The Swiss ball began life as a child's toy, evolved into a therapeutic device and gradually became a staple at mainstream fitness centers. Ball exercise imposes a balance challenge which requires you to engage your core muscles to maintain stability. The results of a 1999 study published in the "Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation" indicate a correlation between core muscle activity and back pain. This led to speculations that sitting on a ball chair for extended periods may alleviate back pain.
Identification
There are two ways to use a Swiss ball chair. One is to simply purchase a ball and use it in lieu of your desk chair, and the other is to buy a Swiss ball chair. The specially designed chairs stabilize the ball, preventing it from rolling away while you are sitting. Some Swiss ball chairs have attachments for resistance bands, allowing you to work your upper body while seated.
Function
While the rectus abdominus, the superficial abdominal muscles, flex your spine, the deeper core muscles help you maintain an upright spinal alignment. Since most office chairs have back support, the chair back takes on this responsibility, allowing your core muscles to atrophy. Since the ball does not have a backrest, you must use your core muscles to maintain alignment. This technique is called "active sitting."
Benefits
When you're working at your desk, you are not focusing exclusively on your balance. Injuries can occur if the ball rolls out from underneath you. This is the justification behind the Swiss ball chair. You still benefit from the balance challenge, because you are sitting on an unstable surface, but the chair prevents the ball from rolling away. The chairs, which are adjustable, also solve the ball height problem. A ball must be inflated to the proper height, but it's difficult to fine-tune the size to its most ergonomic position. The chair allows you to make small adjustments.
Prevention/Solution
People who work at sedentary desk jobs expend minimal amounts of weight throughout the day, which can eventually lead to weight gain. A 2008 study published in the "European Journal of Applied Physiology" detailed the metabolic effects of substituting a Swiss ball for an office chair. the research team reported that the subjects who sat on the ball burned 4.1 more calories than those sitting in office chairs. While this sounds insignificant, a 4.1 increase in caloric expenditure adds up to an additional 640 calories burned each month. Since 3,500 calories equals 1 lb. of body fat, using a Swiss ball chair may result in a 2-lb. weight-loss per year, as long as you maintain healthy eating habits.
Considerations
The speculation that sitting on a Swiss ball chair alleviates back pain sounds good in theory, but some studies do not support this theory. A 2006 study published in "Clinical Biomechanics" details an experiment involving eight male subjects, who volunteered to sit for 30 minutes on an exercise ball and on a wooden stool. The research team measured posture and muscle activity, and reported that using a Swiss ball chair had no significant effect on posture and core muscle activity.
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