Sales of a cushion designed for wheelchair users have shot up thanks to people suffering bad backs working at home.
The Airospring cushion was originally designed for Paralympic hand cyclist Karen Darke MBE, who used it when she won a gold medal at Rio in 2016.
The team at Derbyshire-based Airospring Medical said since the first lockdown sales had doubled from £30,000 to £60,000.
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Charles Wood, the eighth-generation owner of the technical textiles maker, said the cushions – which retail for £39.99 – were being snapped up by home-based workers across the 海角视频 to help people suffering from back problems. He said happy customers also included employers at the Ilkeston business.
Mr Wood said: “The pandemic has meant millions of people are now working from home and will probably continue to do so for at least part of the week, well into the future.
“Our cushions have proven invaluable for so many people working from home.
“Long Zoom and Teams calls can be uncomfortable, and our fabric technology is the best way to avoid ‘numb bum’.
“We are also receiving a lot of enquiries from HR heads who know they need to give strong consideration to looking after their staff when they are working from home.”
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The business is part of the Baltex Group, which dates back to 1831, and now uses its 3D technology to manufacture the special pressure-relieving cushions.
The Airospring cushion – which won an innovation prize for technical textiles at the 2010 Textile Institute World Conference – is made from layers of fabric, which spread the weight so that pressure is not localised in one area.
The design was the result a collaboration between the company and Professor Subhash Anand MBE of the University of Bolton.
It was initially developed for Karen Darke when her Paralympic hopes were in jeopardy after developing pressure sores.
A spokeswoman said: “The fabric is designed to be breathable, washable and comfortable and it has strong eco credentials too, being made using recycled plastic drinks bottles.”
Osteopath Sue Morrison, who practices in East Anglia, said she was seeing increasing musculoskeletal problems stemming from workers sitting for long periods of time on unsuitable kitchen or dining chairs.
She said: “We are dealing with a lot of spinal problems. During lockdown people’s everyday lives were restricted, so they couldn’t go to the gym or a Pilates class and instead they were spending long hours on their laptops.
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“A laptop is not set up as well for them as their office station would be and these cushions are extremely good as they offer support to stop the back sagging.”
Airospring Medical designs, makes and supplies technical textiles for markets including aerospace, military, medical and the automotive industry.
Baltex was founded by William Ball and his brothers Francis and Thomas at the height of the Industrial Revolution. It started life as a silk and lace manufacturer, before adapting to specialist fabrics after facing fierce competition from cheap imports.