Not sure where to post. (Sitting position)

[Rlbuckers15]

So I wasn't even sure how to title. I have been having really bad problems lately with neck pain from sitting at my tooling station, what do you'll use or has anything made a difference. I just have a basic old desk that I work on and an office chair. I was just curious to hear someone else's ways of tooling. For example s stool or some other different way. I recently moved and had to start using a new table, so not sure if the height of the table is different and that's what's causing it.  I know this is kind of random and a silly question to ask but any input would be great, thanks

[rickdroid]

I have something similar.  I go to the doctor about every 6 to 8 weeks and get a cortisone shot for mine.

rick

[Art]

I have found Aberlour A'Bundah or Wild Turkey Rare Breed will make the pain recede, or if necessary, you can get the point that you just don't care.  I recommend this treatment AFTER tooling, as production speeds can stretch tremdously. I wouldn't try to run many basket weaves either.  Lesser labels of the same brands work acceptably, but don't produce quite the same je ne sais quoi.

If there is a chair or work surface to ameliorate this problem, you just have to try different ones 'till you find the magic combination.  If I had to tool 8 hours a day, I would come to work loaded, which would practically insure that I wouldn't have to tool 8 hours a day.

Art 

[Tugadude]

On July 26, 2016 at 6:34 PM, Rlbuckers15 said:

So I wasn't even sure how to title. I have been having really bad problems lately with neck pain from sitting at my tooling station, what do you'll use or has anything made a difference. I just have a basic old desk that I work on and an office chair. I was just curious to hear someone else's ways of tooling. For example s stool or some other different way. I recently moved and had to start using a new table, so not sure if the height of the table is different and that's what's causing it.  I know this is kind of random and a silly question to ask but any input would be great, thanks

Not silly at all.  Ergonomics is a way to make your environment conducive to comfort and productivity.  Like people on phones all day wearing a headset instead of cradling the phone between their shoulder and ear.  

Experimentation with varying chair and table heights will help.  Also don't discount a strong work light.  When I can't see well enough I used to bend over more to get closer to the action.  Hurts after a while.  Adequate light helps.

About 30 years ago I had an inside sales job and headsets were rarely seen.  Used to be I couldn't turn my neck without pain, the muscles having shortened up.  Made driving unsafe.

Good luck

 

[LumpenDoodle2]

As has been said, try different height adjustments to your chair, or maybe change the height of the table (blocks under the legs, or get the saw out).    Getting the right, and most comfortable working height can be a bit of a faff.

After all, if you are not comfortable, your work turns into a chore.

 

 

 

[JMWendt]

My work area is a mostly standing work area.  I have one chair that I use for tooling, and for everything else, I stand.  

For tooling, I use a high end chair that I picked up from a manufacturing plant in an auction for ten bucks. They used these chairs for their assembly line workers to sit while assembling printers.  The chair is highly configurable-- height, pressure on lower back, height of foot rest, forward lean, etc.   I have found the lower back setting is secondary to the setting for the foot rest.  Get a good foot rest.  I also use a modified tempur-pedic pillow as a cushion.  Since setting up this system, I have suffered no neck pain or back pain after hours of tooling, as opposed to prior to the new system.

So I recommend you get a really nice chair and lots of padding for your bottom end.

Also, drink more water.  All my tendinitis issues (and creaky neck and knee issues) went away when I doubled my water intake.  Rule of thumb:  1 oz of water per 2 lbs body weight per day.  An acupuncturist told me this and I thought, yeah, sure.  But he was right. 

 

[midwestislander]

I built my workbench to be slightly higher than waist high. This way, operations that were done standing would be comfortable. I first started using a barstool (nicely padded) for sitting, but found a rolling stool with adjustable height (spin it up, spin it down).I have an overhead shop light and also 2 lamps ( I like LED with flexible necks) that I can maneuver for best light. Most often used one on each side to eliminate shadows. As stated by others, As stated by others, right height for your footrest is one of the most important features for me. Good lighting eliminates unnecessary bending and straining and eyestrain.

 

[Acydtrip]

In my opinion, a desk is too low. I have one of the wooden workbenches harbor freight sells, little shaky if you start going back and forth like burnishing an edge, but other than that, nice and has 4 drawers and a shelf. I like this because of the height, I paired it with an adjustable tractor seat style chair from Amazon and depending what I'm doing, I adjust it quite a bit. I've also raised my slab a few times. Why? I have many herniated discs, arthritis problems, shoulder problems, hand problems. I should really just lay in bed and watch TV, but I'm stubborn. I find ways to make things comfortable. Many times I will even raise my feet up to change posture, but mostly I shoot for alignment almost like watchmakers (google watchmaker's bench, you'll see what I mean). Now, a bit tough on the shoulders, but having the work that high for tooling eases my back and neck significantly. Layout, cutting, etc I raise the seat to put me above the work, but then I'm not focusing as close on the work. Bright lights and my readers make it worlds easier, and I'm probably not the only one who has added a magnavisor for some things (threading needles, really fine detail tooling/dye work, etc.). You wouldn't believe how much a touch of eye strain can aggravate your neck, even if you're not craning to focus or see.  Stitching is altogether different, I almost kick back a bit (get the seat with a backrest), put my feet up and use a pony, though I'm working on designs for a comfortable horse now.  Frequent breaks, get up, move around (I don't smoke in the studio). Unless you have some crazy deadline, when you're feeling the strain, break for the day or for a while at least.  I'm sure my wife would say the amount of glue/dye/resins I work with combined with the lack of ventilation probably helps a bit too...

Trip

[Boriqua]

I mix it up so I am not sitting all day. Out at the shed I do all my tooling and dying while standing. My tooling height surface is between my belly button and solar plexus while standing and I have over head lights and two clip lights from two different angles so I eliminate shadows as much as possible. Then I have a regular height desk that I use for drawing and Chisel and my stitching pony is a floor model that is about 33 inches high and when I use it I use a head lamp. When I used to do everything at a desk I would sometimes get nasty back and neck aches but since I started moving around using different positions during the day I haven't had a problem. I find tooling while standing much easier on my body period.

[plinkercases]

I work almost exclusively standing at my benches and large cutting table. My work benches are between the belly (button) and solar plexus as with others here. I stand on good garage/work matts or a wooden platform with slight flex to take the strain off the feet and legs. I also have a rotating bar stool with a low back on it that I will pull up and sit on for a break now and then and depending on what the task is.

The big cutting table is lower to allow reach over the area. I sit to stich on the horse and with the pony and in both these cases, on the advice of my chiro the jaws are at a height such that when awling and stitching my arms are raised parallel to the floor and level with my shoulders. That adjustment alone relieved a lot of trouble do to repetitive motions in a raised potion and allows for best transfer of power to the awl.

And in all cases lots of clip lights to move around and eliminate shadows combined with lots of general fill light with  mixture of warm and cool light quality bulbs.

Edited July 29, 2016 by plinkercases

[Red Cent]

Stand? Huh-uh. In my shop I work off two tables 4' x 8'. 2 X 4s underneath running the length of the table on metal sawhorses. Secretarial chair with pneumatic adjust. Concrete floor. For machine sewing, I put 4 rollers under a piece of 1/2" plywood and attached a folding chair. Gets me up high to see sewing on the Cobra 4. Visitors call it the throne.

I built a "table" with two levels on rollers. Around 2' x 4' x 3'h. Contains almost everything I use making belts and holsters. Bunch of holes and hangers and bins.

Only thing I really need to stand for is the belt sander and drill press.

"I go to the doctor about every 6 to 8 weeks and get a cortisone shot for mine." WOW!!!