Question about becoming a machinist and having a back injury

So when I wasn't in the army I hurt my back. I got out early on a medical retirement. I've been out for a couple years, but I'm having issues finding a career that's not sitting at a computer. I'm a craftsman at heart and it would drive me nuts being stuck at a desk all day.
I went to a vocational program that the VA has set up for disabled vets, and was told that being a machinist was not a viable option. But I've also been told by other people that I could probably do it.
I just want to hear some opinions of guys that have been in the field. I have issues lifting heavier weight constantly throughout the day. Awkward positions and getting down on the ground are a issue I found out when I did a HVAC job for a few months and had to quit because my back couldn't handle it. Thanks any advice you guys may have for me.

It's going to depend a lot on the shops you apply to, those in heavy industries like CAT or oilfield equipment will likely be too strenuous. But there's a lot of small work that's done, including 1" and below screw machine work. You might have issues bending over machines, but good sense and cooperation from other workers should make that manageable.

It might be a good idea to check out the voc-tech option again, and give yourself a chance at the work. That's the easiest way to find out if you really like it, and if your body can take the effort. If you get resistance politely push through it. You're your best advocate, and you've earned all the support you can get.

Good luck!

You could probably do it if you learn to block out the pain.

Whatever you do, don't start poppin pills for your back. That's the worst thing you could do with your life.

Yeah I've been avoiding pills like the plague don't want ant to I be like Ike that

Much depends on the nature of your back injury. There's work on all levels and the machinist's trade and affiliated skills covers about half the human activity of maintenance and manufacturing

Many shops require younger fit people for the unavoidable heavy work A small parts shop may not deal in weight handling but holding position in a slight stoop as when attending a machine tool might be out of the question for you. Jobs where you move around requiring few or no fixed postures worked the best for me and my particular miseries.

Have you considered toolmaking? Instrument making? Model making(that is, if 3D printing hasn't scuppered the trade)? There's also parts and sales, design and prototype building, field service, equipment service and staging for millwright outfits. There's tons of stuff where you can get your hands dirty and actually accomplish something but you might have to shake all the bushes o find them..

Your search starts with assessing what you can safely do and match your restricted abilities to a likely way to earn a living. Be flexible.

Good luck, Bub.

Speaking as one who has lived with lower back pain and problems for 40 odd years, I can honestly say that if you want a pain free occupation, then machining is not the job for you.

I've been in machining most of my working life, because it's what I do, and over the last 20 odd years have ''coped'' but little more, ........I make enough to support myself but only live on modest means and would have found reliably supporting a wife and family next to impossible.

You're young, and by the sound of things not fully trained in machining, so I would advise you look elsewhere.

As others have said - stay off the pain killers.

Sorry if this isn't the answer you wanted to hear, but I wish you well.

Take care

Sami

If your avoiding them then you must not need them and I don't see why you couldn't get a job at most machine shops. Just don't go crazy doing anything to strenuous that could make your little back ache a big pain.

I agree with Sami. Engineering and having back trouble are not good bedfellows. I did my back when I was in my mid thirties. I've had back problems off and on ever since then. There have been times when it didn't bother me much and then I'd do something stupid and I'd be back to square one.

Regards Tyrone

I too agree with sami, but backs in my experience affect different people very differently if standing and light lifting through out a whole day are not a issue to you the lighter weight side of engineering should pose little issue.

If reaching into machines with a few kilo's of parts is a problem then yeah its not the game for you, but if its just crawling around in HVAC is the issue then yeah it could well be fine. Personally i could not imagine anyone with a bad back doing any of the HVAC, plumbing, electrical or carpentry - carpet fitting etc type trades.

I am 32 at the moment and been working since I was 17. Never really had back problems in the beginning... AT LEAST I THOUGHT SO!

About 2 years into working, remember I was an apprentice and got all the crappy work of lifting things and so on, I lifted something that wasn't overly heavy (it's a while ago but guessing about 40kg) and landed up actually stuck in a crouched position because I couldn't move from the pain. Off to the doc and got a injection in my butt and it felt better. At the time I played quite a bit of soccer and after about a week it felt like I had really damaged my hamstring somehow on the field. I could walk and run but every time I lifted my leg it felt like someone was stabbing me in my hamstring. Worked through the pain for about a month and a half till I eventually went back to the doc. Went for the butt injection DAILY and they sent me for all forms of tests,even a very weird shock thing that looks at nerve reaction, and they figured out that I had a bit of scoliosis that was in fact causing the leg pain and also my back pain because the nerves were getting crunched up every time I over exerted my back.

