Leisure Lounge specialises in the manufacture of top quality, custom-made upholstered furniture which is manufactured in our Durban-based factory. We offer a range of over 200 designs, with each item being custom-made to the customer’s exact requirements. Visit one of our showrooms to fully appreciate the choice and quality of our extensive range. Browse through our product categories Slip Cover Couches (4)Nearly half of us experience back pain at some point in our lives, and back specialists believe much of that can be blamed on poor posture when sitting down. Our bodies are designed to be upright, with our spine forming a natural 'S' shape. However, modern life means most of us instead spend hours at a time slumped in front of the computer or television, with our shoulders slouched and our spine curved into an unnatural 'C' shape. Modern life means most of us instead spend hours at a time with our shoulders slouched and our spine curved into an unnatural 'C' shape Over time, this stretches the muscles and ligaments along the back of the spine and puts pressure on the front of the spine, triggering the debilitating back problems that result in 4.5 million days off work every year.
Around one-third of Britons spend more than ten hours a day seated, according to the British Chiropractic Association. Half do not leave their desks even to have lunch. Two-thirds of people also spend their evenings sitting down at home. Whatever the theory, the one thing chair ergonomists and health professionals agree is that the key is movement. Until recently, it was thought that a solid-backed chair was the best for spine health, but now specialists believe that this just encourages us to be static - which is not good for backs. As leading chiropractor and ergonomic adviser Dr Richard Hollis explains: 'Contrary to popular belief, most back injuries happen due to inactivity, rather than excessive activity.' The discs between each vertebra in your back have no blood supply of their own, but rely on movement to maintain their health, he explains. 'Each minute movement of the body allows them to suck in fluid and secrete waste products.' If you don't move, then the discs can become compressed, triggering damage and back pain.
'If your back, neck or shoulders ache after sitting too long in one position, this is due to a build-up of lactic acid,' he adds. Lactic acid is a waste product released into the muscles, which can cause them to ache. 'Muscles are designed to contract and expand,' Dr Hollis says. 'Inactivity is bad for them.' There is nothing worse for your back, it seems, than hours on the sofa or a stiff, unyielding plastic school chair - the sort you have probably spent many years of your life perched on (and the kind of chair your children are now fidgeting on in class). What you need is a slightly unstable seat, as this forces you to try to balance yourself while sitting. This works the muscles, so keeping your back strong and fit, as well as sending messages to the brain that keep you alert and focussed. With this new thinking in mind, manufacturers have now developed a range of products to keep you mobile while on your bottom - from chairs with springs to 'chairs' that are literally big bouncy balls.
You can also get special pillows designed to provide similar benefits on a standard chair. But with these products costing anything from £20 to £600, what is it worth spending your money on? We asked Dr Hollis for his verdict. However, remember that no matter how good a chair or cushion is, it's also crucial to get up from your seat every thirty minutes, says Dr Hollis. : Provides the instability when placed on an ordinary chair. It instantly, and conveniently, gives any seat the healthy qualities of a fit ball. However, not everyone finds it comfortable. Small stool on sprung base. It's bouncy - you ping around like Zebedee.This encourages movement, but I'm not sure you would want this in an office. Good for short-term use only, which could be extended slightly with the support optional back support (a further £120). But if you like this idea, try a fit ball for £462 less. Sitting partner, £28.45, www.backinaction.co.uk WHAT IT'S LIKE: A cushion with inflatable pocket to place in the small of your back, to improve posture in chairs that have no lumbar (lower back) support.
EXPERT'S VERDICT: One step on from a simple lumbar support cushion which you can tuck in the small of your back. This has an inflatable air pocket you can blow up to boost support. Doesn't require balance, but good if you need extra lumbar support in your chair. Not a question of people it suits, but of the chairs they find themselves sitting in. Bambach Saddle Seat, £399, www.bambach.co.uk A height and tilt-adjustable saddle on casters. Feels secure because you sit astride it; uncomfortable for long periods. Designed for 'active' sitting, where you're sitting/standing all day (such as dentists and hairdressers). The shape helps to ensure a good 'S' curve in the lower spine. WHAT IT'S LIKE: A seat-like frame that holds a fit ball on height-adjustable legs with back support. More comfortable than fit ball on it's own and less bounce.: A clever way of adding back support to a fit ball, and raising it to desk height. But if you like the fit ball, I would recommend having a normal chair and using a fit ball on and off during the day.
