Balance ball chair at work?

May 12, 2012 10:20 AM

Do I want a balance ball chair to use at work? If so what do you recommend I look for (features, brands)?

I read something the other day about using a balance ball or balance ball chair in place of a traditional desk chair at work. I'd like to look into doing this.

I sit at a desk 80% of my time at work. I'll take whatever small steps toward fitness I can get, this seems like a great way to leverage time I'm sitting anyway.

What are your experiences with doing this? Any pros/cons? I would keep a traditional chair as well. What height should I look for? (I'm 5'6" average build, female.)Brand recommendations?

posted by mazienh to Health & Fitness (11 answers total)

Best answer: I just started with one at work the other day, for my painful lower back and bad posture. I like it so far, though I find it a little low--I may try to get a riser of some sort. You can also get ones that come with a chair enclosure. I think this was the one I got (it comes with a pump). I'm 6'1" and needed a 75 cm ball; at 5'6" you may want something smaller (though, again, I think mine is too low, so you might want my size).

Verdict's still out. I may switch to an exponentially more expensive Swopper stool ($700 vs. $20)--it has the same motion, but is more of a chair and has an adjustable height.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 10:27 AM on May 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

You don't want a balance ball chair, or anything that keeps the ball from moving. The ball moving is the whole point - it makes you keep adjusting your position to stay balanced. I use a balance ball quite a bit - I also tried standing for a while and I liked it, but didn't want to stand all day, ever day.

The ball is not going to make you "fit" but it may help prevent back problems caused by having your back supported by a chair back all day.
posted by RustyBrooks at 10:36 AM on May 12, 2012

I used one for years (4? 5?) when I had a desk job. Just a balance ball, not the chair. I got the biggest one they sell so that I could reach the desk (I'm 5', so YMMV). You do learn to slouch on that, too, but it still never made my back and shoulders hurt like my desk chair did.

The main "con" is that people will never tire of giving you shit about it. Never ever. But fuck 'em, you're bouncing on a ball.
posted by fiercecupcake at 10:38 AM on May 12, 2012 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Yes, you want a balance ball to use at work. No, you do not want a balance ball chair -- RustyBrooks' point of that defeating the purpose is correct.

I have used a balance ball at work for ten years now. Not all day every day, but for long stretches most days, more often when my back needs more. I do swap out with a standard office chair. I use one at home, too, less frequently. One of them is a Fitball; the other is an idunno from TJ Maxx. One cost about 40 bucks, one about 20; both have burst resistance and apparent longevity. Fitball says the size you want for 5'3" to 6'0" is 65 cm (25 in.); buy for your height and adjust your work desk according, since part of the point is to have your knees and back at good relative angles.

And fiercecupcake is so very right. But hey, I've had coworkers who are typically incessant at work avoid approaching me while I'm using a balance ball because "I look so happy." So there's that.
posted by vers at 11:36 AM on May 12, 2012

You can use the ball in combination with a standing desk. When I put my back out last year quite badly (I was bed-ridden for a week) I created a variable standing/sitting desk at work by putting a simple bookshelf on the wall behind my desk at the height that works for me. I would pop my laptop on there for a half-hour at a time and on the desk itself the rest of the time. It took a couple of weeks of this practice to cure my back. I've stopped now as I wear heels and standing still is never too comfortable.
posted by Dragonness at 2:29 PM on May 12, 2012

I've been using the aforementioned Swooper for a few years now. If you like to fidget, the bouncy, pivoting pogo-stick spring design is perfect. I bounce and spin and swing while coding and thinking about problems. The range of motion (and more critically, the range of heights) is significantly higher than a ball, but as Admiral Haddock pointed out, so is the price.

Additionaly, be aware that it takes quite some time to adjust to the extra effort of sitting on it or a ball; the recommendation is as little as thirty minutes per day for the first week or so, slowly ramping up to a full day. I tried to jump to a full day immediately and was quite regretful. After about a month I was able to make it through a solid day of sitting (and swaying, etc).
posted by autopilot at 5:07 PM on May 12, 2012

I used a balance ball instead of a desk chair for a couple of years. I never noticed it taking any time to adjust to it, or finding it difficult or tiring. I never noticed any difference at all, really, except for my colleagues teasing me about it a lot. When it exploded one day when I was sitting on it, and I ended up on the floor, I didn't bother replacing it with another one.
posted by lollusc at 7:18 PM on May 12, 2012

Balance Ball: didn't help me. And actually, this is important to know, it can be very bad for you if you don't maintain good posture while sitting on it.
Variable Sit/stand desk: could not live without it. I recommend Ergotron Workfit-S, which clamps on an existing desk.
posted by mcstayinskool at 8:23 PM on May 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

I have a friend who's not allowed to use her ball at work any more because of something obscure to do with H&S. Check with your work that they actually are OK with you doing this before you go buy something.
posted by corvine at 3:22 AM on May 13, 2012 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I thought about getting a ball and settled on this inflated stability disc instead. The first week I felt sore in all these little tiny places in my back and abs, so I know I was working muscles that I didn't normally use. And I can just put it on my chair, so I don't have to worry about any workplace safety rules or the simple hassle of having the thing roll across the room every time I stand up.
posted by elizeh at 7:40 PM on May 13, 2012

Response by poster: Thank you everyone for the info, bonus points for the stability disc that I never knew existed! I will check with work and make sure it's ok before a purchase, and be careful to maintain posture so as not to make things worse..
posted by mazienh at 7:55 PM on May 13, 2012