CASE STUDY
Name: C.J.
Age: 33 years
Occupation: Horse Trainer, specialising in quarter horses.
Symptoms
C.J. has experienced severe pain and spasm of the neck muscles, often accompanied by a burning sensation and 'grinding pain' in the neck region. These symptoms are worse when sitting at her computer.
C.J. has suffered a compression fracture of C6. This damage is a cumulative result of riding, training, showing and managing horses. Horses may weigh as much as 600 'unwilling' kilograms (1500 lbs.). Other work carried out by C.J. involves the handling of fodder weighing up to 40 kilograms (100 lbs.).
C.J. has been working with horses for the past 18 years. Now an independent professional horse trainer (five years) she also has a burden of office work, producing her accounts records by herself sitting at the computer for up to five hours at the end of a work day. C.J.'s horse training enterprise sees her at work at 6am and she may not finish till 8pm.
Her constant pain causes depression and adds stress to all aspects of C.J.'s life. Chiropractic treatment brought great relief of symptoms and allowed C.J. to continue to work as a horse trainer. However, she has continued to suffer pain and muscle spasm of the neck and shoulders when working at her computer on her conventional, office style seat.
Introduction to the Saddle Seat
C.J. was introduced to the Bambach Saddle Seat by the seat's designer (also a horsewoman); she was 'willing to try anything to get relief from the constant pain'.
C.J. was instructed on how the Saddle Seat changes one's seated position from one that produces postural stress to one that allows natural spinal alignment. She was shown how to adjust the seat for pelvic tilt and seat height. This involves assessing the height of the work surface, the angle and position of the keyboard and the monitor to determine the ideal height of the seat for best posture.
Result
C.J. reports that, when sitting on the Bambach Saddle Seat, her neck muscles do not go into spasm:
'This allows my neck vertebrae to stay in place, allows me to sit properly at the computer when I have to work for hours, without my neck muscles going into spasm and with no burning feeling or pain. The Bambach Saddle Seat allows me to sit properly at the computer when I have to work at my computer for hours, after riding all day.'
)
)
)
