Back problems??

[bigbill]

After being away from bass fishing for a while i'm back!!!!!! I been having problems with my back plus the new mini farm has kept me busy too. I never knew i missed bass fishing this much. I found out if i switch between a 6 1/2" rod and the 6' / 5 1/2' rods my back sometimes won't bother me the whole time.  I think throwing the 6'6" rods hurts my back more.

Does anyone wear a back brace? Does it help?

[Stagerlee]

I never needed too, I am always trying to lift with my knees instead of back etc. So I stay in pretty good shape. Good to know your back fishing the shores too.  

[Matt Fly]

I'd love to hear why you think a few extra inches of rod makes your back hurt? What do the rods weigh with out reels? do you have same reel on both rods? Your talking inches.

Had L5 cut on in 1988.

Wear the back brace on rougher days for sure, any support is better than none. God only gave us one back, take care of it.

[EastMarkME]

Used to wear a back support fishing. I does help.

The root of the problem for me was bad (flat) feet that leads to issues with back pain.

I got 2 pair of custom orthotics made and dont need the support anymore. My back still needs a break after a few hours though.

Same for most guys I fish with though.

Mark

[JuniorFisherJJ08]

Man..... I hope i never grow old....... :Dj/k

[CWB]

Man..... I hope i never grow old....... :Dj/k

Don't worry, you will. I suffered a fall about 2 years ago and my back hasn't been the same since. No noticeable damage, just pain. I wear a brace when it gets bad but mostly I just sit back in my chair and go fishing. I stand when I need to but mostly sit. 40 + years of every sport except golf, and I'm taken down by a slippery ladder.  :-/

[steezy]

I had 5 back operations in the past 30 years (I'm now 47) and I have found that I have less back pain if I wear really good shoes or boots when I am shore fishing.  I noticed if I wear slippers or light weight shoes with little or no support my back will kill me after 4 or 5 hours shore fishing.  I also notice I was standing on an angle most of the time and even a very slight angle would create more stree on my back.  Wearing better shoes really helped to decrease the back pain.

[Fishing Rhino]

Man..... I hope i never grow old....... :Dj/k

Don't worry, you will. I suffered a fall about 2 years ago and my back hasn't been the same since. No noticeable damage, just pain. I wear a brace when it gets bad but mostly I just sit back in my chair and go fishing. I stand when I need to but mostly sit. 40 + years of every sport except golf, and I'm taken down by a slippery ladder. :-/

If he's lucky.  Some never make it to "old".

I'm fortunate.  Not many aches and pains, but other things don't work as well as when I was younger.

And when it comes to women, it's all in the perspective.  When I was nineteen, women in their forties looked ancient and tired.

At 67, the nineteen year olds still look good, those in their forties look like kids, and even some grandmas are appealing.

Please, don't tell my wife I said that.

[skillet]

 Had 2 surgeries in my mid 30s (61 now). I've tried to stay away from the braces for fear of if I start wearing one, I'll depend on it too much. Other side of the coin, I tried to keep doing things after surgery, that I did before (within reason). Worried if I stopped, could never do them again :-/. Welcome to my nightmare ...

skillet

[DINK WHISPERER]

I am 25 and mine hurts once in a while from a car accident! I don't wear a brace but do sit down for breaks.

[MALTESE FALCON]

As Steezy said, wearing shoes with good support is very important. After six spine surgeries, I found out how important good shoes are. Before you use a brace, it's probably more important to get your core muscles in shape. My doctor didn't want me to depend on a brace. He said it was better to just stay in shape.

If the problem continues, maybe you should see a doctor. Just a suggestion.

Falcon

[Back2fishing]

I too have a bad back . Good shoes are a must , I have a brace but don't like to use it to much don't want to get to used to wearing it. If you have too sit , that's why there are seats in our boat's   .I sit most of the time.

Kevin

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

When I drove truck the pounding gave me chronic back pain. Like others suggest, make sure your core muscles are strong (and flexible). I used to wear one of the elastic support belts. They wont weaken you like a brace can, but they force you into good posture. The other thing you might want to consider is a visit to a chiropractor. Good luck.

[SirSnookalot]

A bad back to what ever degree is common, I have chronic discomfort as well, I never sit to fish. I stretch out real good first thing in the morning, that helps quite a bit and stretch again when I can.  

[The Yankee Fist]

I know it's been said here before but shoes, shoes, shoes. As a mostly shorebound angler my back gets tired and achy from standing and casting in weird positions...ie, slopes etc...I would say good shoes keep me going the most. A good high quality wide toe boot helps me so my toes aren't jammed into the front of the boot when standing on an slope.

[dave]

Those of us around since the beginning should remember bigbill. A lot of contribution in the beginning days of BR. Welcome back Bill. If I remember correctly, Bill isn't in to the high end gear so, it may be a rod weight issue.

[bandsr4me20]

I had a stress fracture and my back starts to hurt after a few hours.  My back has been a little tight since then.  Do a lot of core excercices and that will help a lot.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Couple points

-back supports are dangerous and often misused.  The issue of kidny belts comes up all the time at UPS.  There is a reason we will not wear them.  These belts are designed to support you DURING a heavy lift.  You'll notice weight lifter do the lift and take the belt off, they are not for all daily wear.  What happens (according to Liberty mutual) is the stomach muscles become dependent and weaken and the circulation to the bodies core is greatly disturbed.

There ARE braces that help though, the neoprene wrap ones with no support.  They essentially just keep the muscles warm but when worn too tight, they are counter productive.

what I do is I elevate 1 foot.  An old kitchen trick from my Nana.  When working in the kitchen for hours, she would drag the step stool around and when standing at the counter for any length of time, 1 foot would be up on the stool.  Change which foot often.