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I worked my way through college and a while after as a painter and taper. The repetitive motions that take place combined with a tight grip on my tools or brush brought on the tendonitis after 5-6 years. Later I got into shooting handguns (at targets!) and the combination of repetitive motion and impact led to joint problems. I’ve had to lay off of both activities from time to time. Swinging a hammer has the same effect on me. Strength exercises and extreme flexibilty exercises have helped out (that means stretch a lot- to the point of pain- and lift weights or use resistance devices). I’m 35 and can’t wait to get arthritis!
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Replies
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Some good advice in these posts .... been fighting arthritis for a few years now .....the result of chasing parked cars and catching them and flying a wooden ladder two stories to the sidewalk. I'd repeat the previous advice. When it hurts, STOP! Reduce or eliminate stress .... it seems to agravate. Stay on top of your condition .....ignoring it won't make it go away. A good massage therapist can do wonders tho' the relief is temporary. Anyone here use Stanley's graphite handle hammer? What do you think?
*
jcallahan: Yep I own a couple of them. Use them almost exclusively when not using air nailers. They make a big difference in my arms, wrists, and hands.
To expand on my somewhat brief prior post:
The fact is that the body does wear. So, like any other piece of machinery it needs proper care and maintenance. For me that means exercise to be have the strength and flexibility to work. Proper fuel to have the energy I need. Daily attention to my spiritual needs so I have the stability I need to handle life and stress.
Even with all that, just like any other machine, there is a finite amount of life in the body. One can use it all up in a few years, or space consumption out over many years. I now choose to space it out over more years by having a life style that is less damaging and just as productive. This has meant changing careers as time has gone on. Sometimes the change is back to a prior career and sometimes to something completely new.
In my view too many folks limit themselves by thinking that what they do is what they are.
I don't know many people who have to be limited to that concept. Instead, it is good for the body and soul to use all of what a person is.
Perhaps this is a bit heavy for this forum. But I can't think of anything more important than for everyone to have the fullest, longest life possible for that person. It can't help but benefit whatever trade/profession the person chooses to earn their bread in.
*I only use a hammer (Vaughn Pro 16, fiberglass, I own at least 4, know where at least 2 are) for convincing thing of where they need to be. (Commercial work, wood bad, steel good). But what is brutal is taping drywall joints, especially those final pulled tight coats. Lots of ice.
*I'm going to throw in my two bits here.My knuckles, especiall on my hammer hand started hurting a few years back. Nothing helped.Then, I tried useing leather gloves, since I don't hand pound many nails, they worked great. My soreness disappeared fast.I've since switched to cheap knit gloves, with a coaiting of rubber gripper balls. These have changed my life! I am stronger, I can grip without strain, and my hands are as soft as a baby's cheek.Never without gloves again, it's been three years,Blue
*Oh, I forgot: there are these lycra-ish gloves, called Hand-Eze, made for people who do a lot of repetitive work and/or who have arthritis problems. I have seen them advertised in sewing and craft magazines. They're probably somewhere out there on the web, too.Patty
*
Your post isn't too heavy ..... going to college, trying to expand what I can do. I know I can't be Johnny 7, the one man army any more. The mind is able but the body is not so willing these days. In adversity there also comes opportunity.
*
While we're on the subject of working our bodies to pieces, anyone else out there have a bad left shoulder? (right handed)... my doctor says it's quite common among carpenters, because you hold things with your left arm, usually sort of out in front of you, eventually does in your rotator cuff... so between the bad right wrist and bad left shoulder, I guess we'll all be in rough shape when we're 110 (but we'll be happy, right?)
Ross
*Pete:Great Post. Something we all have to deal with. Here are my hints (pushing 50 to avoid sore wrists:1. Stop choking the chicken. At least no more than 3-4 times a day.2. Don't pound nails. I would rather lug my 80 lb Emglo and Senco rig 100 yards than pound more than 10 nails.3. Use help. Here in SoCal, we have an abundance of day help for about $75-80 a day for idiots; and $100 a day for "lead" carpenters. Of course the "lead" is bullsh*t, but they usually know how to nail. They lift all plywood and sheetrock, and put exactly where I want it. I stay on the ground, doing layout and cutting. I can do 2-3 times the work this way.4. Steel hammers are bad. They really transmit vibration into the hand and wrist. I avoid them, but still carry my Estwing 32oz framer. The Hart "California Framers" have a great feel, and I just live with the handles that splinter and break. Oh Well. Cheaper than a wrist. Specialty hammers also save stress, drywall rigs for drywall; malls for persuading framing (instead of a framing hammer) and Screw guns instead of drywall nailing.Hope this helps......
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Pete-Some of your symptoms do sound like CTS.The numbness you speak of and lose of grip strenght are classic symptoms.The numbness can be in thumb,index,and long finger and 1/2 of the ring finger.You shouldn't have any numbness in the 5th finger (different nerve).The numbness frequently wakes patients up at night and they end up shaking their hands to get relief.
Your other symptom the "tearing pain" in your wrist when loaded in certain positions doesn't sound like CTS.
So what do you do about CTS?
1. Stop the offending activity-if you don't your problem will persist and get worse.
2. Use a wrist splint at night-get one at Walli or any athletic store-one with a steel shank.
3. Take an anitinflamatory-Advil/Aleve
You should notice some improvement over the first week but if you return to the offending activity too soon your symptoms will surface again.
Sometimes surgical decompression is required for patients that fail conservative treatment.
Please don't sue me for this free medical consult.John Fuhrman M.D.-Orthopedic Surgeon
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A couple of people mentioned gloves. The therapist who made my brace looked into special gloves with gel pads to absorb the vibration. I don't have a clue if they would stand up to framing; in my case they were to absorb vibrations from portable power tools. not cheap, I think they were about $40 each. i'm holding off for a while. I wonder what the doctors on the board think of these?
*Got 'em - Graingers. A bit stiff, but hoping they work.Dennis
*While I have had bouts of numbness in the wrist and fingers over the years, my biggest problem is elbow related. . . either so called i tennis elbowori golfers elbow( it depends on whether it's with the tendons that extend the wrist and fingers or the muscles that flex them) I don't play either of those games.The first serious onset was after spending a couple of days hand nailing a huge deck/walkway, down on my knees, with no time off for cutting as I had decided to pre cut it all(duh!!). I didn't feel a bit of discomfort while working, but the next night I awoke with my elbow feeling like Bleu had snuck into my bedroom and wailed it with his 6# sledge. For the next six months I had to ice it down every night with a gel pack, and wore an arm brace all day. I'm on the back side of 40 and have inherited this problem for life.Fortunatly I do many different types of work, so I don't often look at days and days of repetitive nailing, but when I do. . . I pay.Thanks for the tips on hammer handles. I had only recently retired my old Estwing for a new Stanley metal handled type when I nailed off that deck. . .time to look at a wooden handled framer.
*It's called GETTING OLDER Pete! I've struggled with it for years and it keeps getting worse. There is no cure for this and what's more, this is always fatal! The only thing left is to except your fate and try not to do those things which you know will cause this irritation to raise it's ugly head. It has been my experience that slow stretching exercises of the effected area helps a great deal, if given the time to take effect. In my case, several weeks(about three months worth actually) of slow steady stretching of my right shoulder, every morning for ten to fifteen minutes, cured my pain. It might not work in your case but I suggest you take a look at the book "Stretching" by Bob Anderson. If in the joint itself, be very carefull not to get macho and attempt to "work through the pain". If in the muscle itself, then you can sometimes be a little more aggresive but if it persists, see your doctor.
*Thanks for a book name on stretching. I have toyed on and off with stretching and think if I had a good routine that I could do everyday it would really be beneficial.
