PHOENIX -
You've probably seen them at the gym but balance balls aren't just for exercising anymore. They're showing up at schools and offices, replacing chairs.
This is happening more and more, but a dentist's office ditched traditional chairs for balance balls three years ago -- and they say their entire bodies feel better.
Welcome to Dr. Radcliffe's office. The tools and the whole procedure here seem pretty routine, until you see what the staff is sitting on.
"I think they're a great little addition to the office," says Dr. Michael Radcliffe.
Dr. Michael Radcliffe and four employees all sit on balance balls, complete with a set of wheels.
They used to use a chair with a hard plastic seat and a back. When they switched to the balance balls they immediately noticed improvements in back pain, posture and circulation.
"You can't really slouch because it's all about balance, you have to stay balanced, you have to stay centered in the chair," says Sharon Osborn. "It's made all the difference in the world."
"The problem with my other chair, the circulation always got cut off, when I sat down I don't know whether my blood would get cut off from my thighs or my feet would go numb," says Gina Voithofer, dental hygienist.
"I think it's very beneficial," says physical therapist Jeff Moyer.
Jeff Moyer is a licensed physical therapist with Foothills Sports Medicine in Phoenix. He encourages using balance balls at the office -- but you want to make sure the size and inflation are right for you.
"A general rule is you want to sit on the apex, and in the position you want your hip to be slightly higher than your knee."
And if you're wondering, nobody's ever had a spill while working on a patient.
"I think I would have had more trouble with that than anybody, but nobody's ever fallen, my assistant has never had any issue with that, no one from my office has ever had a problem with that," says Dr. Radcliffe.
Video: Watch FOX 10's Kari Lake and John Hook demonstrate the exercise balls while anchoring the newscast!
