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Anyone use a 'kneeling chair'?

Thanks for all the replies, I'm just gonna have to go down to Staples and sit in one for 4 hours. You think they'd mind? ;)

If it sucks I guess I'll start saving for an Aeron. :eek:
 
treblah said:
If it sucks I guess I'll start saving for an Aeron. :eek:
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Speaking of... I saw one in Costco a few weeks ago! I had to try it out (read so much about them from iGary awhile back)... I mean, maybe it's because I didn't spend 4+ hours in it, but it didn't seem like $799 comfortable. :eek: It's very comfy, but I don't know if it's $799 comfy. :p
 
devilot said:
Speaking of... I saw one in Costco a few weeks ago! I had to try it out (read so much about them from iGary awhile back)... I mean, maybe it's because I didn't spend 4+ hours in it, but it didn't seem like $799 comfortable. :eek: It's very comfy, but I don't know if it's $799 comfy. :p
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My Mom has one and swears by them and she is sitting about 7 hours a day when she's in the office.
 
exercise ball chair

I like using an exercise ball as a chair when setting in front of my desk at home. It is great for balance and middle strength, which in turn helps my achy ol' back.

Mine looks something like this:
 

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Jaffa Cake said:
Ah... so they have. Never mind. My pic might come in handy for anyone else who comes across the thread and can't figure out how the chair works! :p
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Or as a warning to never, ever wear high waisted tapered leg white trousers. It's all useful.


:p
 
Jaffa Cake said:
Really? Are they a fashion no-no?

Damn – now I'm going to have to rethink my entire wardrobe for the summer...
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Oh I'm sorry! I feel dreadful now. Wear what ever makes you feel comfortable, my dear.



;)
 
I have taken a chair from my dinning room and have been using it at the computer with it leaning forward on two legs. I must admit my back feels great. Granted, I don't know how I would feel sitting like this for hours. Especially since I like to sit with my legs crossed a lot. :p
 
the best analysis I've seen of chairs and seated posture is a book called The Chair: Rethinking Culture, Body, and Design by Galen Cranz:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=br_ss_hs/104-4832743-0742322?search-alias=aps&keywords=the chair

Yeah, there's no back support in a kneeling chair, because you don't need it. Look around some time. When people lean back in a chair, using the "back support" they're not using "good posture":

Their back is slumped in a C curve. Their cervical spine (their neck) is ratcheted forward, causing way more muscular tonus in the back of the neck than is necessary, depressing the sternum and limiting mobility in the upper ribs. And their lumbar vertabrae are rounded instead of arched. Just 'cause a back support is shaped like an "ideal lower spine shape" doesn't mean it supports the back in this way.

The trick of a kneeling chair is that it maintains an oblique angle between the thighs and the torso. This allows the lower back to arch the "natural way" (lordosis). (Saddle chairs acheive roughly the same thing, but without the strain on the knees).

By contrast, traditional chairs, which more or less maintain a 90 degree angle betweent the thighs and torso, prevent the lower back from arching. Sticking a curved back support onto the chair doesn't change this. (See picture below)

Lower back pain is epidemic in industrialized societies, but not in cultures where kneeling and squatting are commonplace.

BTW, there are some interesting product from this site:

http://www.officeorganix.com

or find a good practitioner of the Feldenkrais Method or the Alexander Technique.

sallipostureExamples.jpg
 
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treblah said:
Your 'funny' comment made me remember something I saw once on a church sign: God answers knee-mail. :)
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I'm kindof like God, but sexist. I only answer knee-mails from females :D

Edit a day later: I post this deliciously piggish comment, and get no reaction... I am so disappointed.
 
Oryan said:
I used to have one of these, but I got tired of not being able to lean back. I tend to do that a lot when I'm debugging code or writing papers. Now I'm back to a "normal" office chair.
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Ditto! Now it is lying unused in the basement.
 
HÅG Balans is no longer produced but I previously used one at work. It was extraordinarily good. Maybe the gold standard. If ever you get the chance to try one, do so.

http://www.haginc.com/

Before that Balans I used more 'traditional' criss-cross types, similar to the Varier Multi™ balans®.

Varier now produce the Wing™ balans, which is similar to the HÅG Balans, but I can't vouch for the quality of Varier products (I never tried one).
 
Wow, this thread is from when I got my kneeling-chair. Switching to it took some time when I was typing for hours on end, so I had a regular chair nearby.

Mine no longer gets used much, since I stand most of the time, both at home and work.
 
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I was going to comment that I haven't used one in nearly 10 years, then I saw the thread date! Back in the ye olde days when I did have one, I found it more annoying than helpful.
 
Old Muley said:
… I haven't used one in nearly 10 years …
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I also stopped using them years ago but that was mainly because on the Balans, the fabric wore out (acceptable wear and tear) and I was too lazy to arrange re-upholstery. Coincidence, I pulled it out of a dusty corner a couple of weeks ago, kneeled on it, remembered how great it still is and decided to get it sorted.

Old or not, this topic is very timely.
 
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