*There was an article in a canadian newspaper, I think it was. Anyway, there are several Japanese outfits in Can. running mills, etc., and they make their whole crew go through a stretching routine before starting work.As i recall, they also said there were some construction outfits in toronto doing the same thing, everybody does fifteen minustes or so of hard stretching before they start work. Wakes everybody up, they are more productive, and it cuts WAY down on work related injuries and workmens comp claims.
*
Pete-Some of your symptoms do sound like CTS.The numbness and lose of grip strength are very common.Frequently the numbness is worse at nightand wakes patients up,they end up shaking their hand in an attempt to gain relief.The "tearing sensation" that you speak of is not characteristic of CT and is probably something else.
So what do you do about it?
1.Stop the offending activity,or at least try to cut back. If you don't it will persist and get worse.
2.Wear a wrist splint at night.One with a metal shank.Pick one up at Walli. or a sport shop.
3.Take an anti-inflamatory like Advil/Aleve (if you don't have an ulcer).
Most patients will enjoy improvement in a week or so.If not you need to see someone for further treatment.Sometimes surgical decompression is required.Please don't sue me for this free medical advise!! John Fuhrman M.D.-Orthopedic Surgeon
*John Fuhrman, any suggestions for folks with osteoarthritis in their knees, lower back, and neck? Thanks for your previous posts.
*just a few thoughts on this idea of pain and suffering. exercise is a key. your work day should not be the hardest part of the day. i have been roofing for 15 years now full time 12 months a year and i make sure that i start the day with some sort of exercise....lifting weights, biking,swimming or running. in addition a great diet is also important.. i also take a supplement multi vitamin and a special mix of minerals that help keep the cartalige healthy. everyone i have told about the minerals has noticed a great improvement in their flexability and mobility. anyway, the best to all.
*
Never having been a jock, I wasn't prepared for the positive results I would gain
when I started taking Karate classes twice a week some years back. We would spend 1/2 hour of a 2 hour class stretching and limbering up, and this activity did more for me than learning how to hurt people or break boards with my hands. A previously chronic back problem has never re-occured. I let the classes slide a couple of years ago but still do one stretch in particular every morning. . . it's a simple but effective way to avoid muscle tears, and it does indeed wake you up.
*Dr. John: I should sue you just for reading that post. How else am I to recoup the untold dollars of free advice I've given on this board?Everyone else: use your health ins. to book a visit with a orthopedic rehabilitation center. You'll need a doctor's referral. Cheap insurance considering how detrimental improperly executed stretching exercises can be.
*Some of my thoughts...I too started to get injuries that you all have mentioned including trigger finger, tennis elbow, numb ankles and feet, mouse inflamed tendons, volleyball destroyed shoulder for over two years...It all came on around thirty...Well all is much better today...I can spike a ball on occasion hard enough to knock a player off their feet if they're a newbie...What I do now is listen to my body and ease up if damage is starting...rest and de-inflame when damage is already done, strengthen and stretch, never play vball without warming up till sweat is running, avoid isometric muscle use totally (the absolute worst thing to do to a body!), and more...And yes, stess is physically destructive so don't worry, be happy...love what you have...if you have problems, great!..you have challenges to solve for free! No need to rent a movie for entertainment, just dig into the backload in your head and make decisions...if you're stuck on what to do write down a couple choices and flip a coin...then just do it...bad choices are better than stress and indecision...And hammmers...we're hand nailing ten thousand nails this week in our set up of clay tennis courts this week...one key to using a hammer for us is to hold the hammer so loosely that it could just about fall out of our hand. And we use very light wood handle hammers.Lots of good advice in this thread...Thanks to the Docs and others.Near the stream,J
*When I was just a pup starting out I ws taught that the art of nailing was to use your whole arm not just your hand and wrist. We were excepted to be able to use a box of nails a day(50lb 16 common). Today nail guns are the way to go and on the odd time when we have to hand nail I watch my guys choke up and drive from the wrist. After a hour you can see them moving there hands up the hammer handle as the try to keep up. Some times it how you do it.
