Hours behind the sewing machine causing back problems? Check out this short, two-page guide on how to curb the aches and pains: http://tinyurl.com/6taom5e
It's definitely worth a read!
I learned a tremendous amount about setting up a comfortable workspace when I worked in a garment factory. Working 8 hrs. a day in behind a machine is pure torture if the bench and the chair are improperly adjusted. It's tiring to have to lift your arms to the height of the machine if the chair is too low (and can't be raised) and it's equally tiring to have to lean over the machine because the bench is too low and the chair too high.
It all sounds very simple, but correcting such oversights is often relegated to the bottom of the "to do" list because many of us don't sit behind the machine for hours on end... we sew a little, get up and move around, and then we're back to sewing. But properly adjusted equipment really does make the sewing part a lot easier.