Kneeling chair

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article does not cite any references or sources. (March 2008)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.
A typical kneeling chair, with the seat on the right and support for legs on the left.
A typical kneeling chair, with the seat on the right and support for legs on the left.

A kneeling chair is a type of chair for sitting in a position with the thighs 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 placed on the spine by conventional right-angled chairs.

Kneeling chairs open up the angle between the thigh and the torso, making it easier to retain the natural curvature of the spine.This posture changes the stress distribution of the human body in comparison with the sitting position of an ordinary chair. Because the angle of the hip joint is between that of sitting and standing, it allows the spine to be in a more "neutral," or middle-of-range, position. Because the knees are lower than the pelvis, the normal curve is restored to the lower spine, which reduces stress to the lower lumbar vertebrae.

A Kneelsit kneeling chair.
A Kneelsit kneeling chair.

Despite the name, the posture of a person in a kneeling chair is not the same as kneeling 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 (a trademark)
  • 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 movement

Mass produced kneeling chairs are readily available; the best are adjustable with high-density padding instead of cheaper types of foam.

[edit] External links

Languages