When a bad back makes the decisions for you.

[JBOGAN]

I have had lower back pain a few times the past seven years but last weekend i developed a pinched nerve.Just as i was planning on using swamp coolers for Summer brewing before i build my fermentation chamber..Guess i will bypass the swamp coolers now as i cannot see myself filling up tubs with water and switching in and out frozen bottles.Nor can i see myself strictly bottling because we all know what a chore that is.So now i have to put off my double brew weekend for a month or two and get some help to build my fermentation chamber.Coming from a guy who loves to work alone whilst building this will be a humble and tough pill to swallow.

The big letdown of it all is i was planning on brewing my first two all original All Grain brews

 

[unionrdr]

I know the feeling. I have a bad L2 disc & bad hip joints. Got worked too hard for too long. Had to retire at 50 for medical reasons. I love tuner cars,but can't hardly work on it anymore. Let alone the heavy lifting in brewing. I've got that down to a minimum,but I still have a couple clean jerks to do. Full bottling buckets & kettles of wort mostly at this point.
I came up with a system to sit down & bottle in a chair with everything in arm's reach. I did a video on my youtube channel about it.

 

[Varmintman]

Like you and Unionrdr I have a bum back. Fused and metal rods put in. You learn how to overcome lots of things though. My brew/bottling day may go longer than most but I get it done.

You will just have to find what works for you when you brew or do anything and then run with it. Of course there are many days that you will not be able to do much at all and those days are the hardest to deal with.

Good luck man

 

[stpug]

I totally feel your pain - literally. After tweaking my back a couple months ago I'm looking at maybe brewing this weekend (of course, I've thought this for the past 2 weekends also so we'll see how it pans out). It's definitely a bummer to not brew but at least good weather is creeping in so you can get some sun and do things outdoors to take your mind off of brewing.

Not that it's much help, but you can do a "wet cloth and fan" swamp cooler. The only effort involved is re-wetting your cloth twice a day or so (I use a dish towel but I've heard of lots of people using a T-shirt). Wet down you cloth and put it on your fermenter with your fan pointed at it - the evaporative cooling helps bring down the fermentation temperature.

Of course, the hard part in brewing with a bad back is the lifting/moving of full fermenters. This is where it can be handy to have a friendly neighbor or someone you can call over to help move them.

Keep up good spirits and it'll get better. Speaking of good spirits, I find that Gin and Tonics work wonders in hot weather

 

[JBOGAN]

Thank you for the good word guys.I really try my hardest not to think about it because it at times becomes really depressing.Like alot of home brewers i have other hobbies and such and they kind of keep me sane.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Pulleys don't fix everything, but can fix a LOT.

 

[JBOGAN]

Pulleys don't fix everything, but can fix a LOT.

Lol....the day i tweaked my back i went online looking for hand trucks that could be used almost like a scissor jack.

 

[Rbeckett]

JBOGAN,
Dude, don't let a minor back issue end your career. I am confined to a wheelchair and I have managed to build a brew stand that allows me to do all grain brews with no lifting at all. If your really a home brewer at heart you too will engineer a solution to your "opportunity" and overcome the hurdles along the way. I was shocked when I got sick. I was a 260 Lb iron worker just back from 2 years in the desert of Iraq doing heavy truck and armor repairs. Went to 155 Lbs in just 97 days, lost both of my Kidneys, discs in my back exploded, I had an infection in my blood, and I blew out my aorta. So, If I can figger it out, then I am positive you can too. All it takes is a little dedication and a "Frigg it, I aint givin in" attitude. Every day since I had the transplant of my aorta from a dead guy, I have tried to live large enough to cover me and him both. You can do this...... I did and still do everyday!!!!

Wheelchair Bob

 

[swackattack]

We that's pretty inspirational Bob.

At only 28 (but with 20 years of competitive wrestling/judo) I have a bad back. I've been amazed how much a Brewstand and pump has shortened and made me really enjoy brewing.

