# Sore back when cutting



## Konrad Mad (Apr 29, 2015)

Hey guys, I know a lot of you guys have probably experienced this problem. When I am using my MS290, bending over and cutting logs on the ground, my lower back starts to get very sore and tired after about 20/30 minutes. 

Are there any exercises/workouts you guys have done to strengthen your back and help in this situation?


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## Rookie1 (Apr 29, 2015)

Put a longer bar on your saw so you dont have to bend over as far.Ive got bad discs in my back and if I bend over too long it bothers me. Doc says I need to stretch but never do.


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## Konrad Mad (Apr 29, 2015)

Rookie1 said:


> Put a longer bar on your saw so you dont have to bend over as far.Ive got bad discs in my back and if I bend over too long it bothers me. Doc says I need to stretch but never do.



Well I wanna keep my 290 bar the same length


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## Trx250r180 (Apr 29, 2015)

Like was said ,a 28 inch light bar will give some more reach so not hunched over ,just because have a long bar does not mean all of it will be used ,a 28 inch light bar weighs close to what a reg 20 inch bar does .


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## ChoppyChoppy (Apr 29, 2015)

Vicodine works pretty well...


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## DR. P. Proteus (Apr 29, 2015)

Yer back hurts!? Really? No way! Honest? Wow, that is strange. What else ya got?


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## TheJollyLogger (Apr 29, 2015)

290 won't throw enough oil for a 28. 
As far as your back goes, welcome to treework. Best thing to do is trade that 290 for a 460. You'll cut your run time in half.


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## BC WetCoast (Apr 29, 2015)

Bend you knees and don't bend over so much. If I'm doing a lot of cutting to firewood size, I'll just put one knee on the ground, that way you can keep your back straighter. 

Do your stretches every morning.


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## Cheesecutter (Apr 29, 2015)

Repeated forward bending can squish the jelly-like fluid in the cushions between your discs out of place. Occasionally putting your hands on your hips and bending backward may help. You would be surprized how much a Doctor will charge for that little bit of info.  I also use the one knee method or prop one or both ends of the log up in the air.


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## Brushpile (Apr 29, 2015)

> Are there any exercises/workouts you guys have done to strengthen your back and help in this situation?


 Cut more wood!
No but seriously, bend your knees. Takes pressure off the spine and moves it in your legs where muscle takes over the load. Also lowers your center of gravity, transfers strength to your upper torso.


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## JRoland (Apr 30, 2015)

I agree with either getting a larger saw, so the saw is doing the work without you having to bend over as far. Working in the woods for me took some trial and error to get the saw size/ bar length that I was most comfortable with that left me in the best shape at the end of the day.
In the meantime, I would suggest thinking and planning the cuts and your position for cutting to put less stress on your body.


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## lone wolf (Apr 30, 2015)

Konrad Mad said:


> Hey guys, I know a lot of you guys have probably experienced this problem. When I am using my MS290, bending over and cutting logs on the ground, my lower back starts to get very sore and tired after about 20/30 minutes.
> 
> Are there any exercises/workouts you guys have done to strengthen your back and help in this situation?


Lots of sit ups.


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## Marshy (Apr 30, 2015)

lone wolf said:


> Lots of sit ups.


How does sit-ups strengthen your back? Quite the opposite in fact. Strengthen your back with back extensions and the core with plank exercises.


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## _RJ_ (Apr 30, 2015)

Where are you cutting these logs? i.e. house, forest, customer... If you have the ability to put them in a sawbuck that would help tremendously. Even a peavey with a log stand would help a little.


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## lone wolf (Apr 30, 2015)

Marshy said:


> How does sit-ups strengthen your back? Quite the opposite in fact. Strengthen your back with back extensions and the core with plank exercises.


It works fine for me. Weak abs make you prone to back injuries.

*The Back Muscles and Abs: Roles and Responsibilities*
The bones of the spine provide the supporting frame for the back. Connected to this frame is an intricate system of muscles and ligaments that increase the strength and stability of the spine, arms and legs.
The abdominal muscles and back muscles are key components of this muscular network, and provide the strength to keep the body upright and for movement. When these core muscles are in poor condition, additional stress is applied to the spine as it supports the body, and back injury or back pain is more likely.


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## Marshy (Apr 30, 2015)

Unbalanced muscle groups (abdominal/back) will cause back pain as well. So over strengthening abdominal a can be counter productive. Of course being over weight could lead to back issues and should be addressed first.


