Warhammer as a hobby contains a lot of elements. From delving into the massive lore of the Black Library to planning your perfect army list or researching the meta to discover the most efficient load-outs for your units you’ll be spending hours getting your head round it. But alongside this you’ll be spending hours painting and playing with your models, both of which involve long periods staying still, and can lead to back pain. We’ve sat down with a hobby enthusiast and physiotherapist to discuss the best strategies for avoiding back pain when standing during long games to get you as prepared as possible.
If you’re struggle more with those long paint sessions then check our other Hobby Physio article on managing back pain when you’re painting.
During The Game
When you’re playing it’s really easy to get caught up in the action and not pay attention to much else. The first piece of advice seems simple, but is a pretty powerful tool for avoiding discomfort – move. Set an alarm on your phone that will go off ever 30-45 minutes to remind you and your playing partners to change postures. Have a bit of a stretch and a walk round, go grab a drink or have a bathroom break. Anything to break your position and get your muscles and joints moving a bit.
Another simple piece of advice that often gets overlooked is to optimise your playing space. If you’re lucky enough to be in a position to get a dedicated gaming table make sure it’s the right height for you to avoid having to stand bent forwards for extended periods. If (like a lot of us) you’re playing on a dining table consider that it’s made to sit at – have chairs available to rest on, sit where you can (though again, not for long periods). Make your playing space as friendly to you as you can.
Finally, a useful tip that I like to give people who work jobs that require a lot of standing is utilising the staggered stance. Most people stand with their feet shoulder width apart, which is nice and stable and feels natural. But when you stay like this for a while it’s easy to get fidgety and start to weight shift from side to side. This leads to some lateral pelvic tilt, which can put strain on your back in a fairly awkward position, and can lead to some discomfort. A simple change is to stand with one foot half a step in front of the other, and shift your weight between your front to back foot instead. This is a much more ‘normal’ movement for most people as we do it all the time when we’re moving around. Your body is more adapted to this type of movement and it should cause you less strain to do it. You can also swap your lead foot over, giving you a bit more variety and a different posture to cycle through.
In general no matter what adaptions you chose to make the key focus is to move more when you’re playing, in whatever way works for you. Mix it up, variety is your friend. Alongside moving more, strengthening and improving how supple the muscles you’ll be putting to work are
If you’ve already read our post about managing back pain from painting sessions you might recognise the advice below. The stretching and exercise advice is essentially the same as for that article, because they’re not specific to any individual. Instead they are a good groundwork for stretching and strengthening your back generally. If you struggle with any of them or need specific advice always seek assessment by a professional!
Back Stretches
Stretching is the first treatment I’d go to when it comes to managing back pain. In fact I’d encourage everyone to stretch regularly, no matter if you’ve been playing, painting or sitting in your office chair all day. Stretching alone isn’t a cure for pain – it’s good for getting joints moving, relaxing tight muscles and easing stiffness. That might be enough to manage a bit of discomfort but it doesn’t solve the cause of pain; it manages some symptoms. These are my standard stretches which I recommend to patients and are a good starting point to give your whole back a good stretch.
Strengthening Exercises
Once you’ve hopefully loosened off with some stretching the next step is to move to strengthening. While lifting a few weights isn’t a miracle cure for back pain increasing your strength in various movements makes you more adaptable to loads and strains. Stronger muscles that are used to working under load are more resilient and better prepared for activities that put them under stress. If you go to a gym already ensure you’re incorporating movements targeting your back muscles into your routine. If you don’t go to a gym you can replicate these movements in your own home using improvised weights or resistance bands.
While there are loads of different exercises that target the back these are my three go to suggestions to target all areas of your back and posterior chain (muscles on the back of your body). As with any exercises there are lots of variations and adaptions you can do to make them work for you. If you’re in any doubt about your technique completing these then consult with a fitness professional.
Basically the advice I would offer for anyone who sits or stands for long periods (be that gaming or for work) is broken down into four principles: Optimise, Move, Stretch and Strengthen. Set up your work or play station optimally, take breaks and move often, stretch out sore/tight areas and get some work in strengthening the areas that you’re stressing. You only have one back (without cybernetic enhancements or sacrifices to various chaos entities) so make sure you’re looking after it.
As mentioned already bear in mind all this is just general advice and not specific to you or anyone. Back pain and chronic pain can be hugely complex and if you’re unsure how to do any of my suggested exercises or are really struggling with back pain go and see your doctor or a physio for a proper assessment and treatment plan.
Did you enjoy this article? You could always tip the author with a coffee (or something stronger). If you fancy getting yourself some minis to paint (hopefully with regular stretching breaks), then check out Element Games. They have great deals on paint supplies and a wide range of Warhammer and other minis. Finally, make sure you’re following us on Instagram to stay up to date and get involved in our community!
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