Balimo Chairs

[DawnJensen]

I don’t see how my thoughts have crossed. Your spine can only be ‘straightened’ in reference to being balanced in it’s natural double ‘S’ curve, and that can only happen when the pelvis is placed neutrally underneath it, not when it is tipped either forward or backward when sitting. It is not possible on the big balls to have the pelvis competely neutral, it is possible on the Balimo chair. This position most closely mimics your position in the saddle and allows you to explore all the possible movements available to the pelvis, which again, isn’t possible when sitting on the balance ball because your pelvis can’t ever go to neutral.

Have you ever used a Balimo chair, medical mike?? Or seen one in use??

[medical_mike]

we’ll have to agree to disagree…

regarding usefulness of the ball. Look at the work by Richardson, Jull, Wolfe, McGill and others from sports medicine.

Always good to challenge ones opinion for proof…

Quote:
“Have you ever used a Balimo chair, medical mike?? Or seen one in use??”

Fair enough…nope, however I’ve sat on plenty of single peg, adjustable height stools in my day.
I figure if the chairs were all that, someone would have done the EMG research, like they have with the balls, to show they were all that. No one has, so IMO, its not.

Come to the Charles Owen tent at Rolex, we can talk more.

Regards,
Medical Mike
equestrian medical researcher
www.fitfocusedforward.us or .com

[MontanaDun]

Jaime -

I would think you would be able to sit on the Balimo all day. They do recommend that you start slowly and build up the time in the saddle to avoid muscle soreness. If you do get one and bring it to the office, you may need to do something so that folks don’t sit on it unawares - it can surely “buck” the rider off! And that might be a liability issue - at least with a ball folks can see that it’s … a ball.

I really do like mine. I will swap back and forth between the Balimo and my office chair (at my home office). I wish I had brought it in to work today because I did something to my hip riding yesterday and I could sure use a Balimo fix right now! Getting out of my chair is SLOW going! LOL

MedicalMike - I have used the Balimo and the exercise balls. I like the Balimo a little better, but think that both are useful.

MD

[DressageGeek_Ribbon]

Not to hijack, but what do you feel are the best exercises for the Balimo chair?

[canyonoak]

well…Ive used/worked with balance balls and Balimo chair/stool (I thought it was called a stool ???) and Ive sat on other such purpose-created equipment, like the Gaiam Balance Ball Chair
http://www.outlettrail.com/store/product.php?productid=7051

and Ive ridden a fair amount of horses over the years<g>…

…and I think it may come down to WHY one wants to use the equipment.
The Balimo is very good to teach someone to ‘stack’ their head and spine over the pelvis, and allows for a practitioner to put hands-on to help guide the body and create new ‘muscle memory’.
The Balimo is also useful to isolate the pelvis, the hips, and create a range of motion.

The balance balls are good for better simulation of how the horse feels under the rider, and definitely better for how to use thighs and hips to create direction as well as balance.

All the equipment is rather like learning to drive a car in an empty parking lot–a necessary step for most people who do not grow up on a farm or whatever, where as soon as their feet reach the pedals, they have to drive equipment from one spot to the next. (ie, horse world where children are thrown on to ponies/horses and sort of figure out the rudiments).

Eventually, the car must be driven in the real world–other cars, bad drivers, lights, pedestrians,etc etc.

Same with the horses in the real world-- motion plus other brain plus reaction to outside stimuli plus power plus speed etc etc etc.

What can really be fun is to have someone use the equipment and then yell commands at them and see how quickjly they can react. Still not the same as the horse’s own reactions, but better than nothing.

LOL

[flamenco_horse]

For those who can’t afford $300, these little gems will save you $272 and do basically the same thing. Same concept just a heck of a lot cheaper and completely portable!

http://exertools.stores.yahoo.net/dynadisc.html

[medical_mike]

“Best” is relative …

It depends on results of testing. In this case we are talking about torso control…
If the torso motion is driven from the lower extremity, then I teach how to increase toe pressure to stabilize the foot/lower extremity, then teach how to isolate torso motion from the hip to head, driving the motion with the hip/abdominal muscles.
From there it is a simple progression to a figure eight of the pelvis without going into flexion.

If you want to increase hamstring strength, simplest is straight leg hip extension with foot on ball, then bent knee, then “ball leg curl”.

Quad strength can be knee to chest from a push up position (feet on ball)

If there is a disconnect through the hip joint via the hamstrings (more common in females) then a reverse sit up, ball pinched between knees, feet fixed, torso maintained in neutral, would be appropriate.

REgards,
Medical mike
equestrian medical researcher
www.fitfocisedforward.us or .com

[Carol_O]

Medical Mike’s web site

I got to Medical Mike’s site at fitfocusedforward.com . Very interesting site.

[pintopiaffe]

flamenco horse, I have a sit disk. It was my Boss’s answer to disallowing the ball.

It does not work at ALL like the ball. :no:

I would be thrilled if it did the trick. But it doesn’t. At least for me and my herniated disks.

Thanks MD, I will look into getting one. It’s a hefty price, but I have to sit for 10 hours, sometimes with as little as two five minute breaks if it’s nuts… it’s worth the $$$ if it will keep me riding.