Spin-Off – September 2019

Fall 2019 • Spin Off 81

strains on the soft tissue and joints will ultimately cause

pain. Keep your long-draw length shorter to prevent

overtwisting your spine.

If you mostly spin with a short draw, armrests are

okay. However, do not lean your elbows on the armrests

when you spin. This can cause compression of the

ulnar nerve that runs along the back of your elbow,

also called your “funny bone.” Some symptoms of ulnar

nerve compression are tingling or numbness in the ring

and little fingers or the palm of the hand, or pain in

the forearm or elbow. If you don’t have armrests and

your shoulders get tired or you experience neck pain

or fatigue, place a pillow on your lap and rest your

forearms on the pillow when you draft. This will let

your shoulders and neck relax as you spin.

Seat Height

This may be different for each body. If the seat height

is too low, it can cause pain in the hips, shins, or ankles

over long periods of spinning due to the amount of

muscle force it takes to treadle. Raising the seat height

allows for smoother treadling and less muscle force.

Give it a try; you will be surprised at the difference in

treadling effort.

Custom chair and bench maker Walt Turpening has

an easy formula for determining the optimum height

of your spinning chair (page 84). If you determine that

Seat Depth

If the crooks of your knees hit the edge of the chair seat,

you may be setting yourself up for a nerve compression

injury. When there is pressure against a nerve, such as

when the back of your knee presses on the edge of a

chair, this pinches the nerve, which can cause disruption

of the signal from the brain to your lower leg. The tibial

and popliteal nerves run down the back of the knee, and

pressure from the edge of the chair can compress them

and cause pain, tingling, numbness, or weakness of your

legs. If compression on the nerve persists, you could

end up with permanent nerve damage. You can also

experience compression of the popliteal artery that runs

alongside the nerves. Symptoms of arterial compression

may be numbness, pain, or cold feet.

To correct your seat depth, place a pillow behind

your back, scooting closer to the edge of the chair and

allowing two to five inches of space from the crook of

your knee to the edge of the chair. This gives your nerves

and arteries the freedom they need to work at their best.

Armrests or No Armrests

If you love to spin with a long draw, use a chair with no

armrests to give yourself room to move. If you attempt

to spin with a long draw while seated in a chair that

has armrests, your elbows could hit them as you draft,

or you could be forced to move awkwardly. If the body

moves this way over and over again, the stresses and

Where Does

Mary Spin?

This is my favorite chair

to spin in, because it is

the perfect height for me

and the type of wheel

that I use, not to mention

it’s red and super com-

fy. I always use a pillow

behind my lower back;

the extra support keeps

me in good form. I love

spinning chairs with-

out arms because they

let me draft with a long

draw with ease.

Ph

oto

co

urt

esy

of

M

ary

Eg

be

rt

Mary uses a comfy chair that she modifi es with a pillow.