Thread: Back Pain from Tool Belt.

Have you tried to attach a set of braces to the belt. You can get heavy duty colourful braces that transfer a lot of the weight off the hips and back so it is supported from the shoulders.
I have found it a lot more comfortable using braces on the tool belt.

Fitness, flexibility and back strength/posture training would sort that out, unless you have some kind of permanent ligament or disc damage.

Probably not the answer you were looking for...

Originally Posted by jisk

Fitness, flexibility and back strength/posture training would sort that out, unless you have some kind of permanent ligament or disc damage.

Probably not the answer you were looking for...

Actually i prefer that answer over wearing suspenders. Do you suggest the flexibility and fitness etc from specific experience, or is it just a general suggestion?

Gotta ask... what sorta weight are you carrying in your tool-belt? How is it distributed?

ie. Do you have a belly-bag on the front with a couple of KG of nails and other tools to the hips? Is all the weight to the front?

If the weight's fairly evenly distributed around, so that most of it's carried by both hips it shouldn't be a problem. If it's all in one spot - over one hip or all to the front - then you're spine/hips are having a tug-of-war with the belt, even when you're doing nothing harder than standing upright...

I hate tool-belts, I prefer a harness. But then again, most of the times I've needed to wear one have been when I'm creeping through crawl spaces, in ceilings and under floors, and tool-belts just don't cut it there.

Im a sparky so i have 1 pouch that contains all the weight sitting over 1 hip. Havnt used a toolbelt for quiet a while because of the back problems so i just pocketed the tools i needed(most of the time pliers and a screwdriver or 2) but purchased a toolbelt again recently to give it another try. Experiencing similar pain.

So try adding another pouch on t'other hip and divvying up the weight equally to each side.

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

So try adding another pouch on t'other hip and divvying up the weight equally to each side.

Thing is, i dont need to carry a large amount of tools at any 1 time, the single pouch i have now doesnt have alot in it, and having 2 pouches would most likely get in the way more than anything. Im considering scrapping the pouch and going back to the pocket method.

Originally Posted by cross

Actually i prefer that answer over wearing suspenders. Do you suggest the flexibility and fitness etc from specific experience, or is it just a general suggestion?

Well, experience in the sense that I'm a wee bit of a fitness nut, and I've had pain caused by weaknesses before (mostly before I was a fitness nut). I work with computers, rather than in a trade.

Flexibility is important because in today's society, we seldom use our full range of motion. Over time, as our muscles (and ligaments, to a lesser extent) adapt to our individual lifestyles, they become fixed to certain ranges. If you spend a lot of time at a computer, for example, your hip muscles become shorter in the front and longer at the back (among a number of bad things), as the sitting position becomes your body's usual position. As you're a tradey, your muscles would probably have different characteristics.

Legs, abdominal, and posterior chain (hamstrings - glute - lower back) strength can make a difference to the kind of pain you're describing. The idea is that you strengthen your body to the point where the load carried in your toolbelt is minor compared to the work loads in the gym.

Also, what Skew says is right about a single sided tool belt. Even if you've only got a couple of kilos in a tool belt that's hanging off one hip all day, every day, you're going to get pain. If you can't distribute the weight evenly, then alternate the side the toolbelt is on each hour or so, and take it off for smoko.

I really would recommend going to see a decent physiotherapist if you're serious about getting this sorted out. They would be able to identify the problem, give you corrective exercises and advice and get you sorted out. Watch out for bad physios though - I went to one that was a complete waste of time before I found a good place. Don't bother with chiropractors or osteopaths either.

Thanks for the replies, i will certainly look into some exercises to strengthen the back and hips. The pain in the short term doesnt worry me 2 much, its more of a discomfort in the hip than a shooting pain. Its more the long term damage that worries me from the wear and tear.

Been experimenting with wearing the pouch in different positions and found that wearing the belt up higher more around my stomach has opposed to around the hips keeps the weight from hanging down on one side so much and feels more comfortable when walking etc. Ive snapped a couple of pics of how i used to wear it and the new way, any reasons why wearing it like this would cause problems?

Old Way
New Way

Thanks.

Guess it all depends where you are working. If its around your own workshop, there isn't really any need to wear a tool belt. I haven't done it yet but been meaning to make a wheel around table/tool box so I can keep my tools close to me wherever I am working.Could also put items on it that are required for the project I would be working on, such as hinges, screws etc. I have a habit of putting things down after use and takes me 10 minutes to find it when I am working in the shed so this idea would help me in that respect too if I put the tool back on the table/tool box its got to be on there somewhere.
I will get round to it one day. I call it a table come tool box because I would make it the same height as a table so no bending..

Originally Posted by cross

Been experimenting with wearing the pouch in different positions and found that wearing the belt up higher more around my stomach has opposed to around the hips keeps the weight from hanging down on one side so much and feels more comfortable when walking etc. Ive snapped a couple of pics of how i used to wear it and the new way, any reasons why wearing it like this would cause problems?

Old Way
New Way

Thanks.

Yep, physics. When it's down low, more of the force is pulling away from your hips, which are the weak joint. When it's up higher, the force is pulling downwards relative to the hips. Your midsection at that height is much stronger than the hip area.

I've been using braces for about 3 yrs now and not only do they distribute the weight better they also stop pulling your pants down all the time.