Get some backbone: AERIS

The current health report from a large German health insurance company paints an optimistic picture when it comes to workplace health – at least as far as back problems are concerned – with the rate of work absenteeism resulting from back problems continuing to fall over the last five years. Nonetheless, this issue still accounts for the second-highest proportion of lost workdays.

The most common causes of back injuries are well-known: one-sided strain due to seat-based work combined with too little movement. Add to this the pressure to perform along with stress, and you have the correct conditions for triggering back problems. On top of that – and how can we avoid mentioning it when discussing health at the moment – the ongoing Corona pandemic which we are still trying to manage, only aggravates the situation. With so much more work being done in home office settings than ever before – and compensatory activities also more restricted than usual – our intervertebral discs naturally suffer as a consequence.

Bavarian seating manufacturer Aeris has used the pandemic-related withdrawal of people to the home office as an opportunity to take a closer look at needs, existing home set-ups and the health effects of working from home. In Autumn 2020, 2,000 workers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland took part in a study conducted by the company. More than half of them work part-time or full-time from the home office. 28 per cent are doing so for the first time, 11 per cent were already working full-time at home before Corona, and 14 per cent at least occasionally.

A quarter of those surveyed who have been working from the home office stated that they suffer from back pain. Every fifth person reported muscle pain, for example in the neck and shoulder area. Headaches, weight gain, exhaustion and stress were also mentioned as complaints by a fifth of the group. Almost one in three said that they do gymnastic exercises in between to help stay in shape and keep muscles activated, but what can be done on the furniture side to help strengthen the body during work?

Aeris would not be Aeris without this question, because it was precisely this goal that resulted in the company's first and still best-known product: the Aeris Swopper. It is almost 25 years since Josef Glöckl, founder of Aeris, first developed the active seat as a solution to his own back pain. As a way of relieving it, his wife, an osteopath, suggested placing a seat-ball beneath him. He may have been a little sceptical at first, but with this, the idea for his Aeris Swopper was born.

‘Never just sit’ is the manufacturer's message, and it perfectly describes the principle of the Aeris Swopper. Instead of passive sitting, the stool allows for three-dimensional movement – with lateral flexibility for exercising muscles, forward-leaning and a pivot point close to the floor to prevent incorrect posture and one-sided loading, as well as vertical vibration that actively relieves the intervertebral discs.

In contrast to the seat-ball or conventional, passive office chairs, body weight and movement- intensity can be freely adjusted. Depending on one’s physical condition, one can choose from four different spring-strut strength levels: Light, Low, Standard or High.

A number of updates to the seat which Aeris has implemented make it even more optimised for home office use. ‘We have modernised many small details of the Aeris Swopper,’ says Dietlind Walger-Hutter, Head of Product Development. ‘Its unmistakable features, such as the striking shape and unique mobility, have naturally been retained.’

Furthermore, the Aeris Swopper’s dynamic movement and posture control also demonstrably increases one’s ability to concentrate, as studies by the University of Mainz and the FH Linz confirm. Cardiff University explains that the Aeris Swopper ‘leads to excellent sitting posture and reduces the possibility of bad positioning of the lumbar spine’ – the main area for the occurrence of slipped discs.

In addition to the five basic classic colours – black, grey, blue, green and red – the seat cover is now available in numerous, fresh, contemporary colours. In addition, there is a choice of four fabrics, two imitation leather covers, one leather, and one felt cover. The frame is available in three matte shades: black, light grey metallic and white – optionally with a matching spring colour or, depending on the seat cover colour, accentuated by the five basic colours mentioned above. The feet are available with castors or as gliders.

In short: the back and the mind should be considered together. It is a matter of posture, certainly, but even more so, one of continuous movement. The Aeris Swopper supports our natural need for movement – whether at home, in the office, in coworking spaces or learning environments.

© Architonic