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Craig S. Liebenson, D.C.

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This Ball Is on a Roll
 For rehab and fitness, giant vinyl spheres hit the spot

Carla Meyer got on the ball a year ago when she hurt her back stooping to pack a suitcase. ''A chiropractor suggested I do exercises on this ball to fix the problem instead of repeatedly coming into his office for adjustments,'' says the 43-year-old Los Angeles mother of two. After a few days using a large, vinyl ball to stretch and strengthen her back muscles, she resumed playing tennis and running. ''It only took 15 minutes a day, but what a difference it made,'' Meyer says.

Low-tech and inexpensive, giant exercise balls are the latest in rehabilitation and fitness equipment. Variously known as physioballs, Swiss balls, and posture balls, these 11-to 70-inch diameter plastic orbs were first used in Switzerland in the 1960s to improve the motor skills of disabled pediatric patients. They worked so well on kids that therapists started using them to treat adults with orthopedic or neurological problems.

The lightweight, pliable, and often brightly colored balls rolled into a few physical therapy clinics in the U.S. in the late 1980s but are only now coming into widespread use--and not just to treat disorders or injuries. ''The ball has incredible fitness and conditioning applications,'' says Dr. Nicholas DiNubile, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine in Havertown, Pa.

NO SLOUCH. Unlike doing floor exercises or reps on Nautilus equipment, working out on a ball requires balance, which means ''you've got to recruit deeper muscles involved in the stabilization of your joints,'' says Craig Liebenson, a Los Angeles chiropractor. These muscles are rarely challenged, even by pro athletes, and are the common culprit in most knee, ankle, neck, and back injuries. They are also why fit people can get hurt doing something as mundane as sneezing.

Typical exercises include push-ups with legs suspended on the ball, crunches with the back teetering on the ball, and leg lifts with the ball squeezed between the ankles. But just sitting on the ball is beneficial--which is why some people use them as office chairs. Since every breath you take slightly alters your center of gravity, ''you have to continually work the deep muscles in the pelvis and spine to maintain balance,'' says physical therapist Joanne Posner-Mayer, who in 1990 founded Ball Dynamics International in Longmont, Colo., the leading distributor of exercise balls. Sitting on a ball also demands good posture, she says, because ''if you slouch, you fall off.''

Beyond treating injury and promoting overall fitness, balls can enhance athletic performance. They're standard equipment in the training rooms of the Denver Broncos, New York Yankees, Detroit Red Wings, and other teams. Golfers Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus have used exercise balls to improve their games. Because the balls develop coordination as well as strengthen core muscles in the torso, DiNubile says, athletes ''greatly enhance their fundamental power'' to kick, throw, swing, and jump.

Exercise balls cost $10 to $180, depending on size. Some come with a hand pump, which is convenient if you want to pack your ball to take on a trip. Balls are available through back-care shops and specialty suppliers, such as Ball Dynamics (800 752-2255, www.balldynamics.com).

The same sources also offer videos and books to demonstrate exercises, but it's helpful to have an athletic trainer or physical therapist make sure you are using the ball correctly. Health insurance may cover such sessions if you have a sports injury or back problem for which a doctor can write a prescription for therapy. Using a ball, you'll bounce back in no time at all.

By KATE MURPHY

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Distinguished Service Award