Company, Product Profile: Obus Forme, Obus Ultra Forme
by Jeffrey Reed, Editor, LondonOntarioGolf.com

If you’re a regular reader here at London Ontario Golf, you’ve more than likely read about the importance of proper fitness to a good game a golf – in particular, taking care of your back so it takes good care of your golf game. As an avid golfer, and a prolific golf writer, I’m the lucky recipient of a double dose of back aches and pains. In fact, according to the Canadian Chiropractic Association (CCA), 80 per cent of Canadians will suffer from back pain in their lifetimes.

For years now, I’ve used an Obus Forme backrest support, and a few years ago I added an Obus Forme seat connect to my work station. The combination of the two have made it a whole lot easier to spend countless hours at my desk writing about the game I love.

There’s a new product from Obus Forme which the company has billed as “scientifically tested and clinically proven effective” – the Obus Ultra Forme backrest. It has been designed to go a step further than simply relieving spinal disc pressure and compression, in order to target the upper and lower torso as well. It’s designed to treat the back when most vulnerable to stress or injury – in a sitting position. That’s important, since sitting subjects each spinal disc to an additional 300 lbs. to 400 lbs. of pressure.

The Obus Ultra Forme backrest eases pressure on the lumbar discs and lower back muscles by shifting the spine into a neutral position, while conforming to the natural curvature of the spine. As well, the backrest shifts the shoulder blades upward into their proper position, relieving pressure in the nerves and blood vessels in the upper body.

Just how much of a threat is it to take a load off while sitting on the job? According to Dr. Dan Yaron, a Toronto-based healthcare practitioner and expert on ergonomics, “There is a sitting epidemic today. The average adult sits about seven hours each day, and sitting is probably the most stressful posture for the body – especially the lower back.”

Why is sitting – required for a growing number of the workforce during our accelerating computer age – so bad for the back? According to Dr. Yaron, it promotes poor posture.

“Most people sit with an unsupported posture, which results in a loss of natural spinal curve,” explains Dr. Yaron. “This puts an excessive amount of pressure on the discs of the spine, and increases the amount of work that spinal muscles have to do.”

Think only adults are at risk of back pain? Think again. Our children are now back to school, and are spending even more time in front of computer screens. But whether we’re considering a child or an adult, and a work station or a chair in front of the television, posture is paramount to good back health.

In terms of the computer work station, bending over a computer keyboard demands proper posture, proper monitor position, and a properly positioned chair. According to the Association of Canadian Ergonomists, it is important that the computer monitor is at eye level and an arm’s length away. Wrists should be up and straight, feet supported with a footrest – and a height-adjustable chair positioned at a comfortable and ergonomically-correct level.

Thankfully, there are more healthy back-promoting products available than there are four-letter words we might use when putting out our back. Obus Forme Ltd. is a leading producer of consumer products engineered to enhance our lives with comfort and support for the body. In fact, just like Kleenex is now used as a generic term for facial tissue, Obus Forme has become part of our everyday language when discussing back support products. As well, the Obus Forme seat rest adds to proper sitting alignment, resulting in comfort and good spinal health.

Obus Forme says, Canadians are facing a back pain epidemic, adding that back pain is reported to be the No. 2 reason for seeing a doctor. In fact, Health Canada, and the National Institute of Health both recognize postural stress is the leading cause of back pain. Both recommend first and foremost for the prevention and treatment of occupational postural stress injury that an ergonomic adjustment be made to the work station – including seating.

Dr. Hamilton Hall, a leading orthopaedic surgeon, and Medical Director of the Canadian Spine Society, says for the many causes of back pain, there are “as many different treatments prescribed to manage back pain. The important thing is to properly identify each individual’s back pain and treat accordingly. Spinal support systems such as backrests can significantly reduce back pain because they correct improper sitting behaviours, improve postural positioning and increase comfort.”

There are common sense rules to ruling over your own back instead of letting its pain rule your world. Whether or not you are a back pain sufferer, it is important to lift properly, wear proper foot wear, sit properly, and stretch daily – and stretch properly. Medical professionals – including physicians, chiropractors and registered massage therapists – as well as health care experts including certified fitness instructors can supply you and with and demonstrate proper stretching for you individual body.

Dr. Yaron, who integrates the disciplines of chiropractic and acupuncture in his holistic approach to healthcare, is a proponent of combining a minimum of massage therapy with chiropractor care – both as a pain reliever, and as preventative medicine. Acupuncture, gaining in popularity in the Western world, helps relax tight muscles, ease pain and discomfort plus inflamation, improves energy flow through the body’s energy channel, and awakens the body to an area which requires healing. 

Most of all, Dr. Yaron says it’s important to get off your butt and move!

“Despite your sitting posture, there is always a requirement for movement,” says Dr. Yaron. “I can’t overemphasize how important it is for people to get up regularly, move around, get the circulation going, allow the muscles to relax.”

Even when I’m not golfing, I make a concerted effort to get off my behind more frequently during my work day. But when I’m sitting at my desk, I rely on an Obus Forme backrest – most recently, the Obus Ultra Forme backrest, with accompanying seatrest – to help get me through my work day.

Here are some interesting stats. The Obus Ultra Forme was put to the test during a three-month study with Los Angeles bus drivers. More than 90 per cent of the drivers experienced a significant decrease in pain while sitting; most reported higher levels of energy and mental alertness; and many reported significant improvements in neck pain, upper back and shoulder pain, button pain, leg pain, foot pain and headaches.

As a chronic back suffer, I highly recommend Obus Forme backrests and seatrests. I wouldn’t work without them. The addition of the Obus Ultra Forme backrest to the Obus Forme family has solidified the company’s reputation as a company with a passion for developing and manufacturing innovative consumer products engineered to enhance our daily lives.

For more information, visit www.obusforme.com.