Proper positioning to avoid back pains (2)

Continued from last week

Have you been spending a lot of time sitting down? Or maybe you have another job during the day that requires you to stand or move in certain repetitive motions? Whatever you’re doing when you’re not DJing undoubtedly will affect your back and could be causing more damage impacting your DJing too.

To continually maintain a healthy lifestyle, try to sit with the bottom of your back pressed against the back of the chair rather than slouching in it. Generally, If a chair is adjustable it is worth testing to see which height works best for you as this would be a height that does not make you raise your arms at your elbows to reach the desk, but also not lowering them too much to reach it either. This will help you to keep your back straight and supported by the chair too.

Take regular breaks and move around instead of remaining in one position for too long. A simple way to do this is to set a reminder on your computer or mobile devices to ping you every 30 minutes or so. If your days are generally more active and involve standing up a lot then it’s worth taking regular time out to give your back a break.

Most DJs never think of exercises for back pain often because they’re busy socialising or preparing for their set. An average DJ spends several hours in one position, moving his or her arms in repetitive ways and potentially bending over in a way you haven’t been for most of the day. Your body won’t like that. So warm it up a little with some easy stretches that will prepare your back for your DJ gig.

You may also consider gentle twists at the waist, turning your body a few times to the left and then the right. This will help prepare your muscles and your spine too. You can also reach down with your left arm and then your right to warm up your back and its muscles while laying down doing some of these exercises. They don’t take long but can help loosen up your body a little more and make you more flexible.

In-Ear Headphones make a big difference to your posture. It’s common for DJs to wear large over-ear headphones as these used to offer the best noise cancellation for better mixing but this leads to all sorts of odd postures, pressing the headphone between your ear and your raised shoulder. Some professional DJs with years of experience wear them over one ear but this also tends to cause interesting postures as you lean into the monitor speaker.

There’s an easy solution. Wear professional in-ear headphones instead. Place them in both ears rather than just one. Your mixer is likely to have a cue/master mixer control which lets you hear your master track and your preview track at the same time with an adjustable volume too. This will not only stop any silly postures but also help protect your ears which is very important.

Back supports are a considerable option that helps support your back and give you a better posture. They are excellent for keeping your body more upright while easing the pain. To improve on the back pain you’ve been experiencing, be sure to monitor your posture when you’re mixing and try not to bend over the decks. It might look cool but it’s not good for you. Remember to exercise, warm-up and maybe try in-ear headphones too.

My recommended party pace pusher for this week is BigTril – Parte After Parte