Sitting on a chair or an exercise ball: Various perspectives to guide decision making

Effects of the Height of Ball-Backrest on Head and Shoulder Posture and Trunk Muscle Activity in VDT Workers

“…McGill et al 44) suggested that prolonged sitting on a dynamic, unstable seat surface such as a ball does not significantly affect the muscle activity, spine posture, spine loads, or overall spine stability, and that the associated spreading out of the contact area may result in uncomfortable soft tissue compression, which perhaps explains the discomfort reported by users of such balls. The role of a chair backrest is to attenuate the stresses exerted on the spine while maintaining lumbar lordosis and increasing comfort 19) , but the present study did not examine spinal moments or the comfort of subjects.…”

Measurement of spinal curvatures during sitting on a rehabilitation ball versus stool

“…People sitting on various kinds of equipment feel comfortable sitting in different positions, which may have an impact on pressure distribution between the intervertebral discs of the spine. Research results from McGill et al [13] indicated that prolonged sitting, both in static and dynamic conditions, does not have any considerable effect on the activation of muscles, spinal curvatures and broadly understood stability. They also found that sitting on the ball increases the contact of soft tissues of the human body with a ball in comparison with sitting on a chair.…”

“…[8,9] Gregory et al, [10] Kingma and Van Dieen, [11] Escamilla et al [12] as well as McGill et al [13] studied the differences in muscle activity between sitting on a rehabilitation ball and sitting on a chair, and Carter et al [14] determined the impact of exercising on a rehabilitation ball on balance control. Biomechanical evaluation of the sitting position on the ball was conducted by Schult et al [15] Al-Eisa et al [16] and Jackson et al [6] investigated the feeling of discomfort experienced while exercising on a rehabilitation ball.…”

Relevance of adding a triangular dynamic cushion on a traditional chair: A 3D-analysis of seated schoolchildren

“…Stability balls also combine both properties of the cushion and are regularly used in classrooms (Erwin et al, 2016;Fedewa et al, 2015;Fedewa and Erwin, 2011;Gregory et al, 2006;Jackson et al, 2013). However, their efficiency in improving SP is disputed and they seem to be more of a gymnastic accessory than a chair on which one can sit for a long time in the classroom (Gregory et al, 2006;Mc Gill et al, 2006).…”