The Rize Story
The idea and concept of a Rize chair came from the partnership between Abbi Kanthasamy, Rize's founder and a slipped disc sufferer (sudden and severe lower back pain), together with Dr Nick Boden, his chiropractor who has been treating spine and joint-related conditions for the last 20 years.
Abbi and Dr Nick wanted to create a solution that is centred around a lifestyle (specifically for those with spine and joint-related conditions) which allows people to comfortably sit down at home, while being able to transition to a standing position safely. This is where the idea for our sit-to-stand (STS) technology began.
The Evidence
Sitting is now considered to be the new 'smoking' following its links to a range of healthcare conditions, including obesity, joint pain, slipped discs, falls, and even, increased incidences of prostate cancer. It is now directly linked to more than 50,000 deaths a year.
In a study conducted in the United Kingdom, office workers now spend up to 75% of their waking hours sitting.Hence, when you get home from work or finish a day of video calls, your spine needs to be in a chair that allows you to offload pressure from the spine and joints.
Why is this technology essential?
'Sitting to standing' assistive technology has been well-researched and is recommended in numerous medical publications. Rize chairs leverage the basic, yet important biomechanical principles involved in the transition from sitting to standing.
On average, a regular individual moves from a sitting to a standing position 60 times a day.
• For the elderly and individuals with disabilities, a major factor governing independence is their ability to stand from a chair without any support.
• Factors such as pain, stiffness, reduced range of motion in joints, and muscle weakness frequently limits an individual's ability to stand.
• In patients whose hands and shoulders are afflicted with arthritis, their ability to move within the sit-to-stand position is even further reduced.
• For the elderly and individuals with disabilities, achieving a sit-to-stand position comes with a considerable risk for falling and sustaining serious injuries.
Each of our chairs also offers a tilt angle of 160 degrees, compared to other brands that only allow 140-degrees of tilting. This higher angle is vital in assisting users to shift their weight and relieve pressure on their bones, as well as providing optimal lumbar support when moving between sitting and standing.
Our product design team has carried out significant testing to understand how users best respond to something as simple as buttons, illustrative diagrams, and directional icons.
Thanks to this research, we have designed the Rize Chair Controller to be easy to use and intuitive.
This intuitive design means that in a short period of time, you will be able to use the controller without having to view the remote.
A biomechanical definition
From a biomechanical point of view, sitting to standing may be defined as: "a transitional movement from sitting to an upright standing posture, thus requiring horizontal and vertical displacement of the whole body's centre of mass (COM) from a stable to a less stable position over extended lower extremities."
The biomechanical phases of sitting to standing
There are four phases in the process of transitioning from sitting to standing.
Important factors that impacts the subject's ability to transition to a standing position successfully
Age
Younger adults 41 years old) performed STS significantly faster than older adults (73 years old).
Weight & Height
Obesity (BMI>30) reduces one's ability to stand.
Muscular strength
Older individuals tend to have reduced hip and lower limb strength.
Balance/Dizziness
Affected by blood pressure, blood sugar and etc.
Sensitivity
Reduced sensation in the lower limbs (diabetes related to 'peripheral neuralgia').
Psychological
Motivation, mood, anxiety, depression and etc.
