You must have heard somewhere that sitting has become the new alternative to smoking. Though it isn’t as dangerous as smoking, it sure is linked with diabetes, back and arm pain, obesity, etc. There are plenty of people who work in jobs that require them to stay seated for long hours at a stretch.
As per scientists in the field of ergonomics, saddle chairs and saddle stools are a way to combat and minimize these risks associated with sitting daily. To shed some light on the same, this blog will tell you all the health and productivity benefits that you can gain from sitting on a saddle seat.
So, in this post, you’re going to know the health benefits of saddle chairs.
Health Benefits of Sitting On Saddle Chairs
1. Corrects Your Posture
Sitting on a saddle chair makes you more self-conscious and you stay consciously aware of the way you are sitting. Basically, it allows you to sit correctly in the right posture that is aligned to the chair design and style. Moreover, it keeps you from slouching which is the number one reason why people suffer from backaches.
Sitting in saddle stools will open up your legs and increase the angle between your hips and knees to 135 degrees. This spread is known as hip abduction and is much greater than the angle achieved with an office chair. Hence, your spine is held in the natural S-shaped structure which eradicates the possibility of slouching and also reduces tension and pain in your neck muscles, and shoulders. Lastly, this hip abduction allows you to lean forward more conveniently without affecting your sitting posture.
2. Cures Musculoskeletal Disorders
Generally, sitting for extended periods of time on regular chairs can reduce your wrist pain and arm aches, and other problems associated with limbs. Saddle sitting is great for gradually relaxing your neck muscles, limbs, and buttock muscles. Issues like repetitive strain injury, cumulative trauma disorder, and regional musculoskeletal disorder. Saddle chairs reduce fatigue and muscular tension-related pain that frequently comes out of typing regularly or sitting in the wrong posture for long durations.
3. No More Slouching With A Saddle Seat
A regular office chair is one of the most uncomfortable pieces of furniture to sit on. If you sit on it for hours regularly, that will devastate your posture. These chairs are not adjustable to your body and would not provide the comfort level you desire.
Traditional office chairs will ruin your posture and at the end of the day, you’ll found yourself slouching and full of backaches. But with a saddle chair, slouching will become almost impossible to do. It will rotate your pelvis forward to maintain your lower back’s natural position. Moreover, it will also relieve your back, shoulder, and neck pain in a jiffy.
Your muscles might take some time to get used to the normal upright posture, so it might feel a bit uncomfortable at the start. Still, it will fix your posture and strengthen your muscles after a couple of days.
4. Strengthens Your Back
As already mentioned, saddle seats place your upper legs in a strongly declining position that rotates your pelvis forward. Additionally, saddle sitting also curves your lower back to an anatomically proper position known as lordosis. Not only does this turn straightens your upper back but also relaxes your neck, hip, shoulder, and arm muscles.
5. Burns All Your Calories
When you first start using a saddle chair, balancing could be a bit of a challenge. These chairs don’t come with armrests so you might require a bit of effort to get up and sit down. This extra effort actually helps in burning some of your calories. Moreover, as the design of the saddle stool is perfect to shape your posture and activate your muscles, it also fights the sitting-induced weight gain problem. On the other hand, with a traditional office chair, your muscles will be lazy and not be able to work hard enough to hold up your posture.
6. Better Leg Circulation
Proper blood circulation is important to make your body function properly. It allows your organs to function properly which in turn, improves your health as a whole. If you have good circulation, then you would be eliminating possibilities of fatigue, improve your concentration, and memory.
When you sit for long hours in an office chair, your thigh muscles and legs become numb and don’t allow proper leg circulation. But, with a saddle chair, your legs will be placed as such that your arteries and veins are positioned don’t experience any contact pressure. Not only does this improve blood circulation in your legs but also reduces foot swelling (if any).
7. Supports Your Lumbar Curve
Studies have established that sitting in a saddle chair can benefit you by allowing you to sit in such a position that preserves your lumbar curve. Your lumbar curve helps your spine withstand your body weight and distribute it throughout your body. Moreover, the design of the saddle chair will allow your lumbar curve to stay at the most ideal position. It will essentially stay in the same position as it does when you are standing upright.
Besides, preventing you from damaging your spinal cord, this position also strengthens your back and core muscles. This way, your lower and upper back muscles will stay at ease. Every time you bend forward, your saddle seat will keep your spinal curvature at its optimal position. This, in turn, eliminates back pain and any kind of soreness.
8. Enhances Hand Acuity and Strength
Saddle seats help you position your shoulder girdle and upper back structure perfectly, hence this allows your hands to comfortably reach out for things. Also, this facilitates the precision hand activity a lot more, so you won’t be clumsy when you reach for stuff while sitting on a saddle chair. Lastly, the improved positioning of your upper body will give you a much more stable torso.
9. Improves Mobility And Balance
Saddle stools and saddle chairs allow you to reach things much more easily and safely. You will find that your arms are more mobile, and you will be able to use your legs much more. In the beginning, it might feel a bit tough to feel stable on your saddle seat. But, over time, you will notice some great improvements in terms of balance.
In fact, a lot of people with neurological issues have reported that the saddle seat has improved their balancing abilities to a great extent. It makes you much more mobile besides offering other health benefits, and that makes it a perfect fit for jobs that require a lot of reaching for things.
Saddle-sitting supports your spinal curves even if you bend forward. And since the saddle seat allows your legs to move freely, you can turn, twist, and even reach out for things easily. Moreover, in a balanced and comfortable saddle stance, you will be sitting higher than you usually do with office chairs. So, it will become comparatively easier for you to get up and sit down than it is in a normal chair. For the same reason, this is one of the most-recommended chairs for doctors and dentists.
10. Exercises Your Legs
Sitting on a saddle chair is like sitting on a yoga ball, it exercises your legs. To sit stably with a straight spine and back, your legs need to do the extra work and this is actually good. It takes off the pressure from your lumbar area which in turn reduces strain on your spinal discs, thus, eliminating back pain.
You can also propel the chair to somewhere else while you are sitting with the help of your legs. This, in turn, exercises your leg muscles. This increased range of motions prevents knee and hip joint problems that might arise otherwise.
11. More Comfortable
Saddle chairs also come with split seats at times. This relieves pressure from your pelvis region (pelvic floor) and hence, lowering the temperature in your crotch area. Moreover, a saddle chair also allows you to reach closer to your computer desk. So, you won’t have to overextend your body and strain your shoulder girdle.
Besides, you can adjust the seat height of saddle chairs and also have a tilt-adjustable seat. This allows you to adapt the saddle stool as per your needs to find your ideal sitting posture.
Final Words
Saddle sitting has been said to be highly beneficial for office workers who generally spend a lot of time working in a sitting posture. This article aims to explain all the top benefits of saddle chair in detail. We hope it solved your doubts related to saddle chairs and stools and you are leaving with a good amount of knowledge about the same.