Originally Posted by
Anna from Oz
Hello everyone,
I’m looking for a advice, I am 67 and have taken up sewing quilts again but I am finding I have a huge problem with my upper back/shoulder blades area. After sitting at the sewing machine for periods of time, my upper back is painful and I feel like I have a stretched muscle, and it is impossible to sit and sew as it is so painful. I don’t have vertebrae problems, nor any back problems, the stretched feeling seems to come from beneath the right shoulder blade, and spreads out across in this area, it is so uncomfortable I cannot carry on sewing. I also find it impossible to sit up straight and lean back into the back support of my chair. when I sew, I have to “hunch” at the sewing machine.
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I sew for short periods, after half an hour I get up and walk around.
I have door stops wedged under the back of the sewing machine to tilt it forward, but I still need to hunch forward to sew.
What type of chair do you have? Is there a special design with a chair?
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I also purchased the Mesh Lumbar Back Support to attach to the back of my chair. It is great for the car or sitting at the computer but of no use when at the sewing machine, because I have to still hunch forward so get no benefit from having a lumbar support on the back of the chair when at the sewing machine. .<O></O>
http://www.punchwithjudy.com.au/shop/search.php?mode=search&page=1
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Advice would be appreciated? Has your physio given you any exercises tips for when sitting at the sewing machine? I can only put this down to ageing as I have no other back problems at all apart from this which interferes with my sewing time!
Regards,
Anna Australia
I experienced this same problem when I was in my 30's. The problem arose from the machine bed being 2 inches higher than the table top which was standard height of 30 inches. I can reproduce that same problem in about 5 minutes just by taking my machine head out of the sewing table which then puts me at an incorrect posture, ie shoulders hunched up around neck. I use an adjustable chair like you would use in an office vs the sewing stool that came with the table. I offer this advice to anyone who has back and neck aches when working at the sewing machine, MAKE SURE that the work surface is the correct height ergonomically. Iam a retired interior designer, and I can even get this same pain at the same spot sitting at a restaurant table that is not the correct height for the chair. The relationship is one of 12 inches from seat of chair to top of work surface (machine bed). Hope this helps. p.s. Iam 72 now and even though I have had back surgery(from a ruptured disc) I DO NOT have problems
