After a couple hours of tying I noticed I was getting a pain in my upper back. That was last night. Tonight the same thing. I know it is a new set of muscle groups being used but I wondered if maybe my vice was too high or if there were any other tips. Anyone else experience this?
I am haunted by Waters
If tying for any length of time you need: Good lighting, a good comfortable seat that affords good posture, right level for the vise, and a good backdrop against which to tie so you can clearly focus on the fly. Eyedrops often help too.
Allan
After tying for a couple of years experiencing a similar pain in my upper back and neck, I did a bit of research on bench height. The recommendations I read referred to jewelers and they recommended a bench height about 3-4 inches higher than the “normal” height. I raised my bench to a height of 33 1/2 inches for the working surface and the pain went away and has not returned. It’s been just over four years since I made the change. I’m sure that you will get differning opinions, but this worked well for me.
Jim Smith
You can get “vise extensions” that will raise your vise and position it out over your lap - I find that more comfortable.
All the above is good advise but the thing that I found to help the most is to get a chair with arms on it and rest your elbows on the arms. It is real important to get the right table higth and making sure the seat you are in is the right higth off of the floor for you to. You are just going to have to play around to get it all set up right.“FOR YOU” Took me years to figure out how I like to set and tie. Ron
I second FrankB suggestion. I find if I get up out of my chair and stretch about every half hour, I can get through an few hour session with no stiffness or pain.
In addition to the good advise offered above please don"t forget abdominal exercises. I know it doesn’t seem to make sense but abdominal exercises are essential to preventing back pain. If you want to learn more visit the Mayo Clinic website.
midstream, this may help. Upper back says to me that maybe your holding your arms in the air. Your also probably leaning over the vise as well. Try raising your table and vise. A set of encylopedias are great for temporary table hgt adjustments, or maybe 1x4 blocks. Raise the whole table. Support your elbows on the tabletop to carry the wgt of your upper body. Try to adjust yourself so your shoulders are back most of the time. You may have to go to the extreme of raising the table so the vise is at eye level when your looking straight ahead, leaning back in the chair. Start experimenting now cause your at a point where you will probably stop tieing in a few months because of the pain.
any discomfort i experience while tying is a direct result of the cheap bar stool that i sit on.
I can usually tie 2 or at the most 3 flies before i have to get up and move around.
In comparison I took my gear to work one day and sat in my good drafting stool and tied a dozen flies over lunch without getting up.
Standing or sitting in one for a long period of time, without movement, is hard on the spinal column. A simple aid to relieve the stress on the spinal column, you should have one foot on a raised platform, switching feet periodically. A simple box to rest a foot, while standing or sitting will help strengthen the back. The back hurts because of the strain from supporting a load, without shifting the load for a long period.
That is why they have a foot rest at the bar in taverns, and sell special stools for people who have destk jobs. You can also use a double walled cardboard box that is a comfortable height to releive the stress.
Hi, Any tying position where you have to "carry the weight of your arms is going to hurt sooner or later. However I have never come across a fly tying instructor who starts by showing everyone how to set up their vice.
Resting your elbows on the chair arms helps a lot. If you adopt this approach there is an easy way to set your vice at the correct height for you. It is what I was taught for setting a vice when I was an apprentice. Sit in the chair that you are going to use for tying and place your fist under your chin. The height of your elbow is the height to set your vice head at. Try it now. Notice how your arms are relaxed at your sides.
You may find that you can not see the flies too well at this distance. The best solution to this is to get a special pair of spectacles made. Ask them for a 10" focus rather than the 8" normally used for reading glasses. I would wait until your optician has a two for one offer on then away you go.
Hope this helps,
Cheers,
Alan.