Lower back pain after soldering

[john12ax7]

Spent a prolonged period bent over at the bench yesterday,  no issues until I stood up,  then it hurt just to walk,  and only somewhat better today.

Has this happened to anyone else? I'm guessing I stayed in one position too long which strained the muscles.

 

[pucho812]

Yes I have had that happen before. Being hunched over for long periods does not do a body good.
I have found what worked for me to keep that at a minimum to not at all is as follow.
1. Stretch and walk around every so often
2.change style of seats and position of sitting.
3. in extreme cases wear a back brace and or use a heating pad.

 

[Matador]

A few good beers takes care of that.  My current favorite:

 

[john12ax7]

Ha, I tried the beer remedy last night.  That looks tasty,  where do they sell it? The Elysian espresso milk stout is great too if you like that style.

For the work part I think the frequent break,  stretch,  walking is good advice.  Should set an alarm reminder for next time,  and probably raise the bench up too.  Will also give the heat pack a try.

 

[pucho812]

A few good beers takes care of that.  My current favorite:

wow... looks delish

 

[Matador]

I just get it at the local BevMo.  You have to be careful, because it's above 11-13% ABV, so after a few you can be on your arse.

 

[JohnRoberts]

could be circulation (blood flow).

Dont do anything without periodic breaks.

JR

 

[iampoor1]

Yes I have had this happen (I'm in my mid 20s, no other back problems, so it can happen to anyone!)

Honestly, the best thing I have ever done, minus hourly stretch breaks, is to buy a REALLY ergonomic chair. Helped tremendously! Tho having a 300$ office chair does look funny in front of a bench.

 

[boji]

Has this happened to anyone else?

I feel your pain dude. :'( :'(    Into my third 1/2 pound solder roll for current project.

 

[rob_gould]

I've suffered a lot with back ache and back pain.  If I were in your situation, lots of walking and gentle stretches would be the order of the day, but without more info I'm wary of making specific suggestions, because what works great for one person might make it worse for another.

In terms of preventative measures, walking and general daily movement goes a long way to minimising back ache, as obvious as this sounds.

When sitting at a desk, it's worth getting up for about ten minutes every hour, if possible, and doing normal daily tasks.  What my manual therapist told me is that it's actually worse to jump out of your chair, do vigorous movements for for 30 - 60 seconds and then sit straight back down again. This actually causes the body stress rather that helping it relax.  Gentle movements for longer is better.

But yeah, getting up periodically to do a job like load the dishwasher, feed the cat, walk to the post box or just do some gentle stretching should really help prevent another episode.

 

[JohnRoberts]

A few good beers takes care of that.  My current favorite:

I like that label, I brew my own stout (more like a porter these days).  Regarding barrel aged... you don't generally get any benefit from old beer***, sounds like a marketing exploit (and opportunity for contamination).  My beer is aged for "weeks" in glass bottles (no auctions for expensive old bottles of beer).  Just like we don't see cat shows where their owners get cats to jump through hoops and do tricks in a ring.

JR

*** Very high alcohol beers , aka barley wine, does benefit from longer aging than normal alcohol beers. In fact higher alcohol protects against spoilage, like IPA brewed high alcohol and high hop levels to better preserve them over a long ocean voyage.

 

[dmp]

Getting older seems to cause these things for me. I was having back issues and started going to a yoga class a few years ago. I don't go anymore but doing it for a year made a huge improvement. Issues haven't returned. Your back just becomes a weak atrophied mess without any conditioning.  Are bodies aren't meant to sit around all the time.
I also can't tolerate the high ABV beers anymore either.

Honestly, the best thing I have ever done, minus hourly stretch breaks, is to buy a REALLY ergonomic chair.

One of my most rewarding 'repairs' was a Herman Miller chair that was being tossed. There was a cracked part that I first repaired with a radiator clamp, eventually bought a replacement on ebay. A good chair makes a big difference if you're sitting for long periods. 

 

[weiss]

I think that's a common issue.
Do you guys do anything about the solder iron smoke and gases?

I don't think anyone would wear a mask right?

 

[pucho812]

I think that's a common issue.
Do you guys do anything about the solder iron smoke and gases?

I don't think anyone would wear a mask right?

yes...  in the past I worked at places that had solder fume extractors.  At my home bench I have a  portable computer fan set up that blows the smoke away.  Not as as good as the fume extractors but good enough.

 

[weiss]

yes...  in the past I worked at places that had solder fume extractors.  At my home bench I have a  portable computer fan set up that blows the smoke away.  Not as as good as the fume extractors but good enough.

ah that's smart!  ;D

 

[Matador]

IIRC, someone showed that solder fumes contain no tin or lead because the evaporation temperatures of those heavy metals is far above the point used for soldering.

Is this correct?  The fume extraction is to keep from inhaling the resin products, not lead?

 

[mjrippe]

IIRC, someone showed that solder fumes contain no tin or lead because the evaporation temperatures of those heavy metals is far above the point used for soldering.

Is this correct?  The fume extraction is to keep from inhaling the resin products, not lead?

Correct.  Rosin can be an irritant.

 

[scott2000]

*** Very high alcohol beers , aka barley wine, does benefit from longer aging than normal alcohol beers. In fact higher alcohol protects against spoilage, like IPA brewed high alcohol and high hop levels to better preserve them over a long ocean voyage.

I remember my friend being asked .......how does he always look the same in pictures spanning over the last 20 years.....He said he's preserved in alcohol.......lol

 

[JohnRoberts]

I remember my friend being asked .......how does he always look the same in pictures spanning over the last 20 years.....He said he's preserved in alcohol.......lol

which brings us full circle... you can soak a sore back in alcohol, from the inside...  ;D

JR

 

[madswitcher]

Hi JohnAx

A proper adjustable chair in your work area is probably the most important thing you can do to minimise lower back problems if you are working for long periods at a work bench, but it has to be adjusted to suit your working conditions: you should be able to rest your forearms comfortably on the bench when working and be able to see the work piece without straining your eyes, so good lighting is also important.  If this is for your daily work, you should ask your employer to do a workplace assessment for you.  Over here in the UK  it is a legal requirement.

There are also workplace guides to be found on the Internet that may help.  It is also a good thing to take a break of about 5 to 10 minutes every hour to just get up and walk around, grab a coffee etc.

There are also other techniques that some people find helpful such as standing at a work bench instead of sitting - worth a try.

Cheers

Mike