Ah, January. For many people, it feels like a fresh start, a time for newer, healthier habits and wellbeing changes that make us feel better.
You might be thinking about ways you can adjust your fitness habits, your lifestyle habits and your working habits.
When it comes to your home office, you decide to create a more flexible work station that allows you to improve your posture and that encourages natural movement. You’ve done all your research and you think you’ve found a great solution: an exercise ball as an office chair.
But actually, despite what those few TikTok videos may say, it’s never a good idea to use a gym ball as an office chair replacement. It’s a recipe for back pain and discomfort, and there’s a reason why the exercise ball should stay in the gym and not sneak into your home office setup.
Below, you can find just a few reasons why you should avoid using a gym ball for long periods of time, and what you may want to choose instead.
Why you shouldn’t use an exercise ball as an office chair
They can cause back pain
Did you know a gym ball could actually make your back pain worse, rather than better?
That’s because they don’t have any lumbar support. In fact, they don’t offer any kind of backrest or back support at all, something that is essential when you work long hours at a desk.
Proper lumbar support is there to protect the natural inward curve of your back, while the automatic back tilt encourages movement in your spine. Without any form of backrest, your body is more likely to fall into a slouch when you’re sitting for long periods of time. And with poor posture comes back pain.
That’s why a good quality ergonomic office chair includes back and arm rests, to reduce strain on your back, neck, and shoulders. A supportive office chair shouldn’t cause any upper-body tension.
There’s no adjustable height option
To achieve ultimate comfort when you’re working for longer periods, you need to make sure the chair is at the right height for your desk, and this is near impossible with an exercise ball.
A gym ball has its place in the right setting, of course. In the gym (and at home), it can be used for core strengthening, balance training, and muscle toning. When it’s used for these purposes, the height doesn’t need to be adjusted, but in an office setting, this can cause more problems than you might realise.
You may experience a lot of strain on the wrists and elbows if they can’t naturally rest on your desk, and you may find you have to use more strength to keep your arms lifted to reach your keyboard and mouse.
Therefore, use of a gym ball will likely cause more discomfort than anything, and probably won’t help with your posture or core muscle strength.
You’ll experience increased muscle fatigue
When you’re exercising, a gym ball encourages you to constantly engage your core, and improves your stability and balance too. This can certainly help to improve your posture (the stronger your core and back, the easier you’ll find it to sit up straight).
However, if you’re using a gym ball to sit at your desk for a long time, then you’ll find that other muscles in your body need to work harder to help you stay balanced and stable on the ball.
Before you know it, your feet are tucked under the ball to prevent excess movement and your legs are working overtime to keep you steady and stop you from falling off. This will only result in leg pain and sore feet. Realistically, no one can work their muscles like this for a full day, and you’ll eventually experience muscle fatigue.
It is a health and safety risk
If the potential pain it could cause isn’t enough to make you rethink your seating options, then understanding that a gym ball is a health and safety risk might change your mind…
One of the main reasons you should avoid using a gym ball is that it doesn’t meet HSE (Health and Safety Executive) regulations for use as an office chair. This is because it can’t provide the right support for everyday working, such as back support, height adjustment, and an adjustable backrest.
Not only does it lack the sufficient support that an ergonomic chair has, it also increases the risk of injury while you work. You could fall while getting on or off it, or you could slip reaching for something while sitting on the ball. There’s also the increased risk of muscle fatigue and the lack of a backrest, issues we’ve already discussed.
Gym balls can be great for strengthening your core when used appropriately, but we wouldn’t recommend that you use them as an office chair.
So what kind of office chair should you use instead?
We may be biased, but we believe in the power of ergonomics to provide the best support possible. At Slouch, we’ve carefully designed and tested our office chairs to ensure they’re as suited to your needs as possible, but are also fully adjustable for every body. They’re comfortable enough to make you forget your previous posture problems, back pains and achy arms.
Shop our range of office chairs today to find your ideal office chair.