*
jcallahan: Your not going to like what I have to say but here we go.Arthritis tends to be progressive with time i.e. you can expect to get worse with time.It's part of the "normal" aging process. As to which joints and how fast-that's built into your genetic code (you can blame your parents).Most patients symptoms are activity related, the more they do the more they hurt.So we generally recommend "activity as tolerated" and unfortunally that may not fit with an active life style of a builder.Gentle stretching exercises,moist heat and an anti-inflamatory are all benifical.Some joints are amenable to injections i.e. shoulder,elbow ("tennis elbow"),wrist ( CTS-really not injecting a joint here),knee (frequently injected for arthritis) and occasionally the ankle.Probably more important than anything is for you to know your onw bodies limitations and try to stay within them. J.F.
*Adrian: Re: Gloves for vibration. I'm not aware of their benefit (that doesn't mean it doesn't exist-it just isn't in the orthopedic literature).There may be some discussions about it in the occupational medicine lit.. I don't know of anybody that has used them. J.F.
*
Pete, I went through this same thing a few years back. It got so bad I could't even lift my 28 oz. hammer in the morning. I took to wearing a elbow brace which helped a bit. I then down graded the fiberglass hammer for a 20oz. woody. I started taking a nutritional supplement mixture of chelated minerals, multi vitamins with a broad spectrim of antioxidents, Grape seed extract, COQ10, extra vit. C with amino acids. My pain and inflamation slowly disappeared after about 3-4 months. I still have CTS and tenditis but without
the symtoms. If I miss my suppliments for 2-3 days the pain comes back. No matter what the cause, oxidative damage is involved whenever there is inflammation and pain. We need the Antioxidents
to nutrilize the oxidation The key is a balance.
If you would like to know more about what I use e-mail me
*
Many thanks for your post.It confirms what I've previously been told. Good advice, which I've taken to heart, for it allows to keep doing what I like to do. Thanks again ....jc
*
Pat,
You're waaaay out there!@!!!
Rest for damage, then rebuild strength and flexability, with or without a train load of pills and supplements and an empty bank account to(o)...Some of what you use may be helping you, but your attitude that you want to be better is most important.
Near the stream,
J
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If another orthopedic surgeon can put his 2 cents
in: I agree completely with Dr. Furman. FHB had a good article about hand and wrist problems a few years back, and if I may be so bold, read my article about knees in the last regular issue.
Seems the least we can do at FHB's site is plug the magazine!
As far as carpal tunnel syndrome goes, I've had good results with many patients investing in power nailers, and the vibration gloves seem to be at least of some help with vibrating tools, but no help with hammering.
SDB
*
Actually antioxidants (vitamins C, E) seem to be the real McCoy. I'm damn skeptical of most of the nutritional supplement industry, but there are some sparks of life there. So much of the food we eat these days is heavily processed, destroying the more fragile vitamins and essential fatty acids.
sipping my flax oil, andrew
*Thanks to everyone for their help and advise. It is nice to know that I'm not the only one falling apart. I have though about giving up my Estwings but I really do love the damn things. Guess I'll have to resort to working smarter instead of harder. Time to delegate authority.Special thanks to the docs out there for taking the time to hand out a little free good advice to all of us on Breaktime.I think I might focus a bit more on some stretching. I do some stretches for my back that my chiropractor gave me to do. They help tremendously so I suppose more stretching couldn't hurt. It beats the hell out of having to exercise.Thanks again all,Pete Draganic
*Heaven forbid you exercise! This is America after all. Just don't turn into one of those pot-bellied donut-popping GCs I see around here. You know, where the suspenders don't touch the chest?Good luck Pete, and take care of yourself! "This is not a practice life" as several have said here.
*Until last year, I thought that antioxidants were just another band wagon to jump on. When El Nino created absolute hell for allergy sufferers, and no prescription or over the counter drugs were effective, I ran to a homeopath. When I added bioflavenoids (specifically "quercitin"-it acts as an antihistamine )to the antioxidants, about 95% of my symptoms disappeared. Quercitin is also a natural anti-inflammatory, there's a ton of info on the web about it. Might be some food for thought for those of you suffering with chronic aches and pains.Beatrix
*
Excellent article Doctor B. .....if only I could have read it twenty years ago ......and had the wisdom to use the info provided.
