Note: I wrote an initial article about the Bounce Back Exercise Chair in 2005 while working as the about.com guide for the Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome site. Getting a chair for myself has been my goal since that time and I now finally have one! I’ve had mine for a week, and I can tell a difference already; it’s especially helped lessen some of my lower back pain. … Now for the article:

Maintaining or improving one’s physical fitness is difficult for a healthy person. It’s even more so for those with Fibromyalgia, and especially so for those who are exercise intolerant because of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Although it doesn’t promise an easy solution, the Bounce Back Fitness Chair does provide a safer fitness alternative. Because it combines the function of low-impact aerobics while the user is seated in a comfortable chair, anyone with balance or most other mobility problems can perform the exercise.

Ouida Stephens, RN, has worked with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia patients through physician referral since 1993, and says that the Bounce Back Chair is of benefit to those who have a limited tolerance for physical exercise because the Bounce Back Exercise Chair makes it possible for the patient to approach exercise carefully, and slowly increase exercise duration times as the patient is able. Ouida says that “patients who have done well … have started with as low as five minutes daily and taken as long as six months to increase their [exercise] time to thirty minutes.”

An article by Carol Sieverling on ImmuneSupport.com states that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome expert Dr. Paul Cheney, M.D., Ph.D. recommends the bounce back exercise chair for “low level, non-vigorous bouncing for ten to fifteen minutes every other day.” An article that appeared in the July/August 1998 issue of The CFIDS Chronicle states that Dr. Chaney “cautions against aerobic exercise — any kind of sustained activity, such as running or walking or swimming” because such prolonged activity can damage the mitochondria (energy producing part of the cells), which appears to be malfunctioning in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia patients; the mitochondria appears to be vulnerable to excessive aerobic exercise. Instead he “recommends a routine of 10 seconds of activity followed by 60 seconds of rest,” such as the rebounding or bouncing exercise possible through use of the Bounce Back Fitness Chair.

According to information on the Allfit site, the chair is built for those who weigh between 70 to 250 pounds. Upgrades are available to make the chair suitable for those who weigh between 250-350 pounds and 300-450 pounds.

The exercise performed on the chair:

• Stimulates the flow of lymphatic fluids through the body by as much as 10 times their normal rate
• Assists the body in removing toxins, strengthening the immune system, and building strong, healthy cells
• Improves blood circulation and oxygenation to tissue and organs
• Builds strength and muscle
• Provides a means to manage physical stress

The Allfit site further states that the chair specifically helps those with Fibromyalgia because stronger muscles are used to exercise weaker ones.

Ouida Stephens, RN of Sun-Ray Supply does provide this warning about the chair: “The exercises seem so simple and innocuous that it is very easy to over-exert. Failure to advance slowly with this equipment can lead to a major relapse for CFIDS* patients.”

*Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is also sometimes referred to as CFIDS, which is an acronym for Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome.

Although none of them are from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Fibromyalgia patients, there are some interesting testimonials about the Bounce Back Fitness Chair on the Allfit site that provides quotes from forums maintained by the Department of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital.

June 2008 update:

Until I am ready to announce the sites that I will be providing for this purpose, further explanations about how to assemble the chair, plus why it’s also helpful for those with diabetes, arthritis, and some back problems and information on the other benefits can be found at:

Allfit

Or you can contact Doug at Allfit directly by calling (888) 272-2225 or by e-mail.

February 2011 update:

Now that Bounce Potato’s Accessibility Journal is online, I’ll soon be blogging about my experiences with the bounce-back exercise chair as well as the things I’m doing to cope with my disabling chronic conditions and illnesses.

Special thanks to Ouida Stephens, RN of Sun-Ray Supply for in 2005 providing me with the information about the Bounce Back Fitness Chair; her answers to my questions helped me able to write my original article.

# # #

Copyright © 2005-2009 Pamela Rice Hahn
Copyright © 2010-2011 Blue Rose Bouquet Group, LLC
All Rights Reserved

Exercise While Sitting Down is a post from: Chronic Illness.org

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