Metal Detecting with Back Poblems

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone had any tips for metal detecting for people with back problems? I have back trouble that limits me to the amount of physical activity I can do. By the time I have dug a few holes my back starts giving me trouble. Any tips or tool suggestions that might let me stay out a little longer or should I look for another hobby?

Thanks,
Border58

I have a bad back ...degenerative disc disease for a fancy word....and misaligned spine with arthritis...

My back hurts all day every day.Its hurting right now as I type.....sometimes real bad..but I have found the more I exercise and move the better it seems...if I go a few days without digging or swinging or yard work and such it really gets aggravating...Mine is more in my middle back shoulder areas'..been that way for years sometimes my arms go to sleep from it...

So I stay active....not sure how old you are..but the older I get the better my back feels....doctor told me its because of the arthritis building up and sort of more or less joining my vertabre together in a fusion style...I am 44 and its been hurting since my early 20's....

Doc says if the lord lets me live to 60 I might feel better than I do now...Never know...

Never took a pain pill in my life and I have hurt real bad at times.(look at the side effects for pain meds and I will take the back pain)..but I find that concentrating on detecting really helps when I'm swinging...I have never limited myself to what I do, but I pay for it sometime's...

A chiropractor can do wonders for you if you get the right one...But a good detecting recovery will do more I find LOL!!!

A bad back will make your whole body ache at time's and feel like you have the flu...

You only live once I say get what you can get while you can get it...There's day's I don't feel like swinging but I do it anyway I usually find!

And I do know everyone is different with different ailments some quite severe....if you do find detecting to cause you real pain that does not go away after a few days or seems debilitating seek medical help for sure...

But I do know however bad you hurt or feel it could alway's be worse...

I had a tooth earlier this year that had broke in half and I did not get it fixed..well the nerve got exposed and I can honestly hand on heart say that one night I hurt so bad that I wished someone would have knocked me out with a lead pipe...

I know that sounds crazy and silly but till youve been there done that dont judge I say...

And I know its not as bad as it can get,,, it can alway's be worse...

Whats bad the things you dont like doing to start with like weedeating and hedge trimming and sawing logs and such is amplified 10 fold when you say to your self I hunt all day I guess I can do this all day too..I usually dont do the yard work all day I hurt to bad at least that's what i tell myself LOL!!!

Good luck hope you feel better...maybe a talk wiht the doc is in order...or a lighter machine or maybe a swingy thingy...long handle shovel can do wonders too if the site allow's...theres even some small spade shovels out now with a long handle with foot rest...Might have to tweak things to get it right...

I know a guy who has broke his back, who hunts daily alot of times .. the doctor actually told him it was great therapy to swing...



Keith



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/05/2013 11:50PM by Keith Southern.

Guess its how bad your back hurts....speaking from experience as my wife can barely bend over without severe pain and she takes pain well..seems like it runs in the family as her brother close to 80 has the same problems and now my daughter had to stop bowling this year and she is only 43. Certainly a shame as she is a natural..had a 217 average and for several years held the Pa. state record usually held by female pro's( 34 out of 36 strikes for a 845). Myself held a 200 average for several years... years ago and stopped this year as diabetic neurophaty hurts my balance and sometimes my legs hurt like the dickens but even at 75 hope to be back in the hobby as that's my addiction. Unfortunately we have to bend to retrieve our targets and unless you can get the missus to dig LOL you will have to limit yourself to short hunts or perhaps pursue another hobby. As far as chiropractors sometimes they can help but be careful as they can always hurt more than help. One wonders if those back braces they use in the trades would help. In any case Aleve does wonders but frequent use can damage your kidneys and liver so be careful with pain relievers. Wish you luck in your ventures and I certainly can't do 10 hr shifts anymore but 2 hr swinging sessions are doable so better than nothing...

One the biggest causes is being over weight and
If many people lost weight they would have much easier detecting sessions,and ultimately enjoy the hobby much more.
I am way over weight at 107 kilos which is 225lbs and at 6 feet tall am around 2 stones over weight.
I will hopefully start making my back and detecting a much more enjoyable experience in the new year.

I use a Sampson Digger. Basically a little shovel that is darn near impossible to bend. I use it to dig. It sure beats kneeling down with a Lesche. I can hunt longer and I don't get sore from digging.

Hey Dan hate to hear about your wife ,,,My mother is at times in a wheelchair/walker/crutches because of back pain...

Hate to hear your Daughter having to give up bowling ...217 is awesome!!

And yes I think it is hereditary...My Dad had a bad back though I did never heard him complain even when they operated on it...

I think it may be a real problem with alot of the population....

Everyone I know seems to suffer from it one degree or another...My brother in law is a carpenter and sometimes his goes out completely for a couple of weeks...he just cant move period.

Keith

I've been to many chiropractors, finally found one that can tell you where it hurts, just by felling your spine....then he makes the pain go away.

Earthclinic.com is a good site to look at. Apple cider vinegar (with the mother) is one that has worked for me, especially for joint pain, arthritis,etc. Heavy metal toxicity is one of the major causes for these auto-immune type ailments. I was tested by a good homeopathic doc and found to be heavy in lead toxicity, which causes low thyroid function, renal artery stenosis and other difficulty's. Started taking fulvic and humic acid, also diatomaceous earth. Has made a big difference in my life! At 56 I can dig hard for four hours before I slow down.

I pop 4 Advil at a time almost every time I go hunting. It gives me an extra couple of hours. Didn't have sore muscles until I started MDing. I must be a sadist as I love that kind of pain. lol Then it is off to the hot tub if the weather allows for 15 minutes at 103. Then there is the knees that are stiff until the pills kick in. Girl in my club uses a Swingy thing, shovel where allowed and grandkids or husband to retrieve targets. A real production. You do what you have to if you refuse to say uncle.

Watch the swingy thing as these kind of things tend to take the weight off the small muscles of your arm and transmit them to your back and legs..

Keith if I know my daughter she will be back at it next year....heck if I could bowl like her would bowl thru the pain..

Funny how I can give up bowling after years but the hobby is another thing....wonder where I can find an old golf cart to help me last longer in field...

Starting a walking program and should be good to go come Spring...

Funny you mention the golf Cart Dan..

I have a confession to make...I found a Confederate site on a golf Course in Atlanta one time and yes I did hunt it LOL!!!
Man there was some pretty Reb buttons on that course..

And speaking of golf that may be the most perfect game ever invented..well for me anyway...I love to watch it and I love to play it...Its alot like detecting...no opponent but you and the course...

Keith



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/06/2013 04:42AM by Keith Southern.

Golfing. A friend of mine has a golf ball recycling business. Goes into golf course ponds and retrieves balls. Cleans em up and resells. One pond he pulled out 17,000 balls! Now that's a lot of bad golfers out there.

possum mo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Golfing. A friend of mine has a golf ball
> recycling business. Goes into golf course ponds
> and retrieves balls. Cleans em up and resells.
> One pond he pulled out 17,000 balls! Now that's a
> lot of bad golfers out there.


Now that takes A LOT of balls!! ha ha

whigsvolt makes a good point but there's not nearly enough info from you for a comprehensive suggestion.
If weight is an issue detecting is one approach of getting it under control , but without an equal effort to attain some decent abdominal muscle tone the back problems will continue. Having a strong core isn't just an ethical/moral reference but a necessity for an active lifestyle as well. Start doing these [en.wikipedia.org] religiously ,,,,they will make a difference in only a week or two if you work at it and stay after it by constantly increasing the amount you do.

Good for him Daryl!!

treasure is where you find it ...It so seems!

Good one Del!!!

Keith