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as featured
in The Sunday Times |
ARE
YOU SITTING COMFORTABLY?
or does the chair you work on leave your back aching?
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Use your back correctly & have complete mobility at home or at work...
offices, PC computer, home office, hospitals & clinics,
hairdressing & beauty, dentistry, veterinary, lab work,
artists, musicians, hobbies & crafts,
children
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HOW SHOULD I
SIT? |
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Traditional seating posture i.e.
upright, can increase
kyphosis , an outward rounding of the lumbar region of the spine. In
an upright 90° sitting position you bend your hip joints and rotate your
pelvis axis backwards, flattening the lumbar curve
and straining the muscles of the back. When leaning forward you have to
bend further and this bending takes place mainly in the 4th and 5th
lumbar discs, so a lumbar/back support on a traditional chair will
hardly have any influence on your posture when leaning over to work.
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 when leaning forward your spine curves forward and your vertebrae
become compressed |
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on a Saddt
bodyweight
is automatically
distributed more evenly, providing a natural anatomical balance and
reducing pressure
on the back muscles |
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WHAT ARE THE
NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF TRADITIONAL SEATING? |
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Some negative effects include:
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Traditional Seating increases an outward rounding of the spine and spinal
posture tends to collapse.
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As
the back bulges out you get a rounding of the lower back that may also
encompass shoulder, neck and back muscle tension and misaligned vertebrae.
● Blood circulation in the
lower body weakens, possibly leading to varicose veins, cellulite, bloated
feet and fatigue.
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 on
traditional seating
when leaning forward your spine curves forward and your vertebrae
become compressed
on the back muscles |
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HOW DOES A SADDLE SEAT WORK? |
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Saddle Seating
maintains the natural inward curvature of the spine to create the optimum
balanced posture.
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The
Beautelle Saddle Seat is designed to promote optimal seated posture. Sitting
on a Saddle Seat properly positions and stabilises the pelvis automatically
relieving stress on the lumbar discs and spine.
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The Saddle
shaped seat gives maximum support and maintains your natural spine curve by
keeping your pelvis rotated forwards and your back hollow and permits the
pelvis to be held securely in its natural position so that, when leaning
forward to work, the lean is from the hips and not the waist.
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With the
Saddle Stool there is no need for lumbar support because the correct lumbar
curve is maintained naturally rather than artificially. |
 on a Saddle Seat
bodyweight is automatically
distributed more evenly, providing a natural anatomical balance and
reducing pressure |
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HOW WILL SITTING ON A SADDLE SEAT BENEFIT ME? |
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Relaxes the body and
minimises muscle tension
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Reduces lower back pain
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Relieves posture problems,
for example slouching and rounding of the lower back
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Alleviates neck and shoulder
pain and related headaches
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Promotes good arm-hand control
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Reduces work related upper limb disorders such as pain & aching in wrists,
arms and shoulders associated with regional musculoskeletal disorder (R-MSD),
cumulative trauma disorder (CTD), and repetitive stress injury (RSI)
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Decreases pain and fatigue
associated with muscular tension
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Improves blood circulation and
digestion
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Enhances muscle tone &
strengthens abdominal muscles
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Provides for effortless mobility
i.e. moving around and reaching
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Adapts to all types of work
including standing height work
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IS THE SADDLE STYLE OF SEATING EASY TO GET USED TO? |
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The Beautelle Saddle Seat is comfortable, and provides the individual
with the most natural, comfortable
sitting position.
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Tight skirts are not possible due to the wide stance required.
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There is a short transition period while your body adjusts to a totally
different way of sitting and the 'equestrian' style of
posture.
This may include some sore muscles for a
few days.
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Users usually find that they are fully adapted to the Saddle
within two weeks.
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Users tend to find
posture problems are alleviated after only a few weeks of use. |
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WHO DO YOU RECOMMEND USES A SADDLE STOOL? |
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POSTURE SEATING FOR CHILDREN -
is your child sitting comfortably? |
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A child
sat on a saddle seat automatically assumes the position that produces less
stress for their muscles, ligaments and joints.
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saddle shaped seat correctly positions their pelvis so that it is both
balanced and stable thus relieving stress on their lumbar discs and spine.
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A saddle
seat will securely hold a child's pelvis in its natural position , even when
leaning forward over a desk to work, as the lean is from their hips and not
the waist.
●Can help
prevent potential damage in early developing years of a child's life caused
by traditional seating positions over a desk/ computer workstation
(see
diagrams below).
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A
correct posture can help prevent lower back pain and improve the health and
wellbeing of a child which may lead to improved academic achievement,
motivation and behaviour.
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Beautelle's
Compact Saddle Stool
has a smaller seat pad which will suit a child from the
age of approx. 6 years. It also has a lower height range which allows
stable positioning of their feet on the floor. |
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"
In children, due to an increase
in computers use both at home and in the classroom, there is now a
strong link between traditional 90° seated posture (i.e. on a chair)
and the development of scoliosis- an abnormal curvature of the spine
laterally during periods of adolescent growth. (koskelo et al, 2001)"
Ergonomics Consultant, Jeff Tideman, CSP, CIE, ARM |
how a child typically sits
on
a traditional
90° chair -
'bending' and 'tipping' leading to potentially harmful posture |
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