 

[stpug]

JBOGAN,
Dude, don't let a minor back issue end your career. I am confined to a wheelchair and I have managed to build a brew stand that allows me to do all grain brews with no lifting at all. If your really a home brewer at heart you too will engineer a solution to your "opportunity" and overcome the hurdles along the way. I was shocked when I got sick. I was a 260 Lb iron worker just back from 2 years in the desert of Iraq doing heavy truck and armor repairs. Went to 155 Lbs in just 97 days, lost both of my Kidneys, discs in my back exploded, I had an infection in my blood, and I blew out my aorta. So, If I can figger it out, then I am positive you can too. All it takes is a little dedication and a "Frigg it, I aint givin in" attitude. Every day since I had the transplant of my aorta from a dead guy, I have tried to live large enough to cover me and him both. You can do this...... I did and still do everyday!!!!

Wheelchair Bob

Very inspiration Bob!! I've been working over ideas in my head regarding a no-lift brew rig that fits my space. I'd love to get an idea of what you ended up doing because it may just help me nail down some key/missed points. The gist of what I'm considering is an electric single level brewstand sitting atop a multi-compartment, variable-temperature fermentation chamber. All movement of liquid would be by inline pump (HLT to MLT to BK), gravity (BK to fermenters), or vacuum/push pump (fermenter to keg). I'm hoping that the only real lifting of full volumes will be from keg into kegerator (about 1 foot). We'll see - it's a long term project

 

[25518]

I feel your pains. Except wheelchair bob. That is a different world. Man. I just have a pulled muscle from 8 years ago. 12-26-05.

 

[MaltnHops]

The last time that I brewed, I lifted my mash tun with about 26 pounds of grain and 10 gallons of water in it (about 120 lbs if you include the weight of the MT), from the floor to a table at just below chest level height. I didn't feel it at the time, but right as the boil was starting I started getting lower back pains. By that night I had sharp pains shooting from my lower back and down the back of both legs to my feet! I've had sciatica before and knew that I pinched the nerve again.

I've now got a pump and am looking forward to brewing soon.

 

[unionrdr]

You're supposed to lift with your legs,but with a bad back & hips,I had to go back to doing a clean jerk to lift full kettles & bottling buckets.

 

[MaltnHops]

Yeah, I know. I did use my legs to get it waist high and then used my arms and back to get it that last bit. I'm sure that's when I hurt myself.

 

[JBOGAN]

I had no idea my back was shot until I got into the car after walking around the farmers market for an hour.Went to slide into the car. And said"This is going to hurt".Sometimes it just hits you out of no where.

 

[passedpawn]

Throw some money at it. I went to pumps when my back decided to check out. L5/S1, MRIs say they are kaput.

I still do a lot, but my dead-lifting limits went way down. Get a pump, connections, tubing, and spend some money on automation, or quit. I wouldn't be brewing right now if I didn't have a pump, that's for sure.

 

[25518]

When you brewsters say L5, L1, L8. Are you speaking of your spine?

 

[pdxal]

There is no L8, but the other ones are bones in your spine. Discs are usually referred to as something like L4/5 because they are between those bones. BTW, "pulled muscles" don't last 8 years, you probably have something else going on.

 

[ColoHox]

I'm only 28 and degenerative spinal arthritis tries to run my life. If I stay active it is managable, but staying active hurts...my catch 22. Strong homebrewed beer and the occasional percoset go a long way.

 

[JBOGAN]

Was already told by the SWMBO that i am not to brew while she is out of town during memorial day weekend.I may be just ignorant and bullheaded enough to dis obey her orders.Need to keep the pipeline going...

 

[Varmintman]

I use a gallon pitcher when I brew along with my computer chair....A lot. I will dip the pitcher into the wort to transfer it when ever it needs transfered and then use my chair with rollers to push full fermenters around.

You will find ways around everything that you do in your life. For instance I have a generator that I take up camping that weighs about 150 pounds. No way in heck I can lift that bad boy but I can lift half of it so I put a brick under one side then go and lift the other side. Pretty soon I have it high enough to roll into the bed of my pickup.

Things take longer with a bad back but they can still get done with a little thinking.

 

[forstmeister]

Bad cervical spine here. My doctor wants to fuse everything from C3-C7. Somedays the pain is the worst thing ever and some days it's barely noticeable. Even worse is the radiculitis and severe arthritis that pinches nerves in my neck and shuts down my arms occasionally.

My brew days are fewer and further between than I'd like but as everyone has said, work smart-not hard. You will figure it out and make great beer despite your crickity back.

 

[25518]

There is no L8, but the other ones are bones in your spine. Discs are usually referred to as something like L4/5 because they are between those bones. BTW, "pulled muscles" don't last 8 years, you probably have something else going on.

