Possible Modelling Woes

[FrankJ]

Anyone discovered they have had to give up modelling due to painful upper arms/shoulders, gave up the hobby either permanently or taken a holiday from it and found the arms/shoulder pain went away?

I am 70yrs old and not sure if it's a getting old thing or something else.

I use my old pc computer desk for building models and Im sure my posture sat at the desk is ok.

Today someone suggested to me the modelling maybe the cause of my pain, head bowed slightly when working on small parts and looking through a magnifying lamp.

I've been to see the GP and awaiting to hear from the physiotherapy to get checked over.

[Duncan B]

Hopefully the medicos will come up with a simple remedy for your pain and you'll be able to get back to the bench soon. It might be worth trying sitting at a different table or try a different position and see if that helps?

 

Duncan B

[Jockster]

Brachial neuritis, it's a real bugger, cannot do anything when it hits, strong painkillers and the constant movement from driving a forklift were the only thing that would cure me, no models for months at a time. However, I am desicated to the hobby so I only accept it as a holiday! Desicated, all dried up, no need to correct that!

[Mark Harmsworth]

I agree with Duncan B about trying a change of posture. In recent times I've managed to injure myself twice sitting at a desk. First by sitting with my right leg folded right under my chair - that gave me ankle and knee pain for a week or so. Then by spending too long with my right hand resting on or near my mouse, above my elbow, and that gave me arm discomfort. 

 

 

[DennisTheBear]

I'm a mobile phone technician with a large company (started learning that in my early 50s) and was getting bad headaches and nausea which turned out to be from tilting my head too far for too long.

My wife suggested I lower my chair and that really did help, along with locking the chair level. I still tilt my head but not as far. Also regularly getting up, stretching, and a short walk help.

 

DennisTheBear

[Jered]

You may find a jeweller's bench might be something to look at, not necessarily buying one but the height of them is more ergonomic on the neck and back.

(Not my bench, just an example I pulled off the interwebs)

 

Cheers,

Jered

[dogsbody]

I have this old table, that my room-mate brought home 40 years ago. After he got his own place, he left it with me. It's just a four-legged tubular metal frame with a thin plywood top. It looks like something from a school or a community centre, as it looks like you could stack multiple tables on top. As I'm not that tall, it's a good height for me, sitting on the old kitchen chair I use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[EwenS]

Might be worth considering a visit to a chiropractor. I had some major back problems 15 years ago for which the GP recommended rest and some pretty strong painkillers (didn’t help the pain - I just didn’t care about it any more!!). A series of sessions with a chiropractor worked some magic on realigning bits of my spine. Since then it’s been much better, with occasional twinges cured by a few days of the exercises he had me doing.

[cngaero]

I too have suffered with serious back pain for years now, which meant that bending over my old workbench was becoming a real issue with regards to my modelling activities. This, however was solved by my wife and my debit card during a trip to IKEA when she discovered the Skarsta standing desk. It is 160 X 80 cm and, best of all, by using the winding crank handle, it can be adjusted in height from 70 to 120 cm.

It certainly worked for me.

[Bullbasket]

15 hours ago, dogsbody said:

I have this old table, that my room-mate brought home 40 years ago. After he got his own place, he left it with me. It's just a four-legged tubular metal frame with a thin plywood top. It looks like something from a school or a community centre, as it looks like you could stack multiple tables on top. As I'm not that tall, it's a good height for me, sitting on the old kitchen chair I use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

Ah, Chris. What a wonderfully disorganised work top you have there. You're a credit to the modelling fraternity.

 

John.

[dogsbody]

9 hours ago, Bullbasket said:

Ah, Chris. What a wonderfully disorganised work top you have there. You're a credit to the modelling fraternity.

 

John.

 

And that's after I cleaned it up a bit for this photo.

 

 

 

Chris

[Stef N.]

After a short break from modelling I have got back into it these last weeks but have started to get shoulder/neck ache from my posture. Borrowing an idea from @cngaero and Ikea I have lifted up the desk so I am not so crouched over but I also need a decent chair. Any tips for a "modelling" chair that is supportive of the upper back/shoulder area?

[upnorth]

I've got recuring pain in one of my shoulders. While I haven't done any model building in a long time, my work is fully at a desk on a computer and the shoulder that plays up is on the arm I use with the mouse.

 

I've had the issue checked out by my GP and she sent me off to orthopedists and physio thereapists and they all say the underlying problem is one I'll be dealing with the rest of my life.

 

The physiotherapists and my GP gave me a bunch of exercises to do and said it was essential to step away from the desk at regular intervals. It works to some degree, certainly enough that I can get a day's work in.

 

There's lots of good websites out there with all sorts of ergonomics exercises, here's couple I've made use of:

 

https://www.healthline.com/health/shoulder-pain-exercises#eagle-arms

https://www.csp.org.uk/conditions/shoulder-pain/video-exercises-shoulder-pain