Has anyone here had a sore or aching back after tying for too long. I’ve got a pulled muscle in my back that I’m trying to heal. If you have had a sore back, what do you do to relieve the problem? I would really like to get some flies tied up for next Spring. :?::?::?::?:
My sympathy and commisserations . I have two cactus discs and two things that flare them up are fly casting and sitting at the tying bench… not much I can do about it that I have discovered, other than I tie a maximum of six then take a break. Wish I could sit for longer, but cannot. Naturally I experimented a lot with positions/heights and so on, all I can say is that I did find a pedestal vise was better as I could move it further forward on the desk.
because my back was badly twisted in a skiing mishap two weeks back, so i’m going to have to carry out my threat to buy an adjustable chair with arms. the biggest thing is to get your seat low enough or your vise high enough so you don’t hunch over the vise, and can keep your back in touch with the chair back for support
also, :idea: stand up every three or four flies and reach for the ceiling.
rotary vises are good too, because you can turn the vise to look at how you’re doing instead of hunching over.
be sure to let us know how you’re doing!
Yep…which means you need to look at your set up or force yourself to take breaks every 20 minutes or so. First look at what your sitting in and the placement of your vice. Is it too high, too low, to far away? How are you sitting? Are you ramrod straight or relaxed and leaning into the back of the chair? You need to get yourself comfortable before you start tying and set up something that is ergonomically compatible with the task.
Think about relaxing while your tying, if you feel yourself tensing up. Go for a walk about or stretch and relax after every so many flies. etc. Concentration makes me block the world out and I get tense. So if you need a timer to jolt you from the tying table…use one.
Spending money on a good chair is worth it if your going to be tying a lot.
Joe I used to have a wide elastic belt for motocrossing. Available at any motorcycle shop. It really helped my back when I sat for a long time at the puter. One of the benefits of it was that when I slouched in the chair it would pinch and remind me to straighten up. It helped me through an injury more by that pinch reminder than with its support of my back. The only way to heal a pulled muscle is by not re injuring it. When I was tieing for long periods of time I found that putting the vise at a height where I was looking straight at the fly instead of looking down on it really helped a whole lot also. I actually raised my whole bench by 4 inches to get that ideal height. Good luck with the healing buddy.
$120 - $150 at any office supply store will get you a good chair that supports the back and is adjustable for height. You won’t regret spending the money. The arms should angle up at an angle of 15 - 20 degrees to where the hands are working. Any higher and your sholders will heart, any lower you will be humped over and the lower back will hurt. To achieve this angle you might have to cut the legs off of your tying table.
I can tie for several hours at a time either at shows or at home with the above setup. I normally take a break every 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
fishbum
Joe,
I pulled a muscle in my back yesterday and this is my solution to fix it.
- Apply ice for 20 minutes.
- Get in the shower and let the hot water hit your pain spot.
- Lay on your back and pull your knee back toward your head. http://www.spinalinjuryfoundation.org/101_new/images/Williams1.gif
- Lateral Back Stretch: http://z.about.com/d/golf/1/0/3/F/lateral_back_stretch.jpg
Doug
I’ve had a bad back since 1989.
I have a tying station set up so that I can tie while standing. It does impact my small flies and accuracy but, I can keep on tying.
Check out the book
Treat Your Own Back by Robin A. McKenzie (Paperback - Jul 2006)
It was given to me by my Physical Therapist and has helped me through many rough times.
Also, I use cold packs for pain.
I use moist heat packs, hot tub, exercise, medication, and Ben-Gay for flexibility/range of motion.
Ed
I have osteoarthritis of the lumber spine, frigging painful every day…
I take pain killers but avoid them when I can… take the pain instead of being a zombie…
When I tie I listen to Records yes old vinyl that means I have to get up every 15 - 20 mins to flip the album…
A vibrating and heat pad for the chair help and I have a carpet so I can lay on the floor to stretch my back…Having a task chair let me get close to my vise and not have to hunch over or lean forward to far…
Frequent visits to the chiropractor is the true key does not get rid of the pain but brings it down somewhat and a heck of a lot more then I can by my self…
My doctor told me about 3 months ago that the only thing that would give me relief for my back pain was the proper exercises - so I went to physical therapy to find out what they were and my back is better. I’m not sure, but the other thing I have been doing is taking “heal n soothe” a product containing proteolytic enzymes.
