Swiss Balls And RSI

Wesley Priestley:

Hello everyone,

Allow me to go against the tide a bit here: Use of the larger size Swiss balls or other inflatable exercise balls may not be a totally bad idea. There are some advantages for intermittent use although I have to agree with Mr. Priebe in his overall assessment that the disadvantages are several.

In sitting, the lumbar "forward sway" (lordosis) needs to be maintained. This can be accomplished on a ball by rolling the hips forward on the ball, forcing the pelvis into an anterior tilt. This is the same concept employed in backless knee chairs of days past. It does not however, prohibit a slump posture which occurs when the hips are rolled to the back of the ball.

Resist-A-Balls

Does anyone have any information, experience or literature on the use of "resist-a-balls" (large, inflatable vinyl exercise balls) in the workplace, specifically, as an alternative to a chair? We have have had a request from an employee wanting to use one at their computer workstation instead of their "ergonomic" chair.

Any feedback would be much appreciated.

Resist-a-Balls are used by some physical therapists in the treatment of low back injuries. The purpose is to help the patient gain lumbar and abdominal strength while relearning proprioception (position sense) of the trunk/pelvis complex.

Kinesis Keyboard Review

I'll throw my 2cents worth in here.

Personally, I like the Kinesis keyboard. It did take about a month of adjustment. The first week I hated it - absolutely refused to touch it. The second I used the tutor some, but still wasn't fond of it. By the third week I could almost type a sentence .. The fourth week I liked it. Now in my great allotment of 10 minutes typing in two hours I couldn't do without it - I can't type at all on a flat keyboard.

The Kinesis also fits perfectly with a CIRQUE TouchPad2 in the middle of the keys so there is no more straining to reach for the mouse!

As for the performix trays, I don't like to knock products but IMHO thought the product wouldn't hold up under daily use. Again this is just MHO. I know many people that love the tray.

And then there's always my voice software, now what would I do without that. Good luck on your choice and as a recommendation try to buy from a company that will allow a 60 day no questions asked return. It takes about that long to see if it will work and you won't be wasting valuable $$.

Kinesis Keyboard

Well, I've had my Kinesis key board for about a month and I thought I'd give a report. It seems to be helping me quite a bit and I've decided to keep it. I'm using it with a Sun Sparc and the Sun adaptor box. My only complaint is that sometimes one of the keys will stick. Has anyone else seen this? I haven't called Kinesis about it yet so I don't know if they know about it.