Doc told me that I had to take it easy and start learning how to lift things properly and stand properly as not to put strain on the affected areas. Also suggested a line of work that would put less strain on it. I wasn't willing to change careers since I had actually only then started enjoying it. When behind a machine I figured out that standing cross legged putting more stress on one side of my back actually does wonders so I have continued that way even though people often look at me with a weird look on their face. When lifting things I can lift just as much if not more than the guy next to me but I have learnt techniques that don't put strain on my back. When stretching over, I have one machining centre where the table if pretty far forward and is a bitch to set with my back, I have learnt to immediately feel when I am over straining areas that I shouldn't and compensate or get something nearby to stand on, I am 6ft 6' but sometimes being taller really doesn't help the situation. I played soccer still for years but since giving it up about two years ago it has also helped because I think the hard pressure when running was maybe causing more trouble. I just go to the gym twice a week now and guess what... It has helped strengthening certain muscles putting less strain on my back.

Probably once every 6-9 months or so I do something stupid and have a bit of a problem. I feel it immediately and get angry with myself. I then know that I am in for a few days of anti inflammatory tablets, I agree with the try to stay away from pain killers and only use them as a last resort, and sleeping on the floor to get things back on track but I have learnt to live with it.


Yeah the back pain sucks but if you work smarter then you can avoid a lot of trouble. It's that "Oh I will quickly lift this, it won't hurt" or "My back feels tender but let me just take one more cut on the lathe before I take a walk to stretch it out" that messes you up. In the end it is purely your own choice but you need to know that you will get sore from time to time and get dead legs or arms, I really hope for your sake not but that's the way mine pans out, and decide if you want to deal with it. I would still make the same decision as I did back then but I should have done more aggressive research in relation to taking strain off my back and how to strengthen areas that would help me out. But to each their own... Good luck!

After I did my back I used the overhead crane to lift everything. People used to smile at me but I didn't care, back pain is no fun.
I found traction helped a lot as did wearing a weight lifters belt under my overalls.

I used to pay a guy to give me traction. One day it dawned on me that I could have a form of DIY traction.

When it was quiet on overtime I used to go to the bar stores where they had a 3 ton overhead crane. I put a broad soft lifting band under my arms and raise myself about 6" off the ground with the overhead crane. I'd hang there for about 5 minutes at a time.
One night I accidentally let the crane pendant slip from my hand and it moved away just out of reach !

There I was hanging off the crane with no means of getting back down. I though " bloody hell, what a way to die ! ". I was shouting for help for a while until the nightwatchman heard me and lowered me down.

That was the last time I tried that particular trick.

I must admit my back has got worse since I retired. Maybe too much sitting in easy chairs.

Regards Tyrone.

Bad backs and standing at a machine all day dont go together,only you know how bad it is.Walking is great excercise for a back the more pain you get when your walking tells you its doing you good sitting about siezing it up,overweight is a killer for bad backs.3st overweight a man of a certain age carrying 3st of potatoes around for an 18hr day is going to be in a lot of pain and exhausted thats before you do your daily lifting at your workplace

Well, I would advise you to reconsider the career very carefully.
I have a bad back after a racing accident and now I'm forced to find another career to suite my health.
Just by lifting the vice to and from the machine can be bad for your back.
Machines are not the most ergonomic on design due to the table travel and all.
I'm quite fit, and still cant be able to continue to be a machinist no longer. Leaning over and lifting things is a big no no.

Programming yes, swapping parts for a person with a bad back, definitely no.

If I was going to hire a person for a machineshop I would not hire a person with back problems.

Just my 2C

Marko

After working 40 years and never having a serious back injury, I woke up and could barely move. For 2.5 months I just sat in a chair with severe pain. I had a mri that showed numerous problems and was scheduled for an epidural. Lots of pain meds and only slept 15 minutes to an hour at a time. My son advised me to see a chiropractor about 40 miles away that had a very good reputation. My wife had to drive me there as I couldn't even drive anymore. After my 6th treatment I started improving and was at about 75%. I did 26 physical therapy sessions with a Doctor of Physical Therapy and identified what motions were hurting me and found alternative ways of doing things. I am around 90-95% and almost pain free. There is no reason to lift vises or fixtures. That is what a Wesco pedalift is for. I also bought a small counterbalanced forklift with a remote pendant to help lifting and positioning things. I sit in a Herman Miller Aeron chair that I removed the lumbar support and use an icepack if I feel my back starting to tense up. I am in the process of making stands for all welders and other equipment so they are at least 2 feet off the floor so I don't have to bend over to use them. I visit the Chiropractor once a month and I'm enjoying working more than I have in a long time. When I see job ads that require you to lift 75 pounds I shake my head why anyone would do that. If you can find a shop set up like mine you could work with a bad back otherwise I would choose another career.