The other thing I have always wondered about is those chairs where you sit in a position which puts your knees angled down with your heels back toward your butt - they have no back on them.
Ok, most of you know that two years ago I crunched two vertebrae in my lower back. Given enough time, they healed up in that (scrunched) position. I would have pain constantly with sever stabbing shots from sitting, tying flies, typing on the PC and eating a meal. Went to a ‘Physical Therapist’ for some ‘deep tissue’ massaging for about 6 months along with strength training. It releived 90 % of my trouble. What I am saying is, yes, it might help you too.
I’ve lived with a bad back for 40 years. If I do something that brings on a muscle spasm I do pretty much what Dshock posted, the ice will bring down the swelling around the offending nerve and the pressure in that area subsides along with the muscle spasm. Heat brings in fluids and feels good for the time being but ends up causing more pain in the long haul. Antinflamatory drugs will decrease the swelling too.
My back got screwed up on the second to last day of a bonefish trip to Belize. The hotel masseuse made me fall asleep but I could hardly get off the table and then had to fly home the next day.
Chiropractors have helped me but I havent been to one in 2 years.
The kneeling kind of chairs didn’t help my back but made my knees hurt.
I just wanted to add that the day I hurt my back, I was in a hurry and did not stretch that morning. I am in the habit of stretching every morning after I get out of the shower. It is also important to breathe when I stretch. When I lift something and squat down, I have to do it s-l-o-w-l-y. When I rotate my body left or right, my feet have to go with me, I can’t twist my back.
Doug
Hey! Extremely low budget, what a great handle.
Back in the late 70’s I was racing motorcycles in the Mojave Desert and was a member of the Low Budget motorcycle club. Since this thread involves pains from injuries I could tell you of many pains. So far though fly fishing is only hurting my ego. I guess I am too competitive in my heart to be so bad at FF. And by the way, there was nothing low budget about racing.
Gary
I’ve seen a vice extender that you can attach your vise stem too that allows you to position the vice directly over your lap and off of the table. This might help so that you don’t have to bend over or what not. Not sure who would sell it though or what it costs.
LotechFor most sore backs (not a back that has sustained injury from accident or trauma) I read somewhere that drinking more water works. I tried it and it really works! So know I know when my back gets stiff I haven?t been drinking enough water. It works for those dull head aches we get in the winter time too.Hope this helps.Sean
I remember a magazine article ten or twelve years ago about a professional flytyer from Europe, Torill Kolbu, or something like that, who had slings suspended from above for her arms to take the strain off her shoulders while tying. She tied really gorgeous woven flies. It sounded kind of funny then, but now as I tie I think about that when my shoulders ache.
Glenn
I have been having issues with my back since the early 80’s; for the last couple of years we have been at peace. Five days a week I follow the advice of a physical therapist I had need to visit. I spend about 30-45 minutes stretching and strenghting my “core” [back and tummy- behind the keg there are 6 pack abs].
Google Ergonomics and see what you can find for a desk, computer type set up, there should be lots on the internet. Send me an email address and I will email you the 5 pages of instructions the MD gave me.
Drinking lot of water is supposed to help also and frequent stretching.
A veteran is someone, who at some point in his life, made out a blank check made payable to “The United States of America” for an amount up to and including my life. That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it. - Unknown
Some very good advice! I have two herniated discs, stenosis as well as nerve problems in my neck and shoulders (result of a car accident) and the only thing i’ve found that helps, when tying, is to get up and walk around. I can only tie a couple flies at a time before my neck goes crazy, so I get up for a few minutes, move around and then go back to it. When my back is really sore, I use ice packs on it and that seems to help.
I also have a bad back - 16 years in the construction will do that…
I have found out that few things work for me well.
- Do not remain in one position for extended periods of time. If you are sitting in the chair make sure that your knees are kust slitghly highr=er than your hips(pou something under your feet).
- get in the habbit of constant streching. Siple: SSitting in your chair intelace your fingers, raise your hands (slowly) above your head palm facing upwards hold for few seconds, strech your legs straigh forward and then bring your hans down towarsds your feet (keep them digits interlaced) and bend your torso as far as you can towards your fwwet. Repeat every few minutes. Oh and make sure you have enough room in front of you. Doing this excesise too close to your desk might be… shall we say less than pleasant.