[CQ-Contest] Coping with Contester's Crouch

[Chet moore]

Hey Pete,

Contest Crouch??   Who knew????I thought I was the only one with that
problem.  I would barely be able to tolerate the drive back home from W3PP
after the 35 out of 48  Hours of BIC. Never got to the point of needing
electro stimulation though. Chiropractor recommend the lumbar pillow. Mine
is made by
Duro-med and I now have one in my truck, contest position and office chair.
Hmmmmmm,  wonder if obama care would provide onsite electro
Stimulation at multi multi stations?

73

Chet m4fx

-----Original Message-----
From: CQ-Contest [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of
Pete Smith N4ZR
Sent: Tuesday, March 12, 2013 3:44 PM
To: CQ Contest
Subject: [CQ-Contest] Coping with Contester's Crouch

Many of us will recognize Contester's Crouch - sitting in front of a radio
or a computer screen, head forward, shoulders hunched, ready to pounce.
It's instinctive, maybe, but not very healthy.

For the last dozen years or so, I've had a buildup of calcium on my neck
vertebrae, pressing on nerves going down to my right arm.  When I sit for a
long time - as in contests -  it can be really painful. After making lots of
compensatory changes in the ergonomics of my station over the years, this
fall was disappointingly familiar, but with a new addition - strong referred
pain in the muscles just inside my shoulder-blade on that side.

So it was back to the physical therapist again, for more traction and
electro-stimulation, but this time he suggested I try something else - a
large lumbar cushion placed vertically in the lower back of my desk chair.
Because my weight would carried on the cushion rather than where my upper
back rests against the chair, the effect would be to push my lower back
forward, and shift my shoulders back.  I had been using a small one for
driving, to help relieve some sciatica, so I figured, why not try it?

In my case, benefit was immediate and dramatic.  Where an hour or two in the
chair would produce strong pain, now I can sit for hours with no pain at
all.  I'm not about to go 44 out of 48 hours like K0DQ and others who
totally defy aging, but this way I can have all the fun I want out of
contesting, pain-free.

The particular cushion I use is by Tempur-Pedic, and is close to 3 inches
thick.  No particular brand preference here, except that the temperature
sensitive foam adjusts nicely to spread the pressure across my back.

And of course, I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV.  YMMV, etc.

-- 

73, Pete N4ZR
Check out the Reverse Beacon Network at
http://reversebeacon.net,
blog at reversebeacon.blogspot.com.
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