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Does sitting on a stability ball increase fall risk during ergonomic reaching tasks?

Jessa M Buchman-Pearle¹, Thomas Karakolis¹, Jack P Callaghan¹

¹Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Applied Ergonomics

|March 1, 2022

Summary

Stability balls, an alternative to office chairs, pose a higher fall risk. Even with a wider stance, users perceive greater instability and show reduced margins of stability during reaching tasks.

Keywords:

Exercise ball Seated balance Swiss ball

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Area of Science:

Biomechanics
Ergonomics
Human Factors

Background:

Stability balls are increasingly used as office seating alternatives.
Limited research exists on the fall risk associated with deformable seating surfaces.

Purpose of the Study:

To compare sitting stability between a stability ball and a backless office chair during reaching tasks.
To investigate perceived fall risk and objective stability measures.

Main Methods:

Sixteen participants performed forward and lateral reaching tasks on both seating types.
Whole-body motion and under-seat force data were collected.
Perceived fall risk and margin of stability were analyzed.

Main Results:

Perceived fall risk was significantly higher on the stability ball.
Centre of pressure displacement varied between seating types and reach directions.
Medial-lateral margin of stability was smaller on the stability ball, though not statistically significant.

Conclusions:

Stability balls present a higher fall risk compared to traditional backless chairs.
Wider stances do not fully mitigate the increased instability associated with stability balls.
Further research is needed to understand and mitigate stability ball fall risks.