What makes Symbiotic different to conventional ergonomic chairs?
Symbiotic chair was built around the human body, allowing for its tendency for movement and frequent changes of sitting position, while also strengthening a user’s core stability muscles and improving sitting posture. Similar to an exercise ball, the flexible seat is mounted on the balancing mechanism, which challenges a user’s postural balance. As an active sitting chair, Symbiotic doesn’t allow you to sit passively and let the chair carry your body’s weight, like conventional ergonomic chairs. Instead, it stimulates the musculature responsible for keeping your body upright and stable.
Additionally, the unique sculpted backrest with pronounced lower back support follows a user’s movements in all directions and provides counter-force against the lower back when a user leans against it. Symbiotic was designed as an active working chair to stimulate an upright sitting posture, and this is why it is not equipped with a reclining mechanism like most conventional ergonomic chairs and does not support a lounging position.
Will the Symbiotic Chair actually help my back pain?
Many people with sedentary desk jobs develop back pain because they are in a static sitting position most of the day. Static sitting means you are seated in nearly the same posture for prolonged periods of time, such as when we are at work. It is this limited movement that contributes to back pain.
Conversely, the Symbiotic Chair promotes active sitting. Active sitting means you are allowed to stay seated while making small, fluid movements and adjustments throughout the day. The Symbiotic Chair promotes the use of the muscles of your back and core to create these fine-tuned movements and postural changes.
You can find out more about active sitting and how it can help back pain here.
Why active sitting?
The human body adapted to conditions in which humans led physically active lives. Now, in a world with increased technology, wide-scale use of transport, and sedentary office jobs, we can struggle to adapt to the excessive sitting associated with modern life.
When the body is forced to remain in a rigid seated position for long periods of time, it can have a detrimental effect on our overall health and wellbeing. It is a common misconception that regular exercise can compensate for too much sitting.
Sitting on the Symbiotic active chair will encourage the body to remain active even while seated, by stimulating the use of core muscles, and adapting to the natural movements of the body.
Is active sitting using Symbiotic a type of exercise?
This depends on the definition of exercise. If we define exercise widely as an activity requiring physical effort, carried out to sustain or improve health and fitness, then yes, active sitting is a type of exercise. However, although the balancing mechanism will stimulate more active physical engagement during sitting, primarily with regards to the abdominal and back muscles needed to stabilise a user’s core, active sitting on Symbiotic doesn’t require a significant physical effort. In the same way an experienced horse rider maintains a balanced riding position on the moving horse with ease and minimal effort, a user of Symbiotic will gradually condition their body to maintain a balanced poise during long hours of sitting with a minimal muscular activity, simply through improving their balance and sitting posture. Nevertheless, this type of sitting requires more physical activity than static sitting on a conventional ergonomic chair. However, the sensitivity of the seat can be adapted to specific individual needs of a user by way of the customisable balancing mechanism which carries the seat, thus making it possible to modify the level of the required physical activity.
Why is Symbiotic better than an exercise ball?
Unlike the seat on Symbiotic, exercise balls don’t provide adequate structural support for a user’s sitting bones, which is crucial for a good sitting posture. In addition to this, the height of an exercise ball is usually inadequate for a specific user, and this cannot be adjusted. Also, there is no backrest, which can make sitting for long periods tiring. Finally, the ball can roll away underneath the user, making it unsafe and inappropriate for an office environment.
Why are there no armrests on Symbiotic?
Symbiotic was designed without armrests after consultations with numerous back-care practitioners. The reason is that, besides being controversial in the theory of ergonomics, the armrests beat the purpose of the active sitting concept because they stabilise a user’s body in contrast to the more autonomous sitting we aimed for with the Symbiotic design.
Without the armrests, users can tuck deep under the desk and rest their hands on the desk using a keyboard and mouse, which is often impossible because of the armrests.
Finally, without the armrests, users can experience more benefits in terms of improving postural mechanisms and strengthening their core stability muscles.
What makes Symbiotic different to other active sitting chairs?
There are active sitting ergonomic chairs available on the market, which are designed around the concept of active sitting. Although all of these chairs incorporate a degree of instability of the seat, which is there to stimulate a user’s stabilising muscles, they all differ in a specific way they move with the user. Some of the active chairs models have a facility that limits the angle of the tilting movement of the seat. However, Symbiotic is unique in its ability to customise the sensitivity of the movable seat, making it possible to adapt it to the specific needs of individual users.
Another unique feature of Symbiotic is that it is possible to customise the seat so that the left or the right side of the seat is softer than the opposite side, which is fantastic news for users’ whose spine has side to side curvature due to scoliosis, resulting in their pelvis being tilted to one side.
Finally, its unique backrest allows for dynamic sitting by following a user’s movements and providing counter-force against the lumbar area.
Paying in instalments
We’ve partnered with Klarna to bring you flexible payments at checkout.
Your bill is split into three equal payments which are collected every 30 days.
No added interest or fees. 18+, T&Cs apply.
See Klarna FAQs for more detials.
Trials
We are happy to offer a 40-day money-back guarantee to allow you sufficient time to make sure you are satisfied with the Symbiotic chair and experience its benefits.
If for some reason you might not be satisfied with the product, you can contact us and arrange that the product is returned to our UK address within 40 days from the date of delivery, and receive a full refund.
Before returning the product to us, we can offer advice to improve your workstation setup.
* Please see Return & Refund Policy for more details
Delivery
We normally supply Symbiotic chairs to customers in the UK in around 16 business days from the date of the payment received.
We have most models (upholstery/metal finish combinations) more readily available in which case your order will be delivered in 5 business days.
Delivery of white faux leather models and blue faux leather Saddle model can take up to 21 business days.
The cost of the delivery to a UK address is £ 24.00 inc VAT (there is no customs charge as we deliver from the UK).
The chairs are delivered flat packed and can be assembled without tools.
Delivery to most of the EU countries including the Republic of Ireland takes around the same time as to the UK addresses (cost: £ 25.00 and no customs charges as we deliver from within the EU).
Delivery to Switzerland takes around 14 business days (cost: £45.00/receiver pays import charges/UK VAT zero-rate).
Delivery to the USA takes around 21 business days (cost: £167.00/receiver pays import charges/UK VAT zero-rate).
We deliver to Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East countries (if your country is not listed in the drop-down menu at the checkout page please contact us for instructions on how to complete your order).
Please fill in the contact form to make a specific inquiry.
Spare parts and product lifespan
We designed Symbiotic as a sustainable product with a long lifespan. Thus, we can supply all the components of Symbiotic making it possible to refurbish the chair after many years of usage. The metal frame on Symbiotic is made from steel and aluminium, which guarantees an exceptionally long product lifespan. After years of usage, a user might want to update or exchange the upholstered parts, which is possible.
Warranty
Warranty is five years except for damages on the upholstery.
Refunds
We are happy to offer a 40-day money-back guarantee to allow you sufficient time to make sure you are satisfied with Symbiotic chair and experience its benefits.
If for some reason you might not be satisfied with the product, you can contact us and arrange that the product is returned to our UK address within 40 days from the date of delivery, and receive a full refund.
Before returning the product to us, we can offer advice to improve your workstation setup.
* Please see Return & Refund Policy for more details