A word on posture when you\'re at it...

[hubbabubba]

Hi, now I\'ve got your attention....
Latley, when I\'m at it, (painting that is) I find my back arched over my desk with my head at almost the same level as the table top, mostly as I always seem to end up with my hands resting on the desk in order to keep both the mini and the brush as steady as possible, and as I\'m a crumbling ol\' git and my eyes are kinda buggered, I like to get as close to the mini as possible.
In fact I seem to twist my neck and wrists in allsorts of uncomfortable positions to get to some of those hard to reach corners with the brush. I\'m starting to think that thai massage is easier on my spine...
Result is after an hour or so my necks completley shot.
I\'ve thought about a painting rig but it wouldn\'t help my brush hand.
Anyone actually use them?
Share you thoughts with me, anyone have similar problems, better still any suggestions?

 

[DrEvilmonki]

I am not that bad but I do tend to hunch over. I tend to use my knees to rest my elbows on, I have a chair with a cross support I can put my feet on or sometimes get anothr chair to put my feet on. That brings my knees up and reduces my arch.

And I take a break every hour or so to stretch out.

 

[Ritual]

I used to hunch over incredibly, and get severe back pains after a couple of hours (I have a very long back). But, I have built my own working desk now, and I have made it the proper height for me to work at, so now I can sit fairly straight and only bend forward my neck when painting.

 

[krom1415]

I\'m having cold lazer treatment and physio for this very problem, they want to give me cortisone injections as well, but no way.
You will have to correct your posture one day, so make that day today.

Tai massage, that should loosen the tension no end

 

[vincegamer]

My problem is I\'m nearsighted.
So to see the mini well enough to pait it I tilt my head way down and peer over the top of my glasses.

After about 30 minutes my neck starts to get stiff and it occurs to me to just take off my glasses.

Happens every time.

 

[War Griffon]

I am very short sighted, but posture wise I don\'t rest my elbows on the desk I lock them into my sides so I remain fairly upright (until the guinness takes effect).

The biggest problem I have is I paint with the lamp quite close to me so often I will find my self jumping back because my forehead has touched the lamp and it\'s :cussing: hot. Anybody know if those actulite things stay cool???

 

[Ritual]

Originally posted by vincegamer
After about 30 minutes my neck starts to get stiff and it occurs to me to just take off my glasses.

Yeah, I should do that too, but I\'m not used to it yet, so I rarely remember to remove the glasses until my eyes get tired and I have hard to focus them.

 

[matty1001]

Instead of hunching over, which was starting to give me really bad back ache (my family has a history of bad backs) Iv started to swing back on my chair with my arms in the air (yes the mental image probably looks a bit crazy!) but i find this really helps.

 

[hubbabubba]

Wargriffon, I had the same problem with lamps, comes as quite a surprise.
Solved the problem accidently when I got a new one with two mini flourecent day light bulbs in it, plastic mounting, doesn\'t get hot.
Come to think of it, only time I don\'t haunch over is when I paint at night, as I have the lamp at eye level I\'m forced to bring the mini up to the lamp so I can see what I\'m doing.

 

[hakoMike]

I find that visualizing a cable hooked to the back of my neck a the base pulling me up helps me maintain posture, even while painting. I can still rest my elbows on the table and paint within a handspan of my eyes while doing this.

Silly, I know, but it works for me.

 

[hubbabubba]

If it works that\'s cool.
Does it help if you\'ve been watching hellraiser before?lol

 

[Temporary Sanity]

I usually hunch over too much, also. I\'m only 27, and I feel like I\'m in my 80\'s some days after painting/sculpting. I usually get too engrossed in what I\'m doing to remember to take breaks.

I use a painting rig, and it has no effect on my posture I still lean forward and twist my head all around to look at certain angles, even though it\'d be easier to, I dunno, move my hand that\'s holding the rig...

 

[Shawn R. L.]

Lumbar support and not slouching have helped me. I still get sore though. Learning also to get up and strech more often.

 

[elouchard]

I was feeling crippled a few months ago after att the years of sitting hunched over with elbows on the table. I recently got a one of those portable oil painting easels (looks like a tripod) for christmas and tried it with my regular work chair and it is way better. Now I sit straight or back a bit and my legs go under the easel legs and the easel tray holds the water and light. Arms go up against the sides and the figure goes towards the face, not the other way around. It is so much easier to paint now and my back finally healing. I was about to give up the hobby until I made the change.

 

[mickc22]

When I feel myself starting to \'curl up\' I bring my elbows onto the desk at shoulder width, this then brings my hands up to head height.


@Martyn: Actulites stay

 

[MPJ]

Originally posted by krom1415
...they want to give me cortisone injections as well, but no way...

Cortisone is da bomb! I\'ve had the shots in my knees and it\'s a miracle sauce, within a day they were feeling better, and managed a year or more relativly pain free. That was a few years ago and havn\'t needed another since. Embrace the cortisone.

As for posture, like everyone else it seems, I do some hunching but not to much. I use a really short chair and paint at a really high table only resting my forearms against the table edge to bring the mini to a good height. In fact my painting table is an old kitchen countertop resting on a couple of counter units, very high by table standards but just right for painting.

 

[krom1415]

MPJ, I\'ve heard a lot about cortisone, all it does is hide the pain away, and gives problems later on, so I\'m going for the natural cures, and let my body do the healing with a little help

Hopefully, cortisone is my last choice but thanks for your opinion on that stuff.

 

[hubbabubba]

counter height sounds good. Thanks to every one for the reponse.

 

[hubbabubba]

Krom, just seen seen your last post, I don\'t know if you\'ve tried it, but swimming\'s supposed to be good for removing tension and strengthening the lower lumbars.
Both myself and my dad are about 6\'4\'\', my Dad spent about 30 years suffering with his back. about 2 years ago, he finally saw a chiropracter (how do you spell that?) how knew what he was doing.
This guy looked him over and told him that he\'d been carrying one shoulder slightly higher than the other for the last 30 years, and that this is what was causing the pain. The guy corrected the pinched nerve in my Dads neck, and that was it, no more problems.
It\'s worth going to a private practioner, who\'s got good recommendations, other thing I\'d say is get an independent second opinion, you wouldn\'t take your car to the first mechanic you come across, but it\'s surprising the amount of people who do it with their body. Hope you have some luck.

 

[tentoone]

Shawn R.L. is bang on the mark.... If you suffer from lower back pain, or, even if you dont a Lumbar Roll is a great idea for hours sat painting, at the computer, watching TV.....
I slipped a disc in the base of my back a month ago and its all down to too much straining forwards.... my main hobbies being painting, cycling and sat at the computer. My back still isnt right now and its gonna take several more weeks of physio. Look up the McKenzie book for helpfull stretching exercises.
Theres also a special stool that im going to invest in. Its has no back rest and forces you to sit with your back arched slightly backwards. Lowering it so that shoulders are just above table height should give a better posture.