Old Bill at the docks told me a wider ladder angle saves your back. He was right.

I tried running my ladder at a 75 degree angle for a whole month after he said that, and my lower back pain dropped off almost completely. Anyone else get stuck on the old ways until someone finally calls you out on it?

2 comments

2 Comments

leo_lopez18d ago

Seventy five is the sweet spot, anything steeper and you're just asking for trouble.

kaiharris18d ago

Old Bill's one of those guys who's been around long enough to know what's what, and @leo_lopez nailed it with that sweet spot call. I spent years hunched over like a question mark until my neighbor finally laughed and showed me the 75 degree trick. My back used to sound like a bag of chips every morning, now it's just quiet. Guess pride kept me from trying something different, but now I'm the one yelling at rookies to stop climbing like they're ascending a cliff face. Not sure why we all think steeper somehow means safer, maybe it's just macho nonsense.