It's a muscle in my lower back. Certain things will re aggrevate It. I've had x-rays, somtimes the slightest action will bring shooting pains or put me out for a months time. Sneezing hurts so much. I know it's not a nerve or spine. I constantly feel it. Wish I knew why, how to really fix it besides chiropractor every week. That I can't afford. Got beer to make.
Pulled, twisted muscle. All pain.

 

[unionrdr]

That's kinda like me. My Quadraceps pull on my bad hip joints,making walking or standing too long a royal pain. With the muscles connecting my lumbar around to my rear hip area,the whole mess gets really painfull. Gout's not helping any either. I worked hard all my life for this?!

 

[25518]

I understand. I was 27 when I tweaked mine. How did you hurt your hips?

 

[ICWiener]

L5/S1, MRIs say they are kaput.

Same here. MRI looked like my spine was blowing a bubble. I had surgery on it 2 years ago. Still have half a numb foot, but the pain is manageable. Just have to be careful. Brewhaulers are key.

When you brewsters say L5, L1, L8. Are you speaking of your spine?

Yeah, those are the names of your vertebrae by location. In simple terms: C1-C7 is your neck, T1-T12 is your upper back, L1-L5 is your lower back, and S1-S5 is your butt.

That concludes today's half-ass anatomy lesson.

 

[unionrdr]

Well,I messed up my L2 disc in the Ford foundry at age 23. My hips went out a year ago last Feb 19th because of repetitive motion injuries about 10 years before ergonomics came along that required multi-spindle run down guns & the like to be properly balanced & more easilly moveable. I had to lean into this 5' multi-spindle run down gun for the 4.9L I6 head bolts. Screwed up my hips trying to move that monstrosity,let alone balance it against all the head bolts at once to run them down. That was from the mid-70's to about 1990. The youngins nowadays have it easier in that respect after we got after the company to tweak this stuff. Too little too late.

 

[25518]

Well,I messed up my L2 disc in the Ford foundry at age 23. My hips went out a year ago last Feb because of repetitive motion injuries about 10 years before ergonomics came along that required multi-spindle run down guns & the like to be properly balanced & more easilly moveable. I had to lean into this 5' multi-spindle run down gun for the 4.9L I6 head bolts. Screwed up my hils trying to move that monstrisity,let alone balance it against all the head bolts at once to run them down. That was from the mid-70's to about 1990. The youngins nowadays have it easier in that respect after we got after the company to tweak this stuff. Too little too late.

Ouch. Sorry.

 

[unionrdr]

It's ok,I don't mind telling my story so the kids nowadays will get a better education. That way,they can use their mind instead of their backs & wind up like me...

 

[Varmintman]

Well,I messed up my L2 disc in the Ford foundry at age 23. My hips went out a year ago last Feb 19th because of repetitive motion injuries about 10 years before ergonomics came along that required multi-spindle run down guns & the like to be properly balanced & more easilly moveable. I had to lean into this 5' multi-spindle run down gun for the 4.9L I6 head bolts. Screwed up my hips trying to move that monstrosity,let alone balance it against all the head bolts at once to run them down. That was from the mid-70's to about 1990. The youngins nowadays have it easier in that respect after we got after the company to tweak this stuff. Too little too late.

Just because I have a warped and twisted mind and know in order to keep the heads from warping and twisting how does that head bolt gun work. Are all of the sockets synchronized and set for a specific torque or does it do one bolt at a time in increments.

 

[unionrdr]

Just because I have a warped and twisted mind and know in order to keep the heads from warping and twisting how does that head bolt gun work. Are all of the sockets synchronized and set for a specific torque or does it do one bolt at a time in increments.

The engine is turned vertically so I could push the gun/spindles onto the head bolts to start with. I had to use my back & legs to keep the gun/spindles tight against the head bolts while it ran them down snug,then torqued them down. And all the while the line full of engines on "J" bars is moving along...gee,that was fun. NOOOT!

 

[mikescooling]

What I did in my youth I'm paying for now. Don't fear my numb footed friends (knees are shot too, and I fell through a deck) as others do, I use pumps. The only thing I have to lift is spent grain and I make lots of trips. The next pump I'm getting is going to be for the plate chiller, so I can pump up into a carboy, then later rack down into a keg.

