Still on the Ball

Hey everyone, it’s Liz, Dr. Carr’s Clinical Director, I had to take a moment today to tell you why I use a exercise ball as my office chair. I know many of you have seen me sitting on my ball here at the office and many of you have asked me how it works, if I like it, I even have one patient who always tells me that it is nice to see “I am still on the ball…” I thought that was pretty clever.

I believe it was about two and a half years ago I saw a news report about Dr. James Levin of the Mayo Clinic who walked on a treadmill all day in his office in an effort to stay more active; he was also conducting a study about the productivity, calories burned, etc of those who use a treadmill desk instead of a real desk at their office. After seeing that news report I was inspired to find a way to feel like I was doing my body some good throughout the day, at the time I was working and attending school full time so my day consisted of a lot of sitting.

I decided to sit on a body ball (also referred to as an exercise or yoga ball). I knew that it would work my core muscles, force me to sit up straighter, and make it impossiblefor me to sit with one of my legs underneath me (a bad habit I had gotten into).

The first week on the ball I felt a little sore, not too bad just that slightly overdid feeling; I mostly felt it in my lower back and oblique area, after that first week though the soreness for me was gone. Overall, I was pleased with how easy it was to get comfortable using the yoga ball.
I wish everyone could sit on a body ball at work it is so beneficial. A body ball can improve your sitting posture, help prevent stabilizing muscles from tensing, and can even help decompress the spine. Two and a half years later, with regular adjustments and the body ball my low back tightness is 90% better than it used to be. Sometimes a little change truly can make a big difference.

www.carrchiro.com