Lower Neck/Upper Back Pain - Machine too low?
 

I took a week long break from my quilting projects while planning out Christmas presents - and noticed when I went back to it today, that I was getting some pain at the base of my neck, kind of in between my shoulders (on my back). My Mom has been quilting much longer than me and says it's probably from leaning over so much - but I'm not sure how to remedy this.


Have any of y'all dealt with this kind of pain? Did you remedy it by raising and/or lowering your machine height? Different chair? Shorter period of stitching?


I really do enjoy quilting, but I can't be causing long term back/neck issues like this (I'm already in physical therapy for other joint issues and I'm only 29! :D)

Are you able to adjust the height of your machine so that your elbows bend at 90%? This is the optimum position when you are at an office desk. You also need to be able to sit up and still see what you are doing, so not sure what compromises are needed to achieve this

Also, I believe that your machine should be quite near to the front of the table.

A break once in a while helps. In fact I went to one workshop where the tutor suggested standing with your back up against the wall every so often.

I hope that things improve for you.

First....Talk to your doctor. Yes, evaluate the height of tables etc. sounds like your challenges are posture related. Listen to your body and make adjustments that work. I go to my chiropractor every few weeks for a posture adjustment and the “neck crank”....my loving term, btw. I have arthritis in my neck and my adjustments are miracle procedures.

I forgot my posture lessons when sitting at the machine. When I remembered how I was suppose to sit I don't have any more pain. I was jutting my neck out not bending it down. Sit straight and look forward. Then drop your chin to look down. Adjust your table and chair height to this. That is how you are suppose to sew or do any task at a table. Never round your back, sit straight. Looking down not hunched or jutted will save you endless aches and pains. Remember when young when told don't slouch. Do teachers and parents even say that anymore? We weren't allowed to slouch at our desks. Is posture still taught in grade school? Lots of back pain in younger people these days.

Try not to bend forward to see the fabric under the needle. make sure you have lots of light. this helps a great deal on the needle area. Good luck.

Absolutely have dealt with this and have also remedied it.

1. Elbows should rest comfortably at the table height so that your forearms are at 90 degrees. You should not be reaching up and forward or hunching down to control your work.
2. Lighting, lighting, lighting. I found a great lamp with a swivel neck, multiple brightness levels, and a charging port for my phone.
3. Keep your back straight from the hips to shoulders. Only tilt your chin. c
4. Set a timer to get up and stretch. My favorites for the shoulder blade pain : wall push-ups, shoulder blade squeezes (imagine squeezing a tennis ball between your shoulder blades--hold for 5 sec, repeat 10x). For the neck, sit staight up in a kitchen chair, arms hanging down by seat. Pull your chin back as far as possible (like a turkey) but don't tilt it down. You'll probably hear a little cracking. That feels good! Repeat the turkey neck exercise 10x.
5. My PT says the shoulders are driven by the hips. One exercise is to place your hands above head height on the wall, with feet about 18" from wall, shoulder width apart. Swing your hips side to side as far as you can. 20x.

I've had neck/back problems for some years now. Mine are controlled by reg chiro visits and learning my limitations. My chiro recommends not sitting in one place to do anything for more than 1/2 at a time. I do that at home and at work and it does seem to help. I get up and move around for a few minutes every 1/2 hour. If I'm doing something intense and can feel the tension mounting I try to work it out and relax more. It's kept me 98% pain free for almost 20 years now.

When I was younger I didn't notice it so much but lately I can really tell why sewing machine table height is where it is. I'm fine with my piecing, but my ergonomics would be much better if my machine was dropped down about 4 inches while I'm quilting.

I was a word processor earlier in life and have some carpal tunnel problems, and I'm a big believer in proper ergonomics. I know they work for me. I also believe in getting up and moving about every 15 minutes -- that's a big change for me. I used to have my sewing set up so I could sit in my chair and rotate and would sit for hours. Now my cutting board is on the dining room table, the ironing board is in the living room, I do my layout on my queen bed in the bedroom, and the sewing room is in the middle. My house is small and while I do regret a bit being more scattered, the cutting stuff and the ironing board can be folded up and moved out of the way quickly, and I am getting in a lot more steps during the day, and am a lot less "crunkled" in the evening.

