Draft:SpinaliS

SpinaliS Chairs are a series of special chairs designed to replicate the seating experience of an exercise ball. Prolonged sitting has been associated with health risks in public health research. Prolonged sitting has been associated with health risks in public health research. SpinaliS chairs are based on the principle of "active sitting," in which the muscles are constantly engaged, as the sitter seeks to maintain balance on the mobile seat. It was invented by Slovenian engineer Tomaz Ham, and is produced in Slovenia by Ham d.o.o.

History

In 1999, Tomaz Ham began to suffer from lower back pain. Various doctors advised him to replace his normal, ergonomic office chair with an orthopaedic ball (sometimes called a Swiss ball or therapeutic or exercise ball). While he found that sitting on this ball improved his back pain, he did not consider it practical for the workplace. He set about designing a chair that would replicate the sensation and benefits of the ball, but in the shape of a proper chair, with armrests and a design suited to an office environment. The SpinaliS office chair was first presented to the public at the Alpe Adria Home 2000 fair in Ljubljana. By 2001, Ham had received "thousands" of orders for chairs, which he began manufacturing under the name SpinaliS, with his design, mechanism, and logo patented. The seat mechanism is patented.

Clinical Testing

Mr Ham brought his chair to Dr Janko Popovič, a well-known Slovenian orthopedist, who was initially sceptical, telling him that he receives many chairs to assess, all supposedly with health benefits, and he had yet to endorse any of them. But Popovič approved of Ham's design and began to recommend the chair to his patients. From 2006 to 2010, SpinaliS provided an elementary school classroom in Ljubljana with specially-adapted SpinaliS chairs. Children seated in the SpinaliS classroom were monitored by physiotherapists, psychologists and orthopedists throughout this period, and the students' health, weight and behaviour were compared with those of their peers in neighbouring classrooms outfitted with traditional school chairs. After the first and second years of the project, the only overt difference was in concentration levels—the students seated in SpinaliS chairs were visibly more concentrated for longer periods than those seated in standard chairs. The increased blood circulation and "fidgety" energy redirected into active seating led to noticeably better concentration during schoolwork. The children's need for movement was satisfied by the chairs themselves, so their minds remained better focused on learning. According to evaluations at the end of the third and fourth years of the study, the children in the SpinaliS classroom had better overall posture, stronger back muscles, and better spinal health. Their abdominal muscles were stronger, and they exhibited a proclivity for healthy weight loss.

Active Sitting

Active sitting is sitting that activates the back and abdominal muscles. As a rule, such sitting requires a movable seat, which prompts the user to maintain balance, as when sitting on an exercise ball, constantly activating a variety of muscles. This counteracts the clinically proven negative effects of prolonged sitting on fixed seats, and also proactively improves musculature and even stimulates weight loss. SpinaliS chairs are designed so that you can sit in two distinct ways. Sitting in the middle of the seat does not allow passive sitting, meaning the back muscles are regularly tensed and strengthened in rotation, thus reducing pressure on the intervertebral discs—ideal for active sitting. If you wish to rest during a phone call or a meeting, you can sit towards the back of the seat; in this case, the SpinaliS design ensures you maintain good posture without excessive movement.

Health Benefits

Numerous studies, articles, medical journals and documentaries have extolled the damage of passive sitting and the benefits of active sitting. The benefits include: promoting an upright posture, providing relief for vertebral discs and vertebrae, strengthening the back and abdominal muscles, improving circulation through movement of the lumbar area and mobility of the pelvis, toning muscles, improving gastrointestinal and respiratory function, benefitting blood circulation around the intervertebral discs, preventing degenerative spine problems, reducing pressure in major blood vessels, providing relief from back pain, and more.

Awards

SpinaliS chairs have won: - the Mirror of Slovenian Success Award, - the MOS Fair Recognition Award (2000), - the Slovenian Chamber of Craft and Small Business Recognition Award (2000), - the SQ Award, the MODDOM Bratislava Fair Award (2007), - a Best Example of Entrepreneurship award (2010), - a Best Office Chair award (2010), - an ARCA Golden Award at the 11th International Innovation Fair, and has been rated The Independent Best Buy (2007). The SpinaliS HACKER chair was named Best Office Chair (2013), and the SpinaliS PILOT chair was given a Golden Award (2004).

Sales As of 2025, SpinaliS has reported that over 140.000 chairs have been sold and are used in more than 25 different countries. SpinaliS also has established partnerships and distributors in 13 countries, including: Slovenia, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Canada, England, Hungary, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, and South Korea.