A kneeling posture chair is an ergonomic kneeling chair that is used in an office setting to relieve the stress that a traditional chair puts on the back and shoulders. They are unusual to look at on first sight but they are probably one of the best things you can do for your body.
The kneeling office chair first hit the office scene in the 1970′s, it was designed by a doctor for use in office settings. The doctor that designed the chair specialized in back injuries and surgeries, and was encouraged to design the chair when he noticed a shift in his patients occupations. He had historically seen blue collar workers come through his practice complaining of back injuries that they had sustained as a result of their employment. His practice began filling up quickly with white collar workers that could not quite explain what was happening with their backs but were in obvious discomfort. After a bit of investigation he came to realize that prolonged sitting in traditional office chairs hunched over the desk was causing the pain in the back and neck. The pain was due to the constant compression of the discs in the spine and neck from sitting in an unnatural state.
The kneeling chairs were developed to alleviate the stress on the back and to improve the posture of the user.
Core Strengthening
One of the primary goals of good posture is core muscle strengthening. The kneeling posture chair meets and exceeds the goal of good posture by strengthening the core muscles with very little effort. The simple design of the knee chair requires that the user depends on their own body movements to remain balanced. Even though it looks odd, this is not an uncomfortable way to sit or an unnatural way to sit.
The kneeling posture chair allows the user to sit in a manner that is most natural to them. There is no pressure on the lower back, there is no rigidity in the seat, the chair simply allows the user to go with their own natural alignment, and to depend on their core muscles to keep them in the proper seated position that is most natural for their bodies.
Using ones own muscles to remain upright improves not only core strengthening but also improves balance.
Stress Relief
Stress relief is one of the biggest factors in using a kneeling posture chair. The stress that a traditional office chair puts on the lower back and shoulders is equivalent to lifting fifty pound sand bags over and over again through out the day. The muscles suffer, the discs in the back and neck suffer and there is some indication that the traditional office chair plays a roll in carpel tunnel syndrome.
Taking the stress off the lower back and shoulders improves circulation and lifts the mood of the user. The kneeling posture chair also reduces fatigue. All these benefits combined will increase productivity and reduce sick leave time. The larger benefits of course are a reduction in health care costs.