Written by: Divya Batmanathan (Diploma in Physiotherapy)

Today I am going to share with you all about my experience on how a Fit Ball or Physio ball helps for poor posture and lower back pain.

Firstly, as a physio I came across the ball when I was doing my clinical internship in hospitals and centres a few years ago in between 2016 and 2018. As I started to work full time the next year, I came across Fit Ball again at workplace.  Due to my poor posture which is lumbar lordosis or sway back, leading to excess pressure on the spine, I am suffering from lower back pain and feeling uncomfortable.

When I stand with extension position, it looks like C-shape arch:

I cannot sit on a chair for a long period because the muscles get pulled in different directions and become tighten or spasmodic.

Later I found that Fit Ball workouts help strengthen and mobilize the spine such as building up the core strength, improving spinal endurance, increasing spinal flexibility and enhancing balance and posture.

I tried the workouts by myself, as well as using the Fit Ball as my sitting chair.  Since I cannot sit on the chair for a long period of time, I replaced my office chair with a Fit Ball. After sitting on Fit Ball for a week, I realized that I can sit on the fitball for a long period with a good upright posture and it is better than a chair. My lower back pain was gone and I feel good sitting on it.

Sitting on a chair, the natural tendency for most of us is slouch over or slouch down in the chair and this posture can overstretch the spinal ligaments and strain the discs and surrounding structure in the spine. This is one of the reasons for lower back pain.

Sitting on an exercise ball instead of a office chair can increase trunk muscle activation and improve the posture as I said earlier.

Moreover, after using the fitball it benefits me in many ways for a good posture such as improved my balance, reduced back pain by maintaining with a good posture, less fatigue where muscles are used more efficiently and it helps to conserve energy, low risk of injury because of moving, standing and sitting correctly reduces the strain on my muscles, joints and ligaments and also makes better circulation where the vital organs aren’t compressed by slouching, it helps the blood to flow more easily through blood vessels and organs.

Last but not least, I would like to share with you on how you can choose a fitball which can fit yourself too where it comes with 3 diameters 55cm, 65cm and 75cm. When you want to try a suitable fitball for yourself, you should know that it is based on our height and not just depends on the sizes. It is important for you to know the correct size ball where you have to sit on it and notice the main thing which is your knee level shouldn’t be exactly 90 degree and should be slightly up because it can prevent you from giving an impact to your knee joint when you start to bounce on the ball.

 A FEW OTHER DOS AND DON’TS FOR FITBALL

DO :

• Store them in cool and dry environments.
• Keep them clean.
• Check for sharp objects before use. Examine the area and then ball. If you find any nick and cuts during your inspection, DO NOT USE to prevent injuries.
• Progress yourself properly when using the ball. This piece of equipment offers an unstable surface in which to exercise on – and while this offers huge benefits – it also comes with a unique set of challenges. Be mindful.

DON’T :

• Over-inflate them.
• Leave them outdoors or in the car for the day.
• Stand on them.
• Allow your kids to throw them around just because they look like beach balls. They may be relatively weightless – but they can still break a lamp.
  

Reference:

https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/symptoms/lordosis-lumbar#:~:text=Swayback%3B%20Arched%20back%3B%20Lordosis%20%2D,much%20curving%20is%20called%20swayback