Started at a warehouse. Back hurts. What's a good back brace and do you have other tips to be able to do this job for years without injury?On-site training in this area is non-existent (despite being a large reputable company)
ups has good literature and has their staff take regular test, i used a d-ring belt worn high; any time i retightened that belt i knew i was doing improper lifting. Anything over 45lbs went on a hand truck, at home i would self correct by redoing lifts multiple times if i caught myself slipping. a disc happens fast training on dropped pencils or scraps of paper is easy.>practice how you play
>>2962104try going to the gym and building up muscles to counter the work-stress. the next step is escaping manual labour.
>>2962104avoid back breaking work
>>2962206Good advice but he's already behind and feeling overworked, it's unlikely he'll cure it with more lifting off the probably long hours>>2962104>wax on wax offHave good form and work on stretching after work. Work on breathing. When picking up something heavy you should be able to squat your ass to the floor with a straight back. Watch traditional kung fu (shaolin) videos. This is the difference between getting stronger or getting debilitating from work. One thing was pulling things up to 300lbs back and forth over a table of castors at waist level. A lot of guys would lean over for hours and twist. I dropped my legs wide and pretended to be Bruce Lee twisting into a punch.t. 12+ years of factory and construction <40 years old. Watched a lot of bad form guys get injuries, usually in the early years
>>2962239by early years I mean a lot guys with bad form hurt themselves in the first year or two of the job, and guys with good form do their exercise at work and get stronger.
>>2962104>and do you have other tips to be able to do this job for years without injury?Why would you be doing it for years? Legal issues like being a felon? Are you in the US or third world shithole (if so, my sympathies since that's a raw deal for a techie.) You only get one working life to pay for land and retirement.Even if you're an ex-con you can learn HVAC and make bank like my bro does working only commercial accounts (chain store owners hate buying chillers but that means their old shit breaks and needs an emergency repair or their stock is destroyed.If in US and poor there are many education money resources for students interested in trades. Auto mechanics is always in demand because techs are moving to better jobs the skills involved fixing cars are foundational to. Knowing it young saves absurd money over time even if you never do it for a living. Being able to fix cars got me my first industrial maintenance job which was pretty chill. The combined experience aided me in and after the Air Force. If you've got to work then invest in yourself and get jobs which make you a more capable person.
>>2962104Ibuprofen and superman flexes on your weekends to build more muscle. But if they've got you working in confined spaces and you're not like 5'4 it's just going to always hurt. Get your operators license asap and get the fuck out of there, you're probably too autistic to take a trade but 2k on a heavy vehicle, high risk, excavator course and you can get the fuck out of that hellhole.Could be worse, you could've taken a concrete finishing job lol, then you'd really be fucked.
Lose weight, stop driving everywhere and walk instead and do some core strength exercises with a kettlebell. I'm in my 30s, worked blue collar jobs for years and the only people I've known who have thrown their backs out are fat fucks who can't walk 100m down their street to the shop and spend all their free time on the sofa or hunched over a computer. I had coworkers in their 50s and 60s with zero back problems because they were in exceptionally good shape and stayed active in their free time. Even getting into jogging instead of weights will pay dividends for your posture and back
>>2962104If you're picking up from the ground to height, use your legs like you would doing squats. Wide stance squat lift. Looks like you're taking a shit at first but it will use your legs and knees versus your back. I use a back brace too sometimes because I have some degeneration in my lower back from a bad trampoline accident. The only thing the back brace does is keep your muscles warm which helps them from seizing up into a spasm. They do allow a bit extra lifting capacity but it's not as much as you're hoping for unfortunately. The straps there in your picture are only there to keep the brace in position better/longer. They don't do anything other than positional work. You're going to want to buy a heating pad for home use every single night after your shift. Until you build muscles in your back, you're not going to have much comfortable rest periods. It takes time to build strength. These companies don't care and expect you to work work work so that's why there is lots of turnover in these positions. There is actually robotic lift assists out there where you're more like that guy in Avatar or the girl in Aliens lifting heavy shit with a strapped on robot. But they're expensive and your company is most likely a cheap ass. So good luck...
>>2962344Oh and get a foam lumbar support for your work chair. Any break time you can get is going to be your rest period. If you have a vehicle with heated seats, it's heaven. I use my heated seats everyday in the winter, all day long. A back massager is super helpful too after the fact.
>>2962245>Why would you be doing it for years?It's really fucking hard to find a job here these days and there's lots of room for advancement.>if they've got you working in confined spacesNo confined spaces.
