Looking for ways to relieve ankle/knee/hip fatigue from standing on a slab shop floor

[David Hostetler]

Having spent a decade and a half on shop floors, and in home improvement retail, I can tell you what worked for me over those years, and what I have implemented in my own shop...

#1, and most important. High quality footwear. I specifically wear Hi Tech full leather upper hikers, and Thorlo hiking socks, year round. They wick moisutre away from my feet, keep me warm without frying me no matter the climate.
#2. Anti Fatigue mats where you will be standing for long periods. In the home improvement centers, we used them at each of the cutting stations.
#3. Get off your feet when and where you can. Invest in some good quality shop stools, or build some. I have a pair of stools from Woodcraft. Not the best, but they are a place to put my backside and get the weight off of my knees for a while.... I like to use these especially when I am at the work bench, or band saw. Not so much for the table saw / lathe etc.. However even though OneWay claims to have the only "sit down lathe" out there. I have been known to sit at a stool while turning. Not sure that is a good idea, not sure it is a bad one either...

[Bruce Kohl]

I have some anti-fatique mats over a concrete floor in front of my major machines and the workbench. I go them from Northern Tools and they work reasonably well. (http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...atchallpartial)


I also recently got a pair of Z-Coil shoes - the shoes with the coil spring in the heel - and these have worked very well to relieve leg and hip pain from prolonged standing. (http://www.zcoil.com/) They're a little pricey, but they sure are easy on the feet and legs. They are popular with nurses and others who are on their feet all day. You can get a steel toe model with the spring enclosed in the heel. I highly recommend them for those long sessions in the shop.

[Jim Neeley]

I wore Z-Coils exclusively for 3 or 4 years and they were great for my back and feet, but recognize that the mild balance-correcting you do all day puts lateral stress on your knees. I quit wearing them due to knee pain about a year ago as the knee pain had been getting progressive worse over the year before that. I quit wearing them and, while the knees still hurt, they quit getting worse. Some day though, I'll need to look at knee surgery.

I'm a large guy though, so if you're thin the impact may be minimal??? YMMV.

[Dick Thomas]

RE: Anti-Fatigue mats: Check out Harbor Frieght. They carry a 4-pack of 2'x2' interlocking mats. usually around $10 - I bought a couple cases when they were on sale for about $8, and use them in the shop. Also used them to completely cover the floor in a basement (i.e. slab) workout room. Them are great, relatively inexpensive, and have lasted well.

[Terry Beadle]

1. Good shoes/boots with ankle and arch support is key.
2. Anti-fatigue mats are great.
3. Sit down and take a break every 20 min. Just for a few minutes. Think about what you are doing now or what you'll do next. Great use of time.

You can also make anti fatigue mats out of wood. Construct them in a grid with fairly long ( about 18 in to 24 in ) between horizontal supports that are atleast a 1/4 inch proud of the standing material. Choose stock/scraps that have strength but also spring to them. Hickory is too tough. Red oak ripped thin enough will work etc.

[Paul Canaris]

Scott, there are three things that have helped me:
1. Horse Stall Mats (available at local tractor supply) as they are very durable; use them in area's where you stand in a lot.
2. I also attempt to do tasks such as sanding (which can take a long time) from a seated position when feasible.
3. If you can afford it; orthotic supports (the real custom fitted kind, not the store bought junk). They hard as a rock, but actually provide significant relief when standing or walking a lot.

[glenn bradley]

I have had the cheap colored interlocking mats that Sam's sells for years. Plenty of abuse. No failures, Lots of saved edges on dropped tools. Lots of saved fatigue. They were about $20 for 48s q. ft. when I bought them. Gray on one side (colored side goes down in my shop) and about 1/2" thick.

[Craig McCormick]

I received my first pair of Crocks a few days ago and love them so far!

[Rich Engelhardt]

A cheap or expensive - your choice - elastic back brace works wonders.
Reading glasses, if your old eyes aren't what they used to be, also go a long way.

I've found that as I've gotten older (LOL! And rounder! & half blind) that it's not all about your feet.
If one part of your old carcus gets cranky, it can affect the rest of you big time.

When my back started to act up, I found myself shifting my weight from one foot to the other. After a few hours of that, my legs would just scream.

