Art Process
Written By Agy Lee
Family and friends who have know me will know that I have a back problem. I have scoliosis - its an abnormal curvature of the spine that causes my upper body to look a little lop-sided (if you look carefully!). I think of it as a fluke of nature, and have learned to live with it, but I am wary of slouching in front of the TV when I could be doing some back strengthening activities! I also avoid physically demanding activities that could lead to back pain, try to sit up as straight as possible, and monitor myself for any deterioration of the spine.
Since starting my textile art journey, I’ve been experiencing some muscle aches in my upper back, and sometimes even numb hands. IT gets worse when I’m on a tight deadline and need to spend days stitching non-stop!
Can Sewing Cause Back Pain?
Why Do My Hands & Wrists Hurt When I Embroider?
I’ve never thought of sewing as a physically demanding activity. Sitting on a chair and moving fabric through a sewing machine, or doing hand embroidery work in a hoop, sounds less backbreaking than lifting weights at the gym! I googled and found that the back muscles tense up and don’t get a chance too relax because we tend to stay in the same position as we sew. And the hand pain is a result of the tendons becoming inflamed and in turn causes pain and stiffness in the joints, namely fingers and wrists.
And there is a name for this pain - "Repetitive Strain Injury, RSI". It can happen to any part of the body, but mostly shoulders, arms and hands. The last time I experienced such pain was when I was breastfeeding and holding my baby. I had my arms in the same position for long periods without any rest, and I definitely was not sitting up properly either.
Regardless of what we do in our lives, I really think we should take care of our bodies. Nothing is worse than finishing a piece of work and having aches and pains all over. I found this set of sewing machine operators in factories have health and safety guidelines, which is amazing, so I think we should adhere to some too! Here are some things that I do to at least minimise, or alleviate the pain.
#1 Sit up straight!
Maintain good posture: I sometimes find myself hunching over the sewing machine especially when I am doing very tiny stitches - I just want to make sure I’m sewing correctly. This can even happen during hand embroidery work. Sitting up straight with your feet flat on the floor is what is advised so that the shoulders are relaxed. I found that hunching over the sewing machine or embroidery hoop was probably an indication my eyesight was getting worse - time to go the opticians!
#2 get the right height
Adjust your sewing machine: Most work desks or tables have a standard height of 28 inches/ 71cm to 30 inches / 79cm, and there was once a situation where I had a sewing session where the desk used was lower than this that I ended up having to hunch up my back to suit the situation. It’s important to make sure your sewing machine is at the right height for you. Your arms should be at a comfortable angle when you're sewing. If your machine is too low, you may need to prop it up with books or a block. If on the other hand, you are unable to adjust the table height, then it might be good to get an adjustable ergonomic chair.
Adjust embroidery hoop: If I am using a handsfree embroidery stand for hand embroidery work, I make sure that it’s still at a suitable height that I’m not slouched over it. If it’s not then I place it on books for extra height.
#3 take a rest
Take breaks: Free motion embroidery and hand embroidery involve a lot of repetitive motions that forces us to hold our bodies in the same position for extended periods of time. This puts a strain on our muscles so it's important to take breaks and stretch them periodically so that they can relax and heal. Get up and walk around, do some gentle stretches (see point #7 below) or exercises. Set a timer to remind yourself to take a break every hour or so. I like to listen to short 20 minute podcasts when I sew, and when they finish, it’s an indicator for me to get up for a walk and look at greenery or things in the distance, or even get a cup of tea!
#4 Get good back support
Use a supportive chair: I use a black foldable IKEA chair in my home studio, but I realised it’s not conducive for any type of sewing or embroidery work. I have now switched this out for a dining chair and bought a good back support cushion that allows me to sit comfortably for long periods. With hand embroidery work, it is very tempting to slouch on the sofa, but sofas were not designed ergonomically for embroidery work!
#5 work in a well-lit area
Adjust lighting: It’s always tempting to just rely on the light of your sewing machine when doing free motion embroidery - I’ve actually done this when sewing at night time! But that’s not good because I ended up with eye strain and back pain. Purchasing a good enough desk lamp to illuminate my work surface was the best thing I did. I positioned it on my desk without casting shadows on the work space. Nowadays, I limit my sewing work to day time when I get a lot natural light streaming into the room and light up the work area.
#6 Get Ergonomic
Use ergonomic tools: I have found certain tools that are able to reduce the strain on my body. Some are probably already in your home!
Rotary cutters - better than using a pair of tailor scissors especially if you’re cutting up large pieces of fabric. I didn’t think they were great tools until a friend said that the cutting is not in the hands but in moving your body!! I personally love the Olfa brand.
Non-slip mat for the sewing machine foot pedal - you can make your own, but I decided to use the silicone jar gripper pads I have in the kitchen. The mat prevents your foot pedal from running away as you sew so you maintain the correct posture while sewing.
Hands-free embroidery hoop - I think these are heaven sent as you don’t have to juggle holding the hoop and creating stitches at the same time! Get one that suits your needs.
Back support cushion or an ergonomic chair - you’re going to be sitting down for quite a while, and it’s important to find one that’s comfortable, yet supports your back.
Use wrist support - I have not tried this but according to a few friends (see image below), it works for them. The support is supposed to provide some compression and relieve the wrist of pain.
Hot pack or hot water bottle - not really an ergonomic tool, but are a fave of mine especially before bedtime just to relax those muscles before I go to sleep.
#7 do some beneficial exercises!
Yes, it might sound counter intuitive but it's not. I followed these exercises by Dr. Jo (see video below) and with the right stretching and relaxation, my wrists were feeling much better. I think it is great that Dr. Jo also takes you through exercising the whole upper body too. My favourites are the monkey-like swinging and doing the spider hands - that’s so tension relieving! Thank you to Stella from Australia for sending this video to me.
Another favourite that I do but that’s not in the video is standing up straight against the wall and making sure the shoulders are up against the wall. I then repeatedly slowly squeeze the shoulder blades together holding for 5 and then releasing. I learnt this from my dad’s physiotherapist who said my dad needed to strengthen his upper back muscles to prevent even more slouching!
Do you have any tips? Let me know.
Hand, wrist, neck and shoulder stretches and exercises for artists
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Agy Lee
