I need this. My workplace is so cramped and the way the computers are positioned gives me ZERO legroom, so I have to scoot away from the desk and lean forward to use the computer! =(
I'm pretty sure that if I brought in an exercise ball I'd be made fun of relentlessly though.

I would love to get one of these... but I work with family and I would never hear the end of it about this ball-chair.

IMHO, using the ball as a chair is probably not the greatest idea. The initial upright posture is likely to be lost over a long period of sitting because there is no full seat and back support. It would excessively fatigue the muscles. Also, it's too hard to navigate around a workstation while on a ball, and getting on/off or reaching from the ball may consitute a falling hazard. (At least it would for me!) And it looks like in the second picture, most of the exercise benefits would be lost while not giving the legs/butt enough support.

Also, people will laugh at you nonstop! :0)

I think it looks pretty comfortable.

My sister has a balance ball chair, and really likes it. I doubt I could get my work to go for it, unfortunately. Maybe for home eventually

I wish I had that chair with my first pregnancy. I would rotate from a chair to a ball and sometimes I would get so restless that I would start bouncing really good on it and fall over. The chair may have prevented this.

I have the Gaiam one. A few points:
- It takes a while to develop the core & back strength to be able to sit on the ball all day. I could only do an hour or two at first and had to work up. But sitting on the ball made me more aware of my posture so I kept my spine aligned properly.

- You're not actually supposed to use the "back" as back support, it doesn't look like it in the photos, but it's too far away to be very useful/comfortable. Also the instructions specifically say not to lean on it. It's only there for stability during certain exercises (meaning in the booklet of moves that come with the chair, only one uses the back for stability). I tossed mine.

- You can eventually learn to slouch forward on them once you really get used to sitting on it. I now have a sit/stand desk and only use it sometimes.

While prolonged sitting increases compressive forces on the discs, there is no evidence that sitting on a swiss ball will reduce the occurrence of low back pain, or even improve "core" muscle activation.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16410033

I just read that using a ball for an office chair is not a good idea. The article I read says that it can be hard to maintain good posture and you can end up straining your back muscles and irritate your spinal nerves, but if you insist on using one for an office chair to sit with your knees above your butt and lean slightly back from the hips to avoid the straining.

My boyfriend has a ball chair, its super bouncy. I like sitting on it to bounce on but the problem is I would probably bounce too much and not be able to focus on working.

This reminds me of that episode on the Office when Dwight replaces his chair with an exercise ball and Jim pops it with scissors.

But on a serious note, I think this is a good idea.

berrypeachie and millarci - too funny!

One of my undergrad advisors has these in her office! It's kind of fun to sit on...until your abs start to burn!

I think it's a good idea.

There is a few ladies here at my job that use balls instead of chairs. I wonder if I could do that all day.

LOL! I did this for about a month about a year go. I caught A LOT of flack for it, and the damn peanut gallery here irritated the crap out of me SO much that I just gave up. Never sure whether it helped my body out or not. Oh well. it was fun while it lasted...

I don't think I could do it all day...and I don't know if work would go for that!

The ergonomics nazis at my work have banned these because apparently they're terrible for your back and most likely aren't the right height for you at your desk so you're putting your wrists at risk too.

I have one at my office and I love it! I usually only use it in the morning for a few hours. A lot of people walk by and comment on how they should get one too.

Has anyone ever tried those kneeling chairs? I've heard they are good for back pain from people that sit all day.

interesting... my friend did this and i thought she was weird

a woman at my previous job was pregnant and used an exercise ball for her chair. One day HR came and said it was against company policy and that she had to use a regular chair. Something about it not being safe? I thought it was BS, but she had to get rid of it.

am i the only one who keeps hearing Mac noises?

the Entourage new mail noise, the throwing away of trash, etc.