Somewhat the same with using reading glasses instead of the bi-focals some of the time. The bi-focals force me to hold my head in one (uncomfotabe) position. In no time at all, my neck, then my back, then the rest of me was ready to call it quits. Reading glasses help since I'm not "lcoked in" to one head/neck position.

[Dan Hintz]

RE: Anti-Fatigue mats: Check out Harbor Frieght. They carry a 4-pack of 2'x2' interlocking mats. usually around $10 - I bought a couple cases when they were on sale for about $8, and use them in the shop. Also used them to completely cover the floor in a basement (i.e. slab) workout room. Them are great, relatively inexpensive, and have lasted well.

They're currently listed at $10 if you search for "mat" on their website, but when you click on it they show as $9:
http://www.harborfreight.com/4-piece...set-94635.html

I have had the cheap colored interlocking mats that Sam's sells for years. Plenty of abuse. No failures, Lots of saved edges on dropped tools. Lots of saved fatigue. They were about $20 for 48s q. ft. when I bought them. Gray on one side (colored side goes down in my shop) and about 1/2" thick.

That's a much better deal per square foot than even the HF ones... I assume this is what you are talking about:
http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/pr...oductId=107930
$22 for 33.5 square feet, eight (roughly) 2' square pieces.

[glenn bradley]

That's a much better deal per square foot than even the HF ones... I assume this is what you are talking about:
http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/pr...oductId=107930
$22 for 33.5 square feet, eight (roughly) 2' square pieces.

That's them. My recollection of the price was better than my recollection of the size . I have been beating on them for some years and they are doing great. I guess if you design something to survive kindergartners, they can survive us.

[Reagen Ward]

I haven't tried them but I've seen the Dr. Scholls orthotics advertised that cost less than custom orthotics like I got. Maybe that's a fairly inexpensive experiment you can try. I also see Good Feet advertised. I think they are a national chain.Hope you find a quick solution.

For my serious plantar fasciitis, and everyone else's foot fatigue, SuperFeet. They even blow away my custom orthotics.

[Craig Coney]

I have had the cheap colored interlocking mats that Sam's sells for years. Plenty of abuse. No failures, Lots of saved edges on dropped tools. Lots of saved fatigue. They were about $20 for 48s q. ft. when I bought them. Gray on one side (colored side goes down in my shop) and about 1/2" thick.

+1 for the Sams Club mats. I have tried many different brands, and the Sams Club mats are much more comfortable for me.

[Scott Driemel]

Hi. I just was in the exact position. I'm on a hobby farm so I 1st tried my stall mats from my farm supplier. Heavy, & worse ... smelled like rubber for months. They are about 1" thick so they had a trip factor I didn't like. Also stepping backwards off one sometimes gibbled my leg. Next I tried an actual "anti-fatigue" mat at a local Borg. Expensive! Mine was too soft, and I had to constantly struggle with balance. Not a huge issue but it was distracting enough to not fully concentrate on the tool I was working on. This is sounding like Goldilocks isn't it? The next one I tried was from Costco. I'd looked at 'em for years and thought, "man, for the price ..$14.99 for 32 sq ft, these things must be garbage!". But I figured what the heck, and bought a set. Easy peazy to hook up. They are grey with a checkerplate pattern on them. At this price I figured they'd curl or not be soft enough or just too soft. WOW! Was I ever pleasantly surprised. They aren't the best in the world I'm sure, but pretty dang decent for me and the price was so reasonable I was able to put a ton of them into my shop. Only con I see is they are light in weight and if you only have 2 or 4 together, (they come as a 2'x2' sq) you can kick them out of place. I've dropped chisels, screwdrivers and other "stuff", so far not a gouge & it's saved each tool. In my opinion, I will recommend these. They are cheap, easy to install, (oh but they do smell quite chemical-ish when 1st opened I must add, goes in a week or so) and by design, interlock so I can "wrap" them around my machines. I couldn't be happier. Got a product that works for me just fine and saved a ton of dough to spend on other stuff. Shoes sure help too of course. Hey for $14.99, try a pkg and see. I kick myself now for not doing it years ago.

[Dan Hintz]

Yeah, now if I can just find a friend that still has a Sam's/Costco membership... we let ours go a year or two back. Just wasn't seeing much of a benefit.