The Sturfer brings a completely new working posture for back health to the modern workplace.
The Sturfer - an exciting combination of office chair and standing aid - does not correspond to any known furniture or seating device. And this is exactly the core: The innovative Sturfer is something completely new!
The Sturfer was developed by Dr. Christian Behrendt in cooperation with BUSSE Design+Engineering. The specialist in orthopedics and trauma surgery has spent many years researching and setting up an interdisciplinary team to combat a vexing issue: back pain and its consequential damage. The Sturfer combines orthopedic expertise with sophisticated mechanics and innovative technology. It thus brings together two worlds: that of health care and that of desk work.
The name already reflects the ambition that Dr. Christian Behrendt and his team pursue: It is the combination of the English terms "sit" for sitting, "stand" for standing and "surf" for working online: Sturfer.
Huge potential for employers
With the Sturfer, back health is making its way into the modern working world. With around 32 million office workplaces in Germany, the potential is huge and could strengthen Germany as a business location in innovative ways. "Back and neck pain are among the most common reasons for sick leave in the office sector. If you start here as an employer, you regain production capacity and performance," the orthopedist knows.
Human beings are not designed to sit in chairs. Nevertheless, we sit for several hours a day from the first day of school." That pulls itself further over vocational training, study and in the normal Office life. This incorrect posture over decades can not only lead to chronic back injuries, but also permanently restrict the entire musculoskeletal system and promote secondary damage. "The numbers speak for themselves," says the expert: "The prevention potential of musculoskeletal disorders to which these postural defects lead amounts to more than 18 billion euros in costs.
Crux hip flexor
The main cause of back pain revealed by poor posture is a shortening of the hip flexor. This strong muscle connects the thigh and spine. When sitting permanently, it is compressed, and when standing for long periods of time, it pulls the spine downward, creating a hollow back and squeezing the intervertebral discs. Stretching backward alone provides relief and stabilizes the pelvic area in the long term.
"All sitting and standing variations do not solve the shortening of the hip flexor muscle as a back pain generator," is how Dr. Christian Behrendt sums it up. For him, the developer, and his team, it is therefore "about time that we not only think about healthier working at the desk, but take action".
The way
From the idea to the product. The development process extended over 4 years, was extremely exciting and, based on the multitude of functional, ergonomic and also normative requirements, resulted in a mechanically multi-layered, complex and globally patented structure. Giving this complexity an elegant form as well as a sympathetic, inviting character, which makes the product easy to integrate into the most diverse room environments, was a special design challenge. In close cooperation with BUSSE DESIGN+ENGINEERING, a completely new product was created that makes working while sitting and standing healthier.
The solution is at hand
The Sturfer is both: a modern office chair on casters with all the sensible features expected of a first-class piece of work equipment. In just a few easy steps, the Sturfer becomes a health-oriented standing aid that guides the hip flexor into a slight stretch without compromising work performance. Thus, working time with a sturfer additionally becomes anti-back pain therapy.
As an orthopedic surgeon, he recommends patients do stretching exercises every day. Ten to 15 minutes is usually enough. "Unfortunately, our comfort very often gets in the way of that," he knows from his own experience. "That's why I've been looking for a way to integrate these exercises into everyday office life - not as a break or interruption, but actually into the workflow." He has found that way. The Sturfer combines innovative preventive health care with everyday office life and creates added value of a special kind.