*
There is a Wash. post article, still available free online for a short while, about how "fish oil" is effective against manic-depressive disorder. And these are doctors talking, who ordinarily would say that's BS. Fish oil contains certain fatty acids that are lacking in our diet and which are an important part of correct nervous system function.
*That must be why the Eskimo's, I mean Inuit, are so g.d. happy whilst hangin' out in the dark, and "up to the eyeballs snow", and 90 below zero on a warm day not counting wind chill. Maybe the sad Swede's should eat more of the oil and less of the skinned fish. LOL
*PM, Why so bitter? Is it the long winter? As a part (1/4 Swede and 1/4 Norge) Swede, leave us and the dumb country folk alone. There is still beauty in the world, go find it and release yourself from the liberal shackles :).
*J.D.No wonder your so confused. . .1/4 Swede, 1/4 Norge, 1/2. . . naw I won't say it. . . go beat up an environmentalist so you and yer grandkids can enjoy the starry sky. . . your world will be a better if smaller place :>}-pm
*I don't mind eviromentalists, I think Ducks Unlimited is great, and you can be all bad as you do work with wood. My problem is with the extremist wing that is against everything. No coal, no oil, no nukes, we all can't burn wood in the winter, that would be worst of all. My world isn't so small, I've seen a lot of this world and it surprises me how big it is. I guess I'm a capitalist, Libertarian. If there is really a need, it will be filled, and do what you want just leave me out of it. As open minded as tne next guy, just more cynical.P.S. We need to, and I'm probably to blame, keep our little tiffs confined to a thread and not spread the infection around. I'm sorry in advance to those with better ideas aboout the thread.
*Patrick: Not only aren't the Inuit, or Gwitch'n for that matter, happy in -40 and dark, most of The People don't live in the Arctic. If statistical reports are correct the largest village is Anchorage, which is pretty far south.
*FredThere ya go with that American stuff. . . Alaska is only bout 1/10th of the North American arctic, lotsa Canadian Inuit live north of 65N. Can't believe Anchorage at 60N is a huge home for these people. Iqualuit, and Pond inlet at 75N on Baffin Island and Grise Fjord, and Inuvik. . . Thule Greenland at 78N.. . . and they sure seem happy in all those national Geographic photo's . . . do ya think they were paid to fake it??? :}My sister spent a year in Sweden. . . said things got pretty bizarre duringi lights out timelotsa suicides, social ugliness, drunks etc. . .
*
Pete, become a superintendent!
*
I see an occasional mention of wrist problems, especially in posts on framing. I was wondering what types of problems you guys have. What are the symptoms. Is it Carpal Tunnel?
I ask this only because I have noticed in the past year or so that I have been having a harder and harder time with my grip. My hands seem to numb up and my hammer will want to spin in my hand. Forget about using a cold chisel and a hammer alltogether. My hands also get very stiff but mostly I've noticed the loss of strength in them. Also have noticed a tearing sensation in my wrists when I lift something heavy and my wrists are held a certain way.
The real kick in the ass is that I am not even 30 yet (not until July 8). Although I've been driving nails since I could lift a hammer. The only up side to this whole dilemna is that it has forced me to start working smarter instead of harder, which has turned out to be a good thing.
Pete Draganic
*Yep, you got it. Do you wake up and your lower arm, wrist and hand are numb? (You know Pete, the parts that usually drag on the ground...) That's another sign. (The numbness, not the knuckle-dragging.)Time to invest in some air tools, though they leave me out of breath and with chapped lips from blowing in the fittings. Still, the wrists are better... (and 12 years older).
*sounds familliar all right. I do think the bone cutter can help you out though if you are living the only life worth living - doing the only work worth doing. Just remember what Bill Walton said "...minor surgery is what they do on somebody else". - ybps - the missus got some wrist braces perscribed that she wears at night that seem to really help her, but then again, she doesn't do the same type of work as we do.
