Find guidance for a life with better back health:
With the expertise of professional associations and
ergonomic knowledge from 25 years of association work.
What characteristics does a product have
As this is not immediately apparent in most products and as industry and the retail sector also talk lots of rubbish in his respect, the Aktion Gesunder Rücken (AGR) e.V. has developed a decision-making aid for consumers: the AGR seal of approval.
It is awarded only to products whose back-friendly design has been verified by an independent testing committee made up of experts from various medical disciplines. The special and at present probably unique feature of the seal is the medical, multidisciplinary approach to deciding which products receive the AGR seal of approval, without being influenced by industry which is frequently led by its own pure sales interests.
This approach also convinced the magazine ÖKO-TEST, which awarded it a "very good" rating, as well as the portal "Label-online" of the federal association "Die Verbraucherinitiative e. V.", which rated the seal of quality as "particularly recommendable".
Commodities with a back-friendly design are essential and important aids in both preventing backache and in treating diseases of the locomotor system. But it is not always easy to decide which product is the right one. The seal of approval developed by the AGR together with Germany's two largest back school associations therefore provides valuable assistance for consumers when purchasing ergonomic everyday commodities such as office furniture, car seats, beds, bikes, upholstered furniture, shoes, satchels, furniture for children and youngsters, home workstations etc.
The strict testing criteria and the composition of the committee with designated medical experts means that the AGR seal of approval is well accepted in the medical world. This has been verified also by the results of a major survey on backache conducted among around 1,000 orthopaedic specialists in Germany. 90% of those interviewed said that patient willingness to use back-friendly everyday commodities constitutes a crucial success factor, also with regard to therapy. 71% even said that they preferred to recommend their patients aids that bear the AGR seal of approval. For consumers too, the seal has become established as a clear decision-making aid, signalising: "this is a back-friendly product!"
You will find a comprehensive list of all product segments and complete, helpful information about what to watch for in our back products ABC.
If a manufacturer wants to use the quality seal for a product, he must prove the back-friendly benefit in a test.
This test is not carried out by Aktion Gesunder Rücken, but by two medical associations (Forum Gesunder Rücken besser leben e.V. and Bundesverband deutscher Rückenschulen e. V.), which form an independent committee of doctors and therapists.
Only if this committee recognizes that a product can really help to avoid back pain, the seal of approval may be used. The manufacturer must present the mode of action of the product and submit evidence (e.g. in the form of studies).
In order to be able to use the quality seal, a user contract between the manufacturer and Aktion Gesunder Rücken is necessary.
The most important points are:
that AGR supporting members play large part in our independent work?
that AGR supporting members make a significant contribution which allows people with back pain to get help from the AGR?
that the AGR, thanks to the supporting members, advises thousands of people each year on life with improved back health? or
that AGR supporting members can also enjoy personal benefits?
Being an AGR supporting member is more than just a membership in an association. AGR supporting members are part of a community, sharing an interest in their fellow human beings. Helping people with back pain is important to them.
They support the expansion of our extensive activities – including the further development of the “Alliance Against Backache”. This results in competent, quality advice that ultimately serves their work and offers considerable added value for their patients.
People don’t just have to accept back pain. We want to make a contribution by showing how to do things differently. What people can do for a life with better back health. In keeping with the motto: Together against back pain.
Being a supporting member has special benefits. By utilising just one or two of the AGR benefits, your personal financial gain quickly exceeds your financial outlay. That is intentional and guaranteed!
In cooperation with our supporting members and VS, we were able to tackle a project of special importance to us this year. In the course of our “Campaign for Healthier Backs in Children”, we were able to make a greatly appreciated donation to the “Moorkinners”, a day-care centre in Bremervörde focusing on movement. After all, back problems are not a question of age so that back-friendly furnishings are important even for the youngest.
The day-care centre strives to impart an understanding of the importance of movement in a playful manner. Motor development is promoted and thereby supports integrated learning. We wholeheartedly agree with that since plenty of movement is elementary for the development of the body, soul and psyche and therefore also the back. The AGR supports this thinking.
After we presented the 12 Hokki to Elisabeth Knörr, the facility’s manager, Alice and Luca immediately claimed them.
They promptly took the mobile active chairs to the group rooms, beaming with joy. This immediately confirmed that we had definitely made the right choice.
The Hokkis are special seating furniture to encourage even more movement in the daily routine at the day-care centre. They are ideal for small suites where children can play games together at a table. Thanks to its special shape, a Hokki can move in all directions and is sure to offer numerous other potential uses in the future.
Alice and Luca’s exploratory urge (“Hey, you can rock with this!”) was clearly apparent during our visit. By the way, the Hokki is also ideal for a child’s room and naturally bears the AGR seal of approval.
“We, the Moorkinners team, are very happy about the donation of the Hokki stools for our day-care centre. It’s an enrichment to know that we can provide our children with secure support in their natural urge to move with these stools, thereby actively promoting their body and spirit,” Elisabeth Knörr says.
Thank you to VS, a leading manufacturer of furnishings for educational institutions, office furniture and equipment, and especially to our supporting members who made this donation possible in the first place. Even if you were not able to be there in person, looking into the bright eyes of the children and seeing their joy as they experimented was well worth it and we wanted to share that with you.
Thank you, supporting members, for your commitment!
The AGR Team
Alice and Luca with Katrin Schlichting and “Moorkinners” manager Elisabeth Knörr are pleased with the Hokkis,
presented by Malte Kammann and Jens Löhn of the AGR Team
When it's a case of doing something beneficial for spinal health, preventing pain or dealing effectively with existing problems, experts tend to focus in particular on two structures: the autochthonous muscles and the proprioceptors. But what do these words mean and why are they so important?
The autochthonous muscles are small, deep muscles running along the spinal column. They keep us upright and stabilise the trunk. Proprioceptors are special depth sensors in muscles, tendons and joints. They keep the brain constantly informed about the position, tension and movement of the individual body parts. They are so important for spinal health because they permit find adjustments of the autochthonous muscles and are responsible for fundamental stability.
Special items of equipment make training particularly effective for these important structures.
The following pages tell you more and show how to make your training particularly back-friendly.
It has been known for a while now that when fasciae stick together, this can cause constrained posture, tension and backache. Fasciae are a kind of connective tissue that form a network covering the muscles, bones and organs. They react to stress, one-sided loads, inadequate exercise and constrained posture.
When fasciae stick together, people suffering from backache have to work against a resistance with every single movement. Eventually the whole body is thrown out of kilter.
As well as dealing with the actual cause, massages can help, or there are also means for people to help themselves. Corresponding information and the necessary equipment can be found on the following pages: