Raising or lowering press. For back pain.

[BigAlofPa.]

If i reposition my press i use most often. Would it help with back pain? Im thinking going higher would help. I have to sit back when using it. Because the handle hits my lap.

[Oily]

Would help to know where your back pain is. Upper ,mid or lower.I suffer from low back pain and upper back pain in my neck and shoulder area. There is not a set remedy for reloading positions. I use a adjustable height office type chair and the Lee classic press that you can adjust the angle of your handle to suit your needs. 2 thumbs up for the Lee classic cast press in this aspect as it is very adjustable for user comfort.

[country gent]

A simple test would tell take a couple 2" thick boards and longer bolts. raise it up and see if its better it is worse. Lowering is another matter and not as easy. but a taller chair would have the same effect.

[RED BEAR]

I also use adjustable height chair for back pain changing positions seem to help also use heating pad. Still can only do so much at a time. A good quality chair with lombar support helps. Not sure if changing press height is going to help very much but maybe. I just can't stay in same position for long.

[skeettx]

And what press,
and do you load standing up or sitting down
(you did say sit back), but then you have to lead forward
to add components to the press.

Rifle or pistol ammo?

[Walks]

I use 24" stools. My presses are mounted right on top of the bench. Both are "D" frame with handles offset to the right. I sit just to the left of the handle. My bench height was built to accommodate the
24" stools for my seated height. Can't tell you right off what that is offhand, don't remember.

My stools have no backrest, but I sit up very straight and slide my hand up/down the handle according to need. I don't bend over unless I have to.

I hurt my back in a Bike accident when I was 23yrs old. So I ignore back pain as much as possible.

[BigAlofPa.]

Mid back. I use my lee classic turret and lee breech lock classic the most. I do it seated. I have my desk chair set the lowest it will go. And the handles set to where if i go any further it will hit the press base forward. I'll try raising the press thanks.

[Greg S]

How about using standing at a tall bench alittle higher than say a kitchen counter.

[Oily]

BigAl mid back is a ***** to adjust your loading height for. you just have to try all the suggestions from people here and get your results and document everything. Soon you will see a pattern of the things that will give you some relief. I feel your pain brother I have to sit in a straight back chair to do my loading and my butt will go to sleep, but I can load with little pain and then get up and walk off my numb butt. LOL Oily

[osteodoc08]

I’ve found that standing while at my elevated XL650 best for me. Sometimes I’ll ise an adjustable bar stool with back support. YMMV.

[Old School Big Bore]

I have bad discs in my lower back and cervical area as well. I was using a counter-height bench and sitting on a bar stool or my pneumatic swivel drummer's throne with its backrest (Roc-N-Soc). Then I built a new, higher bench and worked standing on a stress-relief mat. That was working OK but then we moved and there's no room in the shop for that bench so it became shelves in the storage unit. The workbench in the shop felt too low to work standing so I ordered the jacked-up mounts from the blue guys, and that put the die head right below eye level, so the arm & shoulder geometry changed radically, which matters in my case because the injury that hastened my retirement was tears in both rotator cuffs. I'm still getting used to the different elbow, wrist and shoulder angles but whereas being at the kitchen sink washing dishes or prepping food absolutely wrecks my back for hours afterward, I can stand at the bench and crank out ammo like the song about the shock absorber grommets. If you have moderate woodworking capability, build some different height boxes and rig your press up at different heights, in about 4 or 6 inch intervals, and sit or stand and operate the press a bit, making sure you look at the parts of the press that need looking at when you're loading. If it has you craning your neck, leaning or stretching in an uncomfortable way, it probably ain't what ya need, keep trying other heights. Hope this helps.
Ed <><

[RED BEAR]

If you have your chair set to lowest it will go then by all means i would try raising the press it's easy to do and if it helps its well worth it.

