Hey people

Quick question for all the veterans who have been able to last all these years in their seats without completely destroying their backs.

Have you got any tips for surviving the long hours of mixing and programming? If so how?

So far I:

- Jog
- Do a bit of yoga (hey it helps)


Reason I ask is because sometimes I can't get to sleep due to my back feeling stiff from mixing.
I've got a pretty standard office chair that can't recline and the fancy looking ones seem to go for a high price, would that be a good option?

Thanks in advance

 

Uncle is a chiropractor. Always told me I had bad posture as a kid. Played in bands, toured the states for nearly 10 years. Worked in several studios. My back started to hurt in my late 20s.... Best thing I ever did for myself was get x-rays, scheduled an adjustment with my local chiropractor (I go now 1-2 times every few years). But the biggest thing that helped especially with the long hours in front of the computer screen was my Herman Miller Aeron chair. Do yourself a favor and get one. It's worth the investment. And cheaper than sugery due to a chronic problem you might develope from bad lumbar support in a impropr chair..... My 2 cents

 

Yes, the chair can be a problem. It has to be either very comfortable [expensive] or very uncomfortable [cheap] to be good. It's probably unnecessary to say that I went with the 2nd option - a "piano chair". It forces you to keep your back straight. It works. A chair also shouldn't be hard on your butt. It needs to be soft and comfy for your tush so the blood can flow freely through your legs.

 

The only advice I can give is: sit up straight. It doesn't really matter where you sit or how expensive your chair is. Simply sit up straight, make sure your head is not hanging down... oh, and take short breaks.

 

Agree with Sinewave.
DITCH the office chair you see in every studio,it will only loosen your back and stomach muscles.
Get a drummer chair.
Im using my drummer chair,keeps your posture straight and you can sit for a longer time,doesnt make you tired and lazy like the office chair.

 

im using a chair all the way from the 70's from mi parents. I will never give up this chair as long as im alive, it has a hard back-rest and the perfect cushion. Fuking old ass chair and medium sized and still kicks those pro office chairs...which I actually hate cuz they hurt my back more than they claim to protect.

 

Nice! Just found a stool without a backrest, i'll use that (and work on posture) until I can find a drummer or piano stool.

I hear you @( . ) ( . ) The chair i'm using was made in the 80s and carries a lot of memories, sadly it's going to ruin my back.

Have a great weekend! And thanks again

 

never cross legs while sitting....never¡

 

Myself I do 2x times per day some yoga exercise per day and since then I never had again back pain.

 

Care to share what type of stretches you do?

 

The main reason for back pain and intervertebral discs is weak muscles. I don't know if yoga is the solution if there is already a problem.
A good idea is to walk (not to jog) in a park or forest a mile or two a day. After some months you will have two strings of strong muscles beside the spines and you'll most likely have not any problems related to your back.
Although I lost a limb in an motobike accident, I have not had any back pains ever since, while most others with that injury do.
Best solution is getting a dog, so it's a must
If you already hve problems while sitting on a chair, a wedge-shaped pillow is a gerat help for sitting striaght. This is especially helpful with pain in the area of the neck.

 

Last edited: Feb 20, 2016

Important, If you have severe pain do not listen to anything here - have a doctor help you.

A couple of initiated suggestions:

- Take a one minute break every 20 minutes just to get up and move around a bit. The muscles need to get oxygen and after 20 minutes in the same position they are actually are being damaged. Just getting up from the chair now and then is an extremely easy and good way to avoid/counter pain. It cannot be overestimated how important this really is. Just do it.

I very much agree with twoheart that the problem with back pain most often is due to weak muscles (lower back).

- Taking daily walks is essential.

- Find some exercises you can enjoy for strenghtening your lower back. A simple trick is to buy a large ball (pilates) and simply sit on it a couple of minutes every morning and alternate lifting your feet an inch of the floor. Often this exercise with daily walks is enough to get really good results.

- Be aware of your balance when sitting, standing and walking, make sure you do not have more weight towards your left or right. If you do, counter this and a bunch of back problems will often be taken care of.

In my experience, strengthening your lower back is much more important than stretching. When the lower back is getting stronger the rest of the muscles in your back can relax. Often quite a few back and neck problems will be automatically resolved as a result of a stronger lower back.

I did nothing of the above and hurt myself badly from sitting in front of the computer long hours for 5 years. Following my own advice above I went from terrible pain and being able to just play the piano a couple of minutes at a time to being able to play the piano several hours a day without any problems.

 

Last edited: Feb 20, 2016

There are 3 things to consider imho
1)
Deskhight, chairhight, and proper sitting (and enough moving) hygiene

2)
A good chair will certanly help a lot, but isn´t the solution in itself
in europe there are only a few chair makers left and they supply the rest of the labels with their designs
like interstuhl. I mention them because in every "pro" mmodel there are numbers like 3,5, or 8
and they determin the lenght of time "can sit on them" and the associated time of warranty for the product (+)
so for a good chair you pay between 100-300 € in this is an investment for 3-5 years or more.
i don´t think this is an unreasonable number
(+) they have this Asyncronus or Syncronus movement where the chair moves Syncronus to your movement
personly i like it Asyncronus

3)
Core Muscles
You have to train or better maintain a healthy core muscles group
it is NOT just the back, it is also the sides and stomach muscles who keep everything "level"
so
if you "crunch" on the table the back is always extended
if you always have to look up the neck and shoulders get strained

the 20min roule is also good for you ears
i always go and get me a good cup of coffe in another room

lastly, i for one belive in science
and would never again go to a chiropractitioner (a few weeks ago another kid died because of "neck issues")

 

It's common for programmers, producers or whatever jobs based on sitting
After years pain disappears...

 

Go squatting on your chair.

Call me weirdo, but since i was a kid i tend to sit in the squat position (on chair), at least in my place.. and honestly this position always stretches my lower-back in a very beneficial way and relaxing my core too, also it makes my head feel less heavier too. When i stand up for a while or sit on the chair.. it doesn't feels right, but when i switch to the squat position i suddenly feel way better and also feel like a relief for my lowerback muscles. It seems i wasn't doing it wrong afterall:









More Info: LINK 1
LINK 2
LINK 3

 

Last edited: Feb 20, 2016

I wonder what people would have asked if this wasn't audio forum

 

Doctor says get up from the chair every 15 minutes and do a little stretching

 

@Evorax that's some interesting stuff! Hey if it has some sort of benefit, it shouldn't be considered weird.

 

HEALTH it's not a strange topic in a music-making realm. Humans needs it in about everything they do, regardless the passion.

 

Good habits: sitting upright, feet on the floor; exercise countering the sedentary state; stretching out (esp. in the morning). Also: drinking at least a galllon of water each day; viewing a monitor without huncing forward; eating nutritious food; getting sufficient sleep. This is from personal experience. Walking five miles a day takes about an hour-and-a-half; two miles takes about 40 minutes. That's "basic maintenance" for the legs, back and shoulders. As I said, "good habits" – incorporated into the way one lives, such that one doesn't have to be "conscientious" about them. The body has to be constantly eminded of how it was made to work.