Back Pain While Shooting..anyone else?

[Savva Svet]

So here's a weird question.

Does anyone else have back pain after shooting for a few hours?

Handheld in particular, but even on a tripod in awkward positions.

My back gives out after about 2 hours of shooting, to the point where I have to do some back stretches and massages to bring it back to normal.

Any suggestions? Besides going to a chiropractor? =)

Or does it come with the job or being an operator?

 

[Noel R.]

http://www.easyrig.com/. Probably the best thing to use after staying young or exercise.

 

[Robert Hart]

Holding or bracing into fixed postures gives muscles and joints untrained to the exercise a workout. At my age, infrequency of tasking and let me admit it, general lack of dedicated intent to be fit, after two day's worth, I feel that letting the truck give me a massage would be the humane alternative. Day Three is knucklewalking day and Day Four not as bad. I try to remember to do some build-up before an infrequent project but that's when incipient Alzheimers kicks in and I forget.

 

[Steve G]

One word...... Pilates.

I had a v bad back accident at start of career in 1994. Accident on a boat in heavy seas with camera on shoulder resulted in a laminectomy on L5 S1 disc in back. Off work for 6 months with no compensation.

Not many camera people without some kind of back issue.

 

[Savva Svet]

I don't suppose all the wrestling and dead lifts in highschool/college will make it better on the back. =)

Will look into the EZ-Rig, I've used them before but never considered it as an alternative to handheld. I consider both options, EZ-Rig and Handheld, as (2) separate artistic "visions", each giving their own unique look.

And yes, I will sign up to some "Pilates on Youtube" courses.

 

[Timur Civan]

Yea I get pain. B if the camera is balanced, it tends to be a lot less. A front heavy camera is the biggest killer.

 

[Jeff Whitehurst]

Core strength is the key. It seems so simple now, but I asked an expert about this. Your upper body is pretty heavy and exerts a bunch of torque on your midsection, while being supported by a very specific group of muscles. When you are "poised", either hunched over a tripod or going handheld, you put all that weight on a pretty small area. You have to train those core muscles to make them strong enough for the job. Also helped me to realize I was holding my breath too much trying to remain steady for the shot. You have to give your muscles oxygen, because lack of oxygen is what triggers the pain response.

 

[Savva Svet]

Perhaps we should put a kick starter together for a universal shoulder set up for production cameras that will "relieve any and all back pain", seeing as this is more common issue than I thought. :smilewinkgrin:

 

[Hans Engstrom]

I don't suppose all the wrestling and dead lifts in highschool/college will make it better on the back. =)

For me deadlifts, backraises and chins where the best medecine. My back used to be really really bad and I couldn´t sleep during the nights. Lifting at the gym made a big difference and now I feel great as long as I don´t skip going to the gym.