only grows core strength but also improves core stability. There are numerous advantages of building core stability including injury prevention, reducing back pain, and even protecting the internal body organs.
Reduce back pain
Back pain can develop quickly if one sits for a long time in a slouched position. Nowadays, a lot of individuals who work from home do it from their beds or other unconventional places, which initially seem comfortable but can also cause back pain. A balance ball office chair, as previously indicated, helps with posture. Lower back discomfort can be reduced over time by maintaining good posture, moving around, and jumping up and down on the ball.
Lower the chances of neck pain
Neck pain also originates from poor alignment of the spine and upper back. It is mostly induced in cases when people sit for long periods without body movements. While sitting on a balance ball chair, the core muscles are in movement, the pelvis and back are aligned and the neck remains upright. Thus, a balanced ball chair limits the chances of having neck pain.
Enhance productivity and focus
Taking breaks during office work has been proven to enhance productivity and creativity. A balance ball chair provides short breaks in which an individual stretches his or her muscles and changes his sitting position.
This refreshes the mind of the working person and helps improve focus. This is particularly important for people who work from home and experience a hard time staying on track.
Increase balance and stability
In addition to serving as the seat of the chair, the balance ball can be used as a tool to assist one in stretching and easing any tension that one may be experiencing. Due to continuous micro movements, the muscles remain in coordination and hence the body adapts to balancing itself after every few minutes. This is particularly beneficial for individuals who want to enhance their balancing skills for sports or activities that require coordination.
Improves breathing
A slouched posture is dangerous for the lungs as well. In a slouched sitting position, the lungs are squeezed and take less air in. A research study indicates that lungs have much greater air capacity and an improved function when the sitting posture maintains a neutral lower back curve. A balance ball chair provides a neutral lower back curve and can help one breathe better.
Impart an active sitting experience
Ordinary office chairs offer a dull and passive sitting experience while balanced ball chairs come up with an active sitting experience. This is medically beneficial for pregnant women, postpartum women, or people with hemorrhoids because of the help in pelvic bones and muscles.
Motivate muscle stretching during work hours
When a person works 8 or more hours a day, he or she does not have the energy to do exercise post-work shift. Balanced ball chairs compensate for this laziness by providing mild exercise opportunities during office work hours.
In this way, the working person is inspired to do some subtle work-out during office hours which is better than doing nothing.
Fun and engaging
Last but not least, for many people, it might be fun to sit on an exercise ball while working long hours. Balance ball chairs, especially rotatable ones, can give the work or study atmosphere a sense of fun and liveliness.
Final thoughts!
If you think that you are tired of your boring sitting lifestyle and have concerns about your health too, you must invest in a good quality balance ball chair. Or if you feel that you are not able to better focus on work and get distracted during daily office tasks, a balance ball chair can be of immense value to you. The after-work back pain which does not let you do anything fun can be alleviated by using this useful chair.
The balance ball chair lets you get rid of that excruciating back pain, improves posture, and adds an element of fun to your boring life. There are debates about the extent to which balance ball chairs can be useful but it can be the furniture equipment that you can enjoy using while doing work.