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## Brushwacker (Apr 30, 2015)

I have had plenty of fairly serious back pain triggered cutting in the past. I can tell you what worked for me the best and for the most part is not using an 18" bar especially on a dull or half way sharp Husky. Seems like the angled handle bar on Huskies disagree with my build and technique when cutting and bucking up fire wood. 24" and up feel OK on the huskies to me, but bucking fire wood I still feel more comfy with Stihls. 18" on stihls I don't care for either. For some reason 16" and shorter don't hurt me like 18" does. I guess I have a defect in my spine that the 18" triggers the pain from the position it causes me to take. 20" on Stihls feel good on my back, 22"to 24" the best. My most used saws making 16" fire wood are an 034 20" and 044 22", I can cut many hours without back pain most of the time. 22" bar I can stand nearly straight up and barely miss the ground and stay away from toes which is what I want. I have knicks in most of my shoes I wear much cutting and about 3/4ths are from 18" bars, mostly Husky which I use much less. Seem to line up with my toes bucking and with back hurting its harder to control when coming through bottom of the cut. 
I also at times kneel, sit, etc. to relieve the back, but I have had more severe pain from a knee and to much or long of bending it triggers it also, so standing straight with a longer bar, and I stress a sharp chain, is the best relief on my body parts while cutting I have found. An half sharp chain will keep you in the cutting position 2 times as long, and if your back doesn't like that position it will cause a lot of unnecessary pain.


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## TheJollyLogger (Apr 30, 2015)

If you're nicking boots your body positioning is way off. Could be contributing to the back pain as well.


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## Brushwacker (Apr 30, 2015)

In order for my positioning to be right on always, I would have to move for every cut and my back be not bent to its tender point and there is positions I am not comfy in. May be that is where I need to be to miss my toe with the 18" bar . I don't ever remember bumping into my toe with a 20"+ bar. Humped over with an 18 for to long causes me the most pain and that pain makes it harder to have full control when its peaking and that is usually at the end of the cut. Easy to slip a little far with that kind of pain and with a Husky bar angle the path of least resistance goes toward 1 of my feet. Stihl seems to head more toward the middle. If I follow my advice, I have no problem cutting for fairly long hours. If I don't, likely my back will be hurting by the time I get to the end of the first tank of fuel.


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## Flintknapper (Apr 30, 2015)

(As circumstance permits)for logs on the ground....I use a 24" bar (for a little extra reach) and buck anything under 18" diameter starting at the lower edge of the log (undercut it). Of course... that requires that the log have the tension side on bottom (or be neutral)...but by using the top of your bar you can usually get your knee under the saw to help brace it... and the saw will be pushing back against you (acting to remove some of its weight). This also keeps the bar/chain moving away from you. I can cut MUCH longer that way. I am 60 yrs old and 6'-5" tall, so bending over a lot...is something I seek to avoid.

I'm guessing I don't need to tell you to be careful when you start your cut, not create a 'kick back' situation. Keep your chain SHARP...regardless the technique you choose. Rest when you feel yourself *getting* tired, NOT when you have exhausted yourself.

Stay safe Sir!

Flint.


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## TheJollyLogger (Apr 30, 2015)

But what is your toe doing in the plane of the cut in the first place?


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## buzz sawyer (May 1, 2015)

I've been dealing with intermittant back pain for a couple months now when walking around or standing. The pain was like muscle burning from a hard workout. Leaning over and stretching stopped the pain temporarily. Finally realized it was only when I wore jeans with a wide belt. I'm guessing the belt was too tight and cutting off blood supply. Wear elastic shorts all day and no problems. I may try suspenders. Didn't have this problem when I was 20lbs heavier.


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## ChoppyChoppy (May 1, 2015)

In the end there's going to be no right answer. Heck even just with ME there is no right answer for my back. 

I don't do much hand bucking, my back can't handle it.
(Compression wedge fracture in 2 vertebrae, 3 herniated discs and partial spinal inpingment from a fall off a roof in 2010. When I said Vicodin I wasn't kidding... heck it's 3am and I'm wide awake, my back is killing me... pretty much every night is like that.)


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## nk14zp (May 1, 2015)

Best thing for my back bucking firewood is to 8ft the wood then feed it to the processor with my hiab. Wife runs the processor.


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## ChoppyChoppy (May 1, 2015)

nk14zp said:


> Best thing for my back bucking firewood is to 8ft the wood then feed it to the processor with my hiab. Wife runs the processor.



AGREED, just I cut the logs to 20-30ft and load with a skid steer.


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## treesmith (May 3, 2015)

Foundation training by dr eric goodman, find it on yoytube, keep back straight and use hamstring and butt muscles, takes time to get used to it then it changes everything


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## Zale (May 3, 2015)

I find by telling my groundsman to do all the cutting on the ground really saves my back from hurting.


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## lone wolf (May 3, 2015)

Zale said:


> I find by telling my groundsman to do all the cutting on the ground really saves my back from hurting.


Now you are getting wiser.


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## TheJollyLogger (May 3, 2015)

Yeah, but watching most groundies cut is so painful to watch...


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## lone wolf (May 3, 2015)

TheJollyLogger said:


> Yeah, but watching most groundies cut is so painful to watch...


You got that right but a lot of them are capable. I had a pinched nerve in my lower back a few weeks ago and didnt cut but I tell you it was painful to watch the ground help cut.


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