[gwpercle]

I sit at my press also. I built the bench when I was young , no back pain then . It's just a top and 4 legs with open knee space under .
Using some precut lumber for legs , the top ended up 28 inches above finished floor , just right for a kitchen chair to be used when sitting . I have the press mounted to my right side , operate it with right hand , I sit to the left of the press . No lever hits you in the lap in this manner. Press is a Pacific Super Deluxe C . I have the handle set up to size when I pull up on the handle....when sitting in a chair I found pulling the handle up easier than pushing the handle down.

Thought #2 , a Press like the old Lyman A-A Turret mounts flat on the bench , the handle doesn't drop into your lap . Perfect for mounting anywhere ...maybe someone still makes one like this or keep an eye out on ebay .

Now that I'm older , with a bad back , being able to sit , reload and lube size boolits is a blessing....
Standing for any lengthy time becomes agonizing but I can sit all day long .
If you want to sit and size try having the press on one side...It frees up the bench space in front of you to put things when reloading .
Gary

[BigAlofPa.]

I cut 3 2x8's to adjust height with. Today ill experiment. Decapping was murder yesterday. I'll see how loading goes.

[RogerDat]

Different heights AND the movements required to get and place components can make a big difference. I can't stand in one place at a bench and work for too long so I sit on a bench with a back. Not perfect because my feet don't sit flat on the floor and isn't adjustable. Have considered getting a different stool for those reasons.

It can help a lot if one can get things set up so none of the movements of reloading require bending, reaching, or twisting. Or at least reduce it a lot. Start with at what height are your arms comfortable working? I can only really get comfortable with arms working fairly low, closer to belly button than chest. Even bottom of ribs height will cause faster fatigue.

I think it helps to have to have area on bench around press cleared so you can position brass, bullets, loading block(s) etc. in different spots until you find the one that works best, then having the space clear to always place the same component so it is positioned the same. I once couldn't figure out why my shoulder was getting sore so fast. Turned out that having the brass in a plastic storage box was forcing me to reach higher over the front edge to reach the brass than I normally had to reaching into a storage bin with a mostly open front end. That little change was causing me grief.

[BigAlofPa.]

Success with adding 2 blocks of wood. I ran 100 9mm in 1 sitting. A little discomfort. But not near as much as before. Yeah i put all my brass in empty dip containers in front of me. I put the primers in the lid. The bullets i load most i have in bins near me in easy reach. Any that are not close by i use another container.

[RogerDat]

Success with adding 2 blocks of wood. I ran 100 9mm in 1 sitting. A little discomfort. But not near as much as before. Yeah i put all my brass in empty dip containers in front of me. I put the primers in the lid. The bullets i load most i have in bins near me in easy reach. Any that are not close by i use another container.

Glad to hear you are having success. Sometimes a small change can pay big dividends in terms of ease or comfort.

[georgerkahn]

Perhaps a off-the-wall solution, but I set up an old Pacific press to be exclusively used for decapping brass. Kind of OCD this way, from the Pacific the brass goes to the wet tumbler... my loading presses don't get contaminated with powder residue.

After a session or two -- primarily as I needed kind of squench over to the right to operate handle, as I inserted/removed cases, my back really started to bother. As I load in a cement-floored basement, subject to water seepage, I have many short lengths of scrap wood to place things on, rather than directly on cement floor.

Cutting right to the chase, for kicks and giggles I put a strip of 1/2" plywood UNDER the two left legs of my chair. WHAT A GREAT DIFFERENCE! Just that little rise on chair's left side apparently changed the geometry of my movements such that -- e.g., I decapped about 400 cases on one session last week -- with nary a problem.

Sometimes a wee change makes a huge difference.... good luck in your challenge!

geo

[RogerDat]

If god blesses us with age I guess it makes sense along with it would come some creative wisdom and stubborn persistence in finding solutions.

shim under chair - another idea to try. Makes me wonder if such an arrangement with less shim on the floor might allow me to stand for longer periods at a bench?

[Sig556r]

body condition (built, fitness, age, injury, etc.) dictates apt ergonomics for repetitive motion...attentiveness to comfort, posture or any consequent soreness will fine tune specific optimal position just for you...