>>2962428You might like a foam roller too. Get the longer ones that don't have the knobs on them. There are vids on YouTube to show you how to use these. But basically you just lie stationary on them and use them to stretch and press against your back. You don't have lower ribs past a certain point so down below for your lower back you have to be careful. You can use them in a doorway to roll up and down on doing a squat like movement. It's amazing and feels great. But a bit award to use. I think you might benefit from doing yoga and stretching. People who do that get super flexible and strong cores.Attached pic is the knobby kind, they hurt. You want the ones without the knobs. They are also longer than these stubby ones. You can use these rollers on your back, legs, hips, ass, calves and feet. People sell these all the time for practically nothing on the classified sites. Maybe even for free. They don't know how to use them, that's all.
>>2962432
Can someone recommend a back brace on amazon.ca?
>>2962245>just learn hvac bro and do commercial You don’t just fall into this even if you “know hvac”, at least not in my area. Everyone and their brother has a certificate and only top techs make it to commercial unless you know and/or blow the right people. Most end up in attics and crawlspaces beating the shit out their body for pay that’s about equal to what wa warehouse with a decent union would offer. Maybe it’s different where you’re from.>Air Force Yeah, military always gets preferential treatment on hiring. If op doesn’t have that he’s not likely to get the opportunities you have no matter what skills he may build. I’m not saying not to build skills but it’s not as cut and dry as you make it sound.
>>2962104I hurt my back about a year and half ago. I didn’t think I was out of shape because I would kill it during workouts for an hour straight. My foundation muscles were shite and I still have terrible posture I’m working on correcting. My back is much better though since going to physical therapy. Do that if you can, it’s well worth the money. If you can’t, try some rehab exercises and invest in an ankle weight set. “The Cuff” are expensive but they’re what is used by physical therapist and are available on Amazon. Work on core strength too but start with safe exercises. Reddit and google can guide you. Some things hurt before they start to work. Therapists are great for this reason because they can guide you through pain as far as if it means you’re moving in the right direction. >>2962239You aren’t working all the foundation muscles doing manual labor, no matter how good your form. You have to build those muscles up otherwise you’re lifting with a muscle imbalance that will tear you up. Twenty leg lifts with a two pound weight every day isnt going to overwork anyone.
>>2962434This one looks pretty good since it has a removable lumbar support pad. Watch the video in one of the side picture slots. $36.99 CAD.https://www.amazon.ca/Rakiie-Powerful-Breathable-Adjustable-Herniated/dp/B0DFY6WP2Y?sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sr=8-6&th=1If it doesn't work for you, at least through Amazon you can send it back and they'll credit you for the amount and you can try a different style.Find one that has some kind of lumbar support pad (it doesn't have to be removable but it's useful if it is for washing purposes). Suspender straps don't do a thing except keep the brace in position better otherwise they can ride up. You ideally want something you can adjust with the belts so you can breathe properly. Again, these braces are primarily for warmth to warm the muscles and they do offer some support but it's not going to be magical. You're not going to be able to hoof another 50 lbs or anything if you don't already have the muscles in other areas of your body (your shoulders, arms, ass cheeks, legs, etc). They DO help if you're injured though. If you're already in spasm, it will help you get on and off the toilet or bed or couch for example. It will help you move around your house. You will probably not be able to tie your shoes or reach down to pick things up off the ground if you're already in spasm though. In that case, get a really good full body (or longer, timed/timer) heating pad.
>>2962762
>>2962762I chose this one because of the metal stays and the removable lumbar pad. You can adjust this one pretty well in all kinds of ways to suit your body.All the braces are kinda similar. Long velcro belts and straps basically. I warn ya though, velcro can get caught on clothing and mess up your shirts. So wearing your best sweat shirt for example could end up having the velco belts mess up the fabric if the latches of the velcro catch that fabric instead of the loop velcro side...I know this from experience.
>>2962762Cool, thanks. I'll probably order that tomorrow.
>>2962762>If you're already in spasmNothing like that, so far. I think it would help me/force me to do proper lifting though and not strain my back way over what I should be doing trying to unload something at a weird angle.
>>2962767You're welcome fellow Leaf!What I like about that design is that you can put a larger gel pack in between your shirt and the brace itself and snug everything up with the Velcro belts. It can be a hot pack or a cold pack depending on how many packs you have on hand. Those temperature packs can help when you're injured or sore. They don't do anything while you're doing your job or work though. But just for pain relief when you're sore. Glad you're not in spasm. But should it happen, wearing a good brace with options for pain relief is the difference between crawling across your floor in agony like a baby that can't walk or walking to the bathroom like a boss. Let us know if you like the brace. I hope it works out for you and your needs. Make sure to size it accordingly to your waist now with some variance for future if your body style changes as you age. Going a bit bigger is better than too small right?
>>2962768Yes, it is a good posture reminder. That is good thinking.
