Ergonomics Myth Buster

Do exercise balls and treadmill desks really improve posture and help people get the periodic physical exercise they need? Not according to experts quoted in a recent Business Insurance article. "We’d love to believe that a $30 (stability) ball will replace a $750 task chair, but it doesn’t," said Tom Hilgen, Charlotte, North Carolina-based senior vice president and ergonomics practice leader at Willis North America Inc. To be ergonomic a chair needs to be adjustable, not just roll around on the floor. 

 

Physical therapists and fitness coaches often recommend these solutions, but they can expose workers to musculoskeletal disorders, says Hilgen. To use your keyboard without stressing your back, either the desk or the chair has to be adjusted to the proper height. Getting a desk that can be raised or lowered can cost more than an ergonomically designed chair. 

 

Another problem with exercise balls is that "most workers don’t have the core strength to maintain the necessary balance and posture to use [it]," said Rachel Michael, Midway, Utah-based senior consultant at Aon Risk Solutions. Exercise balls were developed in "response to the obesity epidemic." Experts like Ms. Michael say exercise balls should be banned from the workplace altogether! 

 

Ms. Michael doesn’t recommend treadmill desks either, citing an instance where a woman filed a claim because she was injured on a treadmill while wearing high heels. Treadmill desks, she said, should be used only for short intervals of 15 to 30 minutes — while wearing "reasonable shoes."