*I think the classic symptom of carpal tunnel is that the numbness doesnt effect the little finger or outside half of the ring finger. I didnt notice that until asked by a doctor. I thought my whole hand was numb. I regret putting off the surgery as long as I did.JonC
*I just went through the tests for this. they hook you up, zap you on the fingertips, etc and they get feedback from the machine. With me, its not framing, it was really intensive work with hand tools (chisels, carving tools, etc), and when it gets bad, I can hardly hold a chisel. At this point I have worked up to a custom made (heat formed) brace that does my whole lower arm, you wear it at night or as much as you can in the day. it makes a difference. Not trying to alarm you, but both my mother, and my stepfather had the operation (he did simialr type work), and in his case, it wasn't CT at all, as they found out after the operation. I'm thirty-three, by the way. Good luck
*Pete,I am glad you brought this up cause I had a similar problem this past winter with my elbow.I had bought a new coil nailer that seemed much lighter and more agile than my old one(which was in the shop).Anyhow the new gun let me use it in a lot of"far reaching" positions.About halfway through a roof I thought my arm was gonna fall off.I wore an elbow brace to finish out the season.Rested the elbow the whole off season and by early march it still wasn't much better so finally went to the doctor.He gave me some pills to take that are the equivalent to taking 6 motrin at once.I had to take 1pill 3 times a day(equal to 18 motrin a day)These pills and the arrival of spring fixed the elbow up O.K.I am only 37 ,but it is a b*tch getting old ,and I am not looking forward to next winters off season the way I used to.I am also back to using the gun in a more conservative position.Good Luck,Stephen
*There are actually several problems that can cause chronic wrist and hand pain in people that do alot of strenuous and repetitive activity. Tendonitis of the wrist is probably the most common. This causes primarily pain and usually not numbness.Carple Tunnel Syndrome is a common problem where the "median" nerve which travels through the wrist area becomes pinched by scar tissue and inflammation in the wrist. The symptoms are primarily numbness in the hand and pain but also frequently pain. The median nerve suppiles the thumb and first 3 fingers but not the little finger so there is rarely numbness in this finger.An EMG (electromyogram) is the test to tell whether or not you have CTS and it will also tell how bad it is which is useful information to decide on the appropriate treatment. The test involves measuring the electrical conduction down the nerve with electrodes after a series of pin pricks in the hands (usually not very painful).The treatment of CTS usually follows a stepwise approach including the following.1. Decrease repetitive activity if possible2. Wrist splints worn at night to allow the nerve to rest for 6-8 hours in a straight position (they often work well)3. Anti-inflammatory medications to reduce the inflammation (ie. Ibuprofen, perscription alternatives)4. Occasionally a steroid injection into the wrist will give some temporary relief5. Surgery. This is usally done for moderate to severe CTS (documented on EMG) that has not responded to simpler treatments. There is a new laparoscopic surgical technique that is done with a couple small incisions and fiberoptic tubes. This works great in experienced surgeons.Hope this is useful info. This will be a common plague in carpenters.Jim Roberts, M.D.
*I worked my way through college and a while after as a painter and taper. The repetitive motions that take place combined with a tight grip on my tools or brush brought on the tendonitis after 5-6 years. Later I got into shooting handguns (at targets!) and the combination of repetitive motion and impact led to joint problems. I've had to lay off of both activities from time to time. Swinging a hammer has the same effect on me. Strength exercises and extreme flexibilty exercises have helped out (that means stretch a lot- to the point of pain- and lift weights or use resistance devices). I'm 35 and can't wait to get arthritis!
*Hey Doc!! It's nice to know you are monitoring this board. Thanks for the info.I don't know whether I have tendonitis or CTS, but I have a fairly large knot at the base of my thumb that is very painful (not necessarily to the touch, but with strenous activity). This wrist (on my hammer hand) acts up frