The Fundamentals: Why Every Anti-Fatigue Solution Needs Responsive Rebound


Working on hard surfaces is one of the leading aggressors for Musculoskeletal Disorders or MSDs in the workplace. Common MSDs include: sprains and strains, back pain, hernias, carpal tunnel, joint pain, and more.

The pain doesn’t just stop there, though. According to a productivity study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, lost productive time from common pain conditions, such as MSDs, among active workers cost companies an estimated $61.2 billion annually.

Further, since the majority of this loss is while workers are “on-the-job”, companies are losing an average of 23 days per year of productive time from each worker experiencing pain.

There’s no denying. Your workforce is in pain and it is hurting your bottomline.

Can you imagine how much more your company could accomplish if workplace MSDs were minimized?

That’s where anti-fatigue mats, runners and flooring come in.

But not just any ‘anti-fatigue’ mat will do. Research shows that a true anti-fatigue solution which is optimized to reduce worker fatigue and MSDs must be adequately responsive to worker movements.

This critical feature is commonly referred to as “rebound”.

If a mat has a delayed rebound, it will likely already be partially compressed as a weighted load is repeatedly placed on it, reducing its ability to provide fatigue relief and minimize MSDs.

Likewise, a responsive anti-fatigue mat should rapidly rebound to its original shape once weight is shifted. Even better, if the rebound is “in-phase” with the movement, less energy may be used as the mat “helps” with movement, much as a spring would assist.

A good way to test if an anti-fatigue solution is responsive with adequate rebound and cushioning capabilities is with the raw egg test.

Can your anti-fatigue mat do that? Thanks to the patented SmartCells Cushioning Technology, our anti-fatigue solutions can.

Like miniature springs, SmartCells® Anti-Fatigue floor mats and products store impact energy until pressure is reduced or eliminated. The unique SmartCells technology works “in-phase” with body movements to actively rebound, releasing their stored energy back into the body.

Interested in a SmartCells Solution? Click the button below to request a product sample.

SmartCells: Solutions to Life’s Painful Problems.