Help....To much pain!! :cry:

[helgriffan]

Question for anyone that can help. What do you guys do that metal detect all day to keep your back from hurting? I am a young in pretty shape guy, but I will go out for 2-3 hours and my back starts hurting so bad from walking with a hunch I can hardly go any more. I tried to extend my detector out further so I wouldnt have to walk half bent but the only way I can seem to stay upright is to look straight out when I walk. Then I cant see the area Im hunting and know I am missing spots.
I love this hobby to much and need to figure out a way so i can stay out longer. Does a back brace help? Im willing to try anything.
Thanks Helgriffan

 

[banditicey]

Most people will tell you to look into a Swingy Thing and that is definitely a good suggestion

What I can also offer is that you consider digging on your knees with knee pads

This will certainly help! I can promise that

Regards and Good luck

 

[ZOFCHAK]

Question for anyone that can help. What do you guys do that metal detect all day to keep your back from hurting? I am a young in pretty shape guy, but I will go out for 2-3 hours and my back starts hurting so bad from walking with a hunch I can hardly go any more. I tried to extend my detector out further so I wouldnt have to walk half bent but the only way I can seem to stay upright is to look straight out when I walk. Then I cant see the area Im hunting and know I am missing spots.
I love this hobby to much and need to figure out a way so i can stay out longer. Does a back brace help? Im willing to try anything.
Thanks Helgriffan

Try shortening your detector and swinging closer to your body. If you're in good physical shape and using the stock Pro Coil the E-Trac should not be causing you any issues.

Are you by chance very tall? Some users require a longer lower rod, and that may be the case as well.

 

[ironman200081]

Swingy-Thingy. I have it, use it, and love it. Best $25 investment.

 

[gunwolf]

well I feel your pain! I have several herniated, and several desicated discs in my lower back..I also have one that is shifted forward so severely they wanted to do the surgery back in Nov...but that's a long story.
anyway, I shortened my shaft so that while I walk and swing the wieght is downward not out in front of my putting strain on my back. I also limit my twisting motion while bending down to dig. I can still go for 6 hours or so. of course I look funny after afew hours but somehow I just keep going. My end of day "waddle" is pretty funny though! good luck to ya and HH!

 

[mudpuppy]

East a couple of aspirin before you leave the house...dont drive with your wallet in your back pocket, dont wear a toolbelt, wear a long tail tee or a long button up to keep your lower back warm, HOWEVER, if this lower back pain is new, it may be a medical problem with your kidneys or something...Hope you figure it out.
Mud

 

[E-TREC-Virginia]

I know how you feel. I've had two back operations for scoliosis (curvature of the spine), multiple blood clots in both legs, plus degenerative disks in my lower spine. MDing for me is a painful experience, but like you , I love this hobby to much to quit. A couple things that may help.

1. You need to have your lower rod adjusted so you stand up as straight up as possible to eliminate the need to bend at the waist which puts extra pressure on your lower back/spine. The further the coil is away from your body, the more top heavy the machine becomes. If you are a tall person, you may need to look into a "tall person" lower rod.
2. Try to not look at the control screen while detecting. This adds even more stress on your back. If you've been detecting for a while, you already have a good idea as to the tones for what you want to recover. Use the screen to confirm the tone.
3. Instead of looking directly at the coil while sweeping, look just ahead of it at the next area that you are going to detect. Just this little angle change of your head will help you stand straighter.
4. I use the Swingy Thingy harness and will not hunt without it. Once adjusted correctly, your machine will be well balanced and the coil just seems to "float" above the ground. Really helps ALOT.
5. If I'm going to be on a long hunt, I take a "travel" chair with me. It is very light and can be strapped to your back without interfering with mobility or ability to hunt. It is amazing now much better your back will feel if you take a seat every once and while to rest and take a load off. Or, just take a seat on the ground.
6. Whenever possible, dig your plugs with a shovel vs. a hand tool. This will cut down on the amount of time you spend on yours knees and the numbers of times you have to get up and down to the dig your targets.
7. Medication will help, i.e., Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen, etc... Also, using Heat/Cool Wraps (ThermaCare, Beyond BodiHead are a couple brands) while detecting helps.
8. Doing exercises to strengthen your stomach muscles and lower back muscles will help take some of the stress off of your spine.
9. Excess weight in your stomach area puts additional stress on your back. If you are overweight in that area, losing a couple pounds will do wonders for a hurting back. Believe me, I know.
10. You indicated that you are young and in pretty good shape, therefore, your back pain could be an indication of something physically wrong. You may want to consider going to the doctor to get it checked out. Even if he does not find anything, he could prescribe some meds (Anti Inflammatory, Muscle Relaxers, etc.) that could help or offer other advise.