Hello XxDesorNinjaxX
Try to get hired on at a "union" shop & you won't have to lift anything heavy.

The problem with becoming a machinist is that most shops that do jobbing are so all over the place from one job to the next so much that one day your making 6oz square parts and the next machining 30lb linear bearing housings. You would need to find that perfect fit which is hard because most shops are looking for labor that can adapt somewhat easily. No shop is always gonna send the cake jobs to one guy unless he/she is the bosses favorite or has an in. Assuming you have great work ethic that could play out to your advantage.

I have had a bad low back for years and work by myself. There are things that give me trouble and things that don't. For example I have a Mazak horizontal and parts are loaded on the tombstone at the end of the machine at about chest height and only inset about 10" into the machine so little or no reaching or bending. The control is at a near perfect height for programming while standing. I use 36" to 40" high tables to make it easier. I also have anti-fatigue mats in front of machines.

My turning center requires some bending to load and unload parts so production can take it's toll on my back. I think a number of machines are a little taller.

The surface grinder Okamoto 12-24 is a little short for me and I have to sit on a stool to reach the control comfortably.

It really depends on the type of back injury you have, are you able to stand for long times if you don't have to lift much or bend?

Your military service is a plus as many shop owners would be more likely to give you a try.

If you can find a job where they run smaller parts on horizontals that might be a good fit. Learning programming will be a huge plus as you will add value and have more flexibility in your work day.

Good luck.

Dan

I got my first back injury at age 24. While never severe or debilitating in my case, I discovered that by the nature of human anatomy, back injuries never seem to go away -- they just slowly get worse with time.

I tried pain pills in the beginning but they are no long term solution as other have said. Avoid this path if you can.

In my case, the only thing that helped was exercise. I don't mean going to the gym every day. Just walk as much as you can, ride a bike (my favorite), swim, and do stretching exercises. Yoga will probably help but I never tried. Whenever I get lazy and cut back on exercise, my back starts hurting again. I think the answer is not intensity, but consistency. (Probably if I had done this in the first place I would have never injured my back)

LM

A huge question is whether the back issue is proneness to muscle pulls or spinal issues. Before considering your choices you need to talk to your doctor.

I've had bouts of muscle issues for decades. I'm currently on the mend from a lower back sprain caused by stupidity in moving something large and heavier. With muscular issues stretching, exercise, and caution can help. Spinal issues can be more tricky.

As for lifting, one of the common tasks is lifting a heavy mill vise on and off a mill table. If you are unable to do that or handle heavy workpieces that could be a problem. Generally the ability to lift and move at least forty pounds without mechanical assistance is normal. In some shops moving considerably heavier stuff may be normal.

Scottl said:

A huge question is whether the back issue is proneness to muscle pulls or spinal issues. Before considering your choices you need to talk to your doctor.

I've had bouts of muscle issues for decades. I'm currently on the mend from a lower back sprain caused by stupidity in moving something large and heavier. With muscular issues stretching, exercise, and caution can help. Spinal issues can be more tricky.

As for lifting, one of the common tasks is lifting a heavy mill vise on and off a mill table. If you are unable to do that or handle heavy workpieces that could be a problem. Generally the ability to lift and move at least forty pounds without mechanical assistance is normal. In some shops moving considerably heavier stuff may be normal.

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i have not picked a vise up in decades thats what overhead crane is for or smaller shops have a elevating table cart you use foot to jack up to height although often can raise or lower mill table too. sure some shops might have no cranes or carts. most shops just have eyebolt in a square piece of steel that vise jaws clamp on. connect crane hook and lift vise.
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heavy 5 or 6" facemill rather than hold up to put in mill spindle i put it on soft wood that on top of vise and lower mill spindle over it and clamp it. soft wood in case you go too far a little. mill teeth just sink in soft wood
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some places you say you have a bad back and the only work they give you is heavy back breaking work on purpose