Just realized my knee pads were ruining my posture on jobs

I was talking to my buddy Mark at the supply house last week in Nashville. He noticed I was walking hunched over after we finished a big commercial install on Thursday. He said "man you're wearing those foam knee pads like they're a crutch instead of protection." That hit different because I have been dealing with lower back pain for months now and I thought it was just age. Turns out those cheap foam pads I was using made me sit back on my heels weird and threw my whole spine out of line. I switched to a pair with a hinged design that keep my legs straighter and my back feels way better after a full day. Anyone else notice how your choice of knee gear changes how you move?

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kai6023mo ago

Used to think any knee pad worked fine but this actually makes total sense.

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spencerfisher3mo ago

Yeah, the "any knee pad works fine" thing is a trap I fell into for way too long. I tried those cheap foam ones from the hardware store and they flattened out after like two weeks of crawling around under sinks. Ended up switching to a gel-filled pair with a hard outer shell, the kind that actually stays put when you're moving around. Made a huge difference for my knees, especially on concrete floors or tile where you're really grinding into the surface.

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