I have an office chair that I sit at when I quilt at my standard height kitchen table. I, too, had lots of upper back and neck pain but then i read that my chair was too low. I raised it to the highest position and the pain vanished.

There are some really good tips for dealing with the pain and for the stopping the pain from beginning in the posts the members made. Some of these I need to keep and adhere to. But, when it does happen, one of my favorite little exercises is to roll my shoulders without moving my arms. That really loosens up the back for me.

The absolute best thing I ever did was to "re-learn" how to sew without a foot pedal. I have machines with the start/stop button..they are available on some very reasonably priced machines now. It enables you to sit in a position that is comfortable and doesn't make your shoulders and neck strain. I have a foot stool under my table and sew with my feet up when I want to. It is much easier to learn than I would have thought...go to a store and demo one..it'll surprise you!

my ortho told me get those elbows at 90 degree angle--which for me meant getting a new sewing table that allows me to lower my machine and I use an office chair and raise it up a bit. I was still finding myself gradually lean over into the machine. DH bought a great memory foam pillow that has a lumbar "bump" and I was told to put it so I lean back. I also added a Big Look magnifying glass to that I can the needle better--I don't always use it but it does come in handy. And I have my ironing board on far side of the room so I have to get up and move.
thanks for the good exercise ideas, too!

These are all really good tips that I'll have to give a try. I think my biggest problem is that I tend to revert to an almost hunched over position, so I've been trying to correct my posture when I notice it happening. I also tend to get in the zone and sew on and on until I realize "Oh, it's been almost an hour - and I also can't move my neck" :D:D:D

@donna13350 - Luckily, my machine has the start/stop button feature which has been a god send (that and a good walking foot!); While I have you here, have you happened to try using the start/stop button with a free motion spring foot (like This one) or would you recommend I still use the foot pedal for that?

If your sewing machine is on a table top and not recessed, you could use rubber door stops in the back of the machine to tilt it forward. This will give you a different sight angle that may help with ergonomics.

Your pain could also be from bending over a cutting table for any length of time to cut out pieces. This is where my back pain comes from and I just lifted the cutting table up and relieved the discomfort.

Try leaning back into the counter, butt cheeks to the counter, then lean back with arms above head, fingers almost touching, lean as far back as you can, hold for a few seconds/minutes. 2 to 3 times a day. My PT has me doing that.

You don't mention how tall you are - for me I am 5'9" - and I have an office chair and decided to just use a pillow instead of putting the chair up higher, and I make sure the chair is forward so I am not sitting on the edge leaning into the machine. Several people have made those little ironing stations so they can iron next to the sewing machine. But I leave my iron across the room so I am forced to get up to iron from time to time. A friend of mine will actually go in and lie down after about 2 hours of sewing. She said she stays more alert that way. (Also, I grew up with a mother that would tell me to sit up straight and to stand up straight.)

If i raise my chair up so my elbows are at 90 degrees then i'm too high to reach the foot pedal. Also my legs aren't long enough to bend at the knee in most chairs unless i sit on the end (or slouch) and have no back support. I have short arms too which make it difficult to maneuver a quilt when machine quilting. I just do the best i can. Ok, I'll stop whining now!

janjanq, I had the same issues. My husband built me a wooden platform that I put the foot pedal on. This allows me to raise the chair to the correct height. I also have short legs and they were not long enough to bend at the knees. My original chair, a Bernina, had a seat that was 19" deep. I could not sit back to sew. I purchased a Koala chair at a recent quilt show. It measures 17" deep. That 2 inches made a world of difference. I can now sew with no lower back pain. I am 5'2".

I ask this a long while ago and was advised to lift the back and tilt the machine forward. This took the strain from my neck and back and was so much help.