If I can think of anything else, I'll update my post. Maybe my list will spur some other ideas as well from the rest of the folks.

Hope this helps.

 

[Sailorman]

Count me as another Swingy Thingy fan. Won't hunt without it. Solved most of my back and shoulder issues!

 

[moonshine]

id suggest moving your upper arm (from your shoulder to your elbow) "back" and swinging closer to your feet. dont stick your arm out. your upper arm should hang straight down and be against your ribs. rotate with your forearms only, not with your upper arm. dont pivot with your shoulder, just your elbow.

that should keep you from sticking you whole arm out in front of you. thats a lot of strain on your back.

ive never felt back pain from e-tracing. but i have experienced forearm pain. but not enough that would stop me.

 

[helgriffan]

Are you by chance very tall? Some users require a longer lower rod, and that may be the case as well.

Actually Im shorter than the normal person at 5 foot 4. I do think that I have the rod out maybe to far now which is making it worse. Thanks for all the suggestions I will deff try some of these things out. I have no idea what this "Swingy Thingy" is But I will look into it. Im sure going to try some of these out though. I got to figure something out. I have always had some back pain but I think I am deff putting to much pressure on my back when i detect. I dont think it has as much to do with the bending over and digging as it does to the walking with a hunch that is causing the problems.

Thanks helgriffan

 

[gitterdug]

I have a modified swingy thingy that REALLY works for me, even with my largest coils. I will try an get a photo of it and add to this thread. It uses a couple of S-biners, a modified tent pole with balls on both ends, and a cut off Big Lugg from Home Depot. I can detect for hours with it, and no back worries. Nice level swing, can use two fingers, full extension. The weight is on my waist from the front and the back both.
Everything else that was said as well.

HH

Dennis

 

[Bill M]

I've tried all of the above and I have similar problems (57 years young). Three Advil and 1 lquid Alieve, this seems to work better than anything else.

 

[Hawkeye 14]

Unfortunately you are not alone my friend. I too have developed some pretty significant back pain that has led to problems detecting. I'm also relatively young and in good shape, but must be doing something wrong, because even an hour swinging the E-trac spells PAIN, PAIN, PAIN. I do use the swingy thing and it helps, but for me anyway it hasn't quite solved the problem. I think E-Trac Virginia pretty much covered the things you can try. You follow all on his list and you are doing about all you can. Unfortunately for some, like me, it hasn't solved the problem. Probably should consult with a Doctor. I did and it was found that I had a bulging disk which I guess at least explains my pain. I go in tomorrow for my second epideral injection in as many months. I truly wish you luck. It's just not fun, not being able to do what you truly enjoy.

 

[TerraDigger]

E-Trac has very poor ergonomics (weight/balance). This is well known. However, that aside, I would consult with a physician. You may have more going on than a poorly balanced detector. Ignore the problem for now and the day may come when you possibly will not be capable of swinging a detector. Try swinging a different brand of detector, see if you get the same painful results. If you don't, then the culprit is the Trac.The Swingy is a good suggestion, but it doesn't solve the possible underlying back issue. See a good Doc is my recommendation.

 

[Ism]

I know this is an older thread, but I have a another helpful hint......Shoes. Believe it or not, when I wear hiking boots, my back starts hurting between the shoulder blades within an hour of swinging my Sovereign. If I wear running shoes, I can last a lot longer before I feel the pain. It must be the way the hiking boots support my ankles. I figure that alters my posture. Sadly the running shoes aren't practical in some situations.