Or try an air cushion on your chair to do the same thing for less money. WHAT IT'S LIKE: An air-filled, wedge-shaped rubber cushion. Sitting on it makes you feel a little unstable (you're perched forward), so it takes some getting used to. EXPERT'S VERDICT: Adds an element of instability to any chair, as the air moves around inside the cushion. Strengthens stomach muscles as your body works to maintain balance. Unsuitable for those who have a hyperlordosis (too much urvature of the lower back). Fit ball, from £12.23,www.dietand fitnessresources.co.uk WHAT IT'S LIKE: A large plastic inflatable rubber ball. It's like sitting on a Space Hopper - pleasantly bouncy. EXPERT'S VERDICT: Balancing on this while you sit stimulates the deep core stomach muscles and strengthens the back. Great value and can be used for exercising too (pilates, for example). Available in varying sizes from 55cm if you're 5ft 6in and under, to 75cm for people 5ft 11in and over. However, it is too low to use at most desks and too tiring for long periods because your body has to work hard to maintain balance.
Also, it has no back support - but for £12.23, who can argue? WHAT IT'S LIKE: Z-shaped wooden adjustable chair for babies and children. Hard going on the bottom. EXPERT'S VERDICT: Great for kids because seat and foot height are adjustable as the child grows, so they are always the correct height for the table. These chairs are not really big enough for grown-ups (who have to sit on the foot rest). The backrest is not adjustable, nothing tilts, and it doesn't encourage movement as it's only designed for using for short periods of time. WHAT IT'S LIKE: A triangular stool seat rather like a child's bicycle saddle on a shallow, curved, saucer-shaped base. Something you perch on rather than really sit on - feels unstable. EXPERT'S VERDICT: The unstable base of this stool encourages you to be mobile, while the saddle shape allows sideto-side movement. A good option for standingheight desks, jobs that require a lot of standing up, or a good-foryour-back bar stool, but for short periods of sitting only.
Has no back rest or arm rests, and no way of controlling the wobble factor, so not great for sitting on all day. Nominell, from £92.98, Ikea WHAT IT'S LIKE: Adjustable padded chair on wheels, with back support. EXPERT'S VERDICT: This has everything an office chair should have: a five-point base to ensure the chair won't topple, and adjustable tilt tension (you can vary the rocking action, important for encouraging movement).An excellent all-round, good-value chair. WHAT IT'S LIKE: A wooden rocking dining chair. This clever shape holds you in just the right position, but thin cushioning means it is rather unforgiving on the slimmer bottom. EXPERT'S VERDICT: Dining chairs are often used as computer chairs at home, which can be the cause of back problems. This chair attempts to provide a solution. The rocking motion promotes movement, but only back and forth. It's not height adjustable, so I wouldn't recommend it for prolonged use. HAG Capisco, £634, www.backin action.co.uk WHAT IT'S LIKE: The seat is shaped like a bike saddle;
there is an optional back support with cutaway sections, so you can sit facing forward, sideways or backwards on the chair and still feel comfortable. It feels very bouncy to sit on, although not so bouncy you'd tip off. EXPERT'S VERDICT: An expensive chair, so make sure you have a specialist fitting to ensure it's a match for your body shape and requirements. It has every adjustment you could want. The seat (which helps ensure a properly curved spine) is not comfortable for everyone, th. If money was no object, this is the one I'd buy. Varier Variable Kneeling Chair, £239.20, from www.fineback.co.uk WHAT IT'S LIKE: Two pads, one for bottom, one for knees, on a rocking base. The rocking action is pleasant, but the kneeling position can make you feel crumpled and can take a few days to get used to. EXPERT'S VERDICT: Keeps the spine in a good upright posture, but can put a lot of pressure through the knees. It can be tricky to get on and off quickly until you're used to it. OK for backs, not great for knees!