Any else having shoulder muscle problems from the explorer line ?

[1goldsniper]

Checking in to see how many others out there suffering from sore muscles on the back of the shoulder blade form swinging the e-tr ac in our case? There are 3 of us that have been with the machine's since early spring and 2 of us are having extreme pain after swing the detector for 3-4 hours. I started to use a hip stick along with the swingy thing which helps a lot and one can go for 5-6 hours usually. The other guy has had to quit for 2 months and get his back re-adjusted a couple of times and also had the nerves going down his arm go to sleep causing great pain. But we are becoming ambidextrous? using the other arm.
I was figuring that with a 2 out of three ratio we probably aren't the only ones experiencing this.

How many more out there?

 

[pro778]

I had pain in my lower back, when I first got it. I had the coil out to far. I had to move the coil in close to my feet and then it stopped bothering me. After about 6 hours it starts to get heavy.

 

[NiagracountyNY]

Anytime you swing some weight like we swing a detector...There is gonna be pain..Unless you have a toy detector, they have some weight.I have tennis elbow ,and pain in my arm ..Its alot worse during the summer when im detecting..By spring its usually cleared up lol.Keeping your arm tight to your side and twisting at the waist can help alot.Keep the shaft shortened so you dont have it to far out in front of you.Hope your back feels better.HH

 

[I a thr]

I have had shoulder pain between the shoulder blade and the spine. Seems a very deep muscle in there that gets knotted up and is really difficult to get it loosened up. Also have the forearm pain and numbness of the ring and little finger on my swinging arm. I never said anything on here as I thought it was just me and my old age catching up with me. I have just started taking Glucosamine and seems to be helping with the pains.
Mine is back at Minelab getting a switch fix, so maybe the time will help mend the muscles.
Bill

 

[CONDUCTOR7E]

Oh yeah,totally agree about the E-trac/Explorer/Safari detectors being a bit on the heavy side.After a full day of using it,my Safari that is and now my E-trac, you get one heck of a workout.Went to the NEMDF meet this past weekend and got to try out a bunch of other brands including a Whites Spectra V3 and mine as well as the Explorer type detectors were by far, the heaviest things there.The Sunray doesn't help either but to me the package is worth the added weight.Feels solid and well built ,able to withstand the rigors of heavy use where the others felt kinda cheaply made.Now that i've used this for a bit my muscles in my detecting arm are now toned to it and I would not ever use anything else!

 

[jbow]

to hurt me in the least I adjust the rod length, shorter or longer. It seem's to help and is one thing I really like about these detectors... the ability to quickly and easily adjust the length of the rod. You might try switching to a lighter detector after a few hours... I keep a Tejon in the truck in case I need it. With the 5.75 HOT DD coil it is as easy swing.

J

 

[xGregx]

I picked up Doc's Swingey thing and life is good, I have had Detector elbow for about a month now. I wont leave home without it now!!!

I have used it on my etrac and m6...

HH
Greg

 

[JohnTN]

I swing my Etrac with my right arm and have gotten used to the weight. It's my left elbow, wrist, fingers and ankle that causes me all the pain. Comes from digging in this hard A"" ground especially one site I have that has a 6" layer of solid gravel just under the top one inch of soil. LOL So hard I break the welds on my Predator shovels every so often and have a hole in the sole of all my boots from stomping, jumping and grinding on my shovel trying to get it to penetrate the gravel. This getting old is for the birds.

 

[Elton]

No back pain that I remember.......I got rid of the trac..got an SE Pro...........0 problems swinging the Pro.

 

[Orlensin-FL]

Mostly just shoulder pain from long beach runs. No back pain yet.

 

[Nick A]

No back or shoulder problems. Sometimes a little fatigue in my *huge* right forearm if I take a few days off of swinging. I don't think the Minelabs are much heavier than my old Fisher CZs though. I also tend to swing with my body, and turn/twist a bit at the waist, rather than take the swing in the shoulder. I'll often rest my left hand on my hip as something of a counterbalance. My experience has been that with the coil rod extended quite far, it helps the balance and my swing. If the rod is too short, I feel it right away. I also really do swing slow and low. I was watching some friends swinging the other day, and I keep my coil much lower and flatter to the ground than they do.

 

[sharpshooter]

No back pain, but the shoulder pain was something else.

Got the swingy thingy and started taking an advil before detecting. Problem solved.

Try using a swingy thingy for 30 minutes and then take it off. Your detector will feel like it weighs a hundred pounds.

 

[Southwind]

After having owned the SE, and sold it due to weight, I was a little worried about the ET but I was prepared. I do 20 push ups and at least 20 sit ups every night to keep in shape and it has worked great. I swung my E-Trac for 5 hours straight last weekend and was ready for more. No soreness or pain and even the next day which I hunted quite a bit. I've been swing a detector for 30 years so I never have a problem with my arm getting sore.

 

[jeff & Maria]

Be sure when you are hunting your arm is STRAIGHT If it is bent at the elbow you will get tired much quicker. By shortening the rod so your arm is straight it will bring the coil closer to your feet as well causing you to slow down a bit, which you really need to do with Minelabs. Try it next time you are out!

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

I swing the XS Explorer with the coil on backwards to help balance out the machine (standard coil). The E-trac is far better balanced, but a bit heavier. I've got a few dodgy discs in my neck that let me know if I'm swinging for too long. I've been restrengthening the area, but the thing that helps most of all, is I swap hands every few minutes. This alone allows me to hunt for a much longer period than would be otherwise possible. If you are not used to swapping hands, it will feel strange for the first few hunts, but after that, it will feel just as comfortable in either hand! Even if you didn't have any injuries, you can significantly reduce the fatigue on your arm by doing this. I do this even with my light detectors, as it still helps. I tend not to swap as often with those though, as the strain is less.
Mick Evans.