- Kneeling chair
A kneeling chair is a type of
chair forsitting in a position with thethigh s dropped to an angle of about 60 to 70 degrees from vertical (as opposed to 90 degrees when sitting in a normal chair), with some of the body's weight supported by the shins.Kneeling chairs were invented in
Norway in the 1970s, starting with Hans Christian Mengshoel's experiments on sitting devices with support under the shins. Furniture designers Peter Opsvik, Oddvin Rykken, and Svein Gusrud each developed chairs based on this principle. These designs took as their starting point the strain the designers thought was placed on the spine by conventional right-angled chairs.Fact|date=July 2008Despite the name, the
posture of a person in a kneeling chair is not the same askneeling on the ground. It is sometimes assumed that the knees bear most of the body's weight when sitting in a kneeling chair, but this is incorrect – the shins bear some weight for stability, but the body is still sitting, not kneeling.The kneeling chair is known by several names:
* YogaChair (a trademark)
* "Balans chair" (atrademark )
* Various versions of "balance chair", "knee chair" or Scandinavian/Swedish/Norwegian chair
* "Kneelsit chair" (a trademark) - incorporates an adjustable backrest for lumbar support and mounts the seat and kneeler on swivel bearings for movementMass produced kneeling chairs are readily available; the best are adjustable with high-density padding instead of cheaper types of foam.
External links
* [http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/sitting/sitting_alternative.html Working in a Sitting Position - Alternative Chairs] - Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety
* [http://www.varierfurniture.com/default.aspx?menu=693 The Original Variable Balans by Peter Opsvik ] - The original kneeling chair continues to be produced today under the name Variér, (formerly Stokke) and is again available in the US and Canada as of spring 2008.
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