Using an exercise ball as a desk chair

December 11, 2008 4:31 AM

Does anyone use an exercise-ball as a replacement for a desk chair?

I have horrible posture and have heard tell that I can improve this if I use an exercise ball as a desk chair (to replace my current chair, the back of which has broken off). Apparently it engages the abdominal muscles or something. Does anyone else do this, and is it horribly uncomfortable? I spend a lot of time at my desk at home. I don't want to buy a ball and then not use it and have this massive thing rolling around my tiny flat not being used... as I'm blatantly not going to use it for exercise ;)

posted by Ziggy500 to Health & Fitness (27 answers total)

I used to work with someone who claimed she used one at home like this, but obviously not for entire eight hour work days. It sounds like more of a mental trick, since it would "train" you to sit up and keep your balance instead of slouching in any direction (and falling off).

As that, it sounds pretty clever to me.
posted by rokusan at 4:37 AM on December 11, 2008

I am sitting on my exercise ball at work right now (thanks for reminding me).

I don't sit on it for the full 8-hour workday. Rather, I cycle between my chair and the ball. I also have some posture / back pain problems, and I find that the ball is helpful.

It helps if you rotate your hips occasionally while you sit on the ball (according to my physiotherapist).
posted by syzygy at 4:45 AM on December 11, 2008

I have...I don't recommend it. It would be good for sitting listening to music etc, but if you're trying to look at a screen and use a mouse, it's unstable. Some might say this is good for your core strength, but I don't feel it's good to exercise the abs and lower back in a sitting position.

If you have total carte blanche a standing desk is good, if you have to make do I don't feel that you can do better than an adjustable ergonomic chair with decent padding on the seat.
posted by Not Supplied at 4:47 AM on December 11, 2008

I use one occasionally. In the long run I find it somewhat distracting and not conducive to really engaged thinking, but it's fun and quite comfortable for short periods of time. It's also fun to roll around on aimlessly- good back stretches.

Not really a space worry, because the things deflate. I also use mine for extra seating in a pinch, though I wouldn't foist it on a guest.

If you do decide to get a ball, make sure that you research the correct height. I am 5'7", on the edge of the circumference recommendations, and I erred on the side of smaller. Now I wish I had gone a size up for correct posture on the thing. If possible, try some out in a store.
posted by charmcityblues at 5:11 AM on December 11, 2008

I use one as my office chair exclusively.
It hasn't fixed my slouching. It's definitely still possible to slouch on one of those yoga balls.
But, it did solve the small twinges of back pain I used to get from sitting in an office chair (and I tried a variety of models) all day long. My body apparently likes the subtle variations in posture you get from wobbling on the ball all day long.
posted by browse at 5:14 AM on December 11, 2008

This is why I could never seriously use one (skip to 1:28).
posted by allkindsoftime at 5:35 AM on December 11, 2008 [2 favorites]

I used a stability ball as a desk chair until mine sprung a leak that, despite patching, required all-too-frequent refilling. I miss it and intend to get another. I, too, switched between using the ball and the chair.
posted by bonobo at 6:01 AM on December 11, 2008

I sit on a balanceball chair in my home office. The ball part is perfect, but I did have a little trouble with one of the casters on the bottom of the chair breaking off.
posted by crankylex at 6:13 AM on December 11, 2008

A close friend of mine uses one in lieu of a desk chair and loves it. He reports that it has indeed improved his posture and toned up some muscle in the midsection.
posted by desuetude at 6:18 AM on December 11, 2008

I got one when I was working on my thesis and sat at my desk A LOT and my back started acting up. It helped, but you should get a high quality ball that doesn't need re-filling every seven days. Mine kept loosing air over the days until you notice that your chin is sitting on the edge of the desk and it's time to refill.

You might also consider getting one of those orthopedic chairs - they are supposedly very good for your back. (The website is in German, but I'm sure you can get one of those where you live.)
posted by Bearded Dave at 6:21 AM on December 11, 2008

I used one for a while when I was getting sharp pains in my shoulder blade. It really did help, the pains went away. Just balancing on it passively strengthens your core. It was also nice to lean back all the way so your back was against the ball and crack your joints. Give it a try, they are like $15 at KMart.
posted by Mach5 at 6:21 AM on December 11, 2008

Yeah, a balance ball chair instead of a full on balance ball. I've used one in my home office for years. It's still possible to slouch, but the thing does encourage one to sit up straight.
posted by notyou at 6:37 AM on December 11, 2008

I use one exclusively. It works like a charm, but the trick is keeping it inflated. As soon as it gets a little low your posture suffers.
posted by munchingzombie at 6:38 AM on December 11, 2008

I used to do this, and loved it, but I kept having problems with them exploding on me. Yes, really. Hilarious to bystanders though, so if you've got housemates they may enjoy the show. Not so much fun for me, what with the hardwood floors & all.

I'm 6'4" and ~200lbs, and apparently that's too much for the "heavy duty" models. They all blew after a couple of weeks. Repeated massive floor-cleaning didn't help, so I'm pretty damn sure it wasn't a pointy object on the floor.

If you can wrangle the store into promising that it'll support your weight without exploding (free replacements maybe?), then go for it.
posted by aramaic at 6:53 AM on December 11, 2008

I don't use one but work sent out an e-mail stating that Health and Safety does not recommend using stability balls (actively discourages them).

Partial quote:

"With the many alternatives now in office seating, people are not always making the most informed choices. Although the stability ball is popular and considered helpful for increasing muscle activation, improving posture and decreasing lower back discomfort, new research suggests otherwise. In spite of the unstable nature of the ball, people are still exposed to a static unsupported posture which can result in increased localized muscle pain. With its unstable surface, limits to the number of sitting positions, improper sizes and the side-effects of overused postural muscles, the risks now seem to outnumber the benefits.
The office chair provides whole body support and can be modified to alter posture throughout the day without any risk of causing muscular pain if adjusted properly. Plus you can adjust it often, to meet your own personal needs.
Therefore, based on the above findings, from this point forward we are requesting and encouraging all employees to only use standard issue ergonomic office chairs instead of stability balls and other alternatives. All other preferences, should now take the back seat!"

So, just an opposing viewpoint.
posted by sandraregina at 7:07 AM on December 11, 2008

Leo Laporte of TWiT uses one. You can see him sitting on it, and occasionally bouncing on it, when you watch TWiT Live. He seems to manage fine on it for multiple hours.
posted by SansPoint at 7:09 AM on December 11, 2008

I used one for a bit, then, when idly rolling it back and forth, I got myself into some position where I was putting a lot of twisting stress on one of my knees. Since I had already dinged that knee in judo and didn't want to make them worse, I stopped using the ball for the most part.
posted by chengjih at 7:30 AM on December 11, 2008

I'm weirded out about aramaic's exploding problem -- I weigh quite a lot more than that, and I've never had a problem with my exercise ball.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:11 AM on December 11, 2008

Amazon has some exercise balls that claim to support 1,200 lbs. They don't look too expensive either.

I've been using an ergonomic chair for years. I can't use it all the time as I have bad knees, but switching off between that and my regular chair works great. I just need to get something else at work.
posted by valadil at 8:49 AM on December 11, 2008

A yoga ball is my only desk chair, but I'm only at my desk 3-4 hours at a time tops. I find it comfortable. But to type I have to lean forward with my elbows on the desk, and its definitely possible to slouch. Honestly I think if you have back problems, you should just buy a real orthopedic chair. Or go do some weight-training to strengthen your core muscles...that's what fixed my posture.

I have the biggest size ball I could find, I think 75cm, and I generally sit with my legs splayed on either side, like I'm riding a horse. I am 6 foot 1. I weigh 200 pounds and I have never popped the ball with my weight. I have also never had any back problems.
posted by creasy boy at 9:02 AM on December 11, 2008

Someone (around 100lbs fwiw) I used to work with did this.

Not recommended if you could hurt yourself on the way down, as those things (even the pricey ones!) seem to break.
posted by shownomercy at 9:37 AM on December 11, 2008

I switched to one recently and I love it. The only downside I see is that the surface doesn't breathe.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 10:09 AM on December 11, 2008

I've used a balance ball as a char in the past. The experience was about 50/50 for me, and in the end I've stopped using it.

Firstly, I found that I couldn't use it for more than a half-hour at a time without feeling back pain. After a couple of weeks I could sit on it longer, but I still found it tiring. That said, it did seem to help my posture, but I found that I could get the same benefits in my desk chair simply by being more mindful of my posture, without the discomfort.

Secondly, they provide zero insulation, so my butt ended up getting uncomfortably cold all the time. That's especially bad during the winter months.

Thirdly, as joe's_spleen points out, the surface doesn't breathe. Yuck, sweaty butt.

I've never had a problem with mine popping or even losing air pressure.

For all my naysaying, though, they can be found cheap. I paid $12 for mine, and I think that's a reasonable amount to pay for an experiment. I didn't like the experience, but it may be what you're looking for.
posted by lekvar at 12:24 PM on December 11, 2008

The first time I tried this, within one week, my previously lacklustre performance at the climbing gym improved dramatically. I could feel my core muscles engaging and moving me up up up, during moves that I'd completely pooped out at before. That was about three years ago and I'm still using a ball as a desk chair. I get up and move around every hour or so, though. Love, love, love. Having said that, I'd already gotten a basic grounding from a trainer about how to avoid injuring myself while on the ball (twisting knee joints, eg), which I'm particularly grateful for in light of some of the above anecdotes.

For my husband, who didn't want to bring a ball into his very conservative office, she recommended another product called a Sit Fit that would do the same core muscle thing, but is more unobtrusive. It's sort of an air-filled cushion that goes in the seat of your office chair. He's been happy with it.
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 1:14 PM on December 11, 2008

Semi-tangent: I'm looking for a Sit Fit type thing for my office. There are a couple of different brands, and I'm having trouble figuring out of any of them are more recommended.
posted by desuetude at 1:44 PM on December 11, 2008

They're fun for short periods, but definitely get a sturdy one! I worked with someone who used one, and whose weight I'd estimate at between 160 and 180 lbs. One day the thing popped, she fell on her ass, everyone had a good laugh (she was unhurt, and laughed about it herself) and that was the end of that. We still laugh about that day, though.
posted by TochterAusElysium at 5:33 PM on December 11, 2008

desuetude, I wish I could remember what website we got ours from, but it was a few years ago. Sorry I can't help.
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 7:30 PM on December 13, 2008