 

[JBOGAN]

What I did in my youth I'm paying for now. Don't fear my numb footed friends (knees are shot too, and I fell through a deck) as others do, I use pumps. The only thing I have to lift is spent grain and I make lots of trips. The next pump I'm getting is going to be for the plate chiller, so I can pump up into a carboy, then later rack down into a keg.

In a light note this gives me the opportunity to buy brew equipment without my SWMBO looking at me with the"Are you really going to buy that?".I did brick work for a private contractor for seven years before my office job.In retrospect,hauling bricks up a ladder in a utility bag was most likely a poor choice.Not to mention carrying buckets of mortar and cement.Still getting a chuckle from the my numb footed friends statement.

 

[25518]

Kids think there rockstars now a days

 

[Rbeckett]

Kids think there rockstars now a days

10 Foot tall and armor plated. Wait till they figure out the price of foolishness. We all think we are stronger than we really are, and when the result of that folly finds it's way home is when we suffer the most. Most of us hurt ourselves years before we find out how badly we are hurt. Pay attention to you body signals, it will let you know when something is a bad idea. If I had paid better attention I would probably be less jacked up today, but I was young tough and dumb. Younguns just don't get it yet, hopefully they do before they do a permanent injury to themselves or another.

Wheelchair Bob

 

[25518]

I hear ya. Wheelchair Bob. Hell, I was just taking a reciver hitch off a generator at work. Felt a twinge, tweak. What ever you want to call it. By noon, I was hunched over, crooked like a ol' man.

 

[JBOGAN]

Well guys,starting to feel a lot better.Went out and bought myself a 150 dollar pair of Asics shoes and they are worth every damn penny.I am ready to brew some beer again and now i must decide which swamp cooler to build before i build a real fermentation chamber.There are three beers I have lined up,Blonde,IPA and a Tripel to enjoy for the winter.May get some guff from you guys but what is the best swamp cooler setup?

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

Goes back to that old saying, lift with your knees and not your back. As a small addendum, if you do have to hold a position that will put pressure on your lower back, do not round your back, hold your chest out and keep your back straight. It keeps pressure off your spine and discs and transfers the pressure and weight to the muscles and tendons (the muscles can regenerate, and the tendons can take quite a beating). Most back injuries occur because the person is rounding their lower back which puts a ton of pressure on the discs and bones. (I word vomit on this subject, my mom was a nurse, and is now a personal trainer so I grew up learning about this sort of stuff).

On Monday while brewing, I bought, and was learning how to use my first outdoor propane burner for brewing (yay first all-grain and first full volume boil), and didn't realize I had a regulator for the propane, so my way of preventing boil over was my natural first response on anything, add muscle and lift the pot with 7 gallons of water in it to slow the boil. Granted the above mentioned personal trainer mom, hero worship of Arnold Schwarzenegger (pre-baby sitter escapades arnold), and a younger brother who is big on lifting weights, has given me a strong lower back from dead lifting like a mad man. My lower back is still rather stiff even with decent form.

I realize this sounds like bragging, but I am going bald at 28, and I look like my dad did when he was 28 (he had a much more awesome mustache than me). But for those of us that are in danger in the future, or are young enough to take precautions, another reason to get in the gym and exercise, it'll help you move heavy carboys and fermenting buckets full of delicious beer around easier and much safer.

 

[unionrdr]

I'm at the point where over the holiday weekend,I bottled a batch Saturday,cleaned up after it Sunday morning. Also brewed another batch Sunday as well. Cleaned up the kitchen aftarwards. Got the brewery cleaned up yesterday. I feel like ten miles of bad road when I try to stand up. Pop was right,those old injuries def come back to haunt you. I Too was a brain dead cromag in my youth. Knew I had to earn my living with my back. Now I'm paying for doing as much as 4 peoples' work. Now I wanna/need to work on the car or yard as usual,but can't do much. And I'm "only" 57 my wife says. Sometimes she just doesn't get it I think. Or maybe she's just trying to help psychologically...

 

[forstmeister]

I skipped brewing last weekend because my neck is in bad shape due to a loooong bike ride. Pinched a nerve in my spine and my right arm has been useless for 2 weeks now. I want to brew this weekend but may not be able still. I just got a 10 gallon SS pot with ball valve and thermo in the mail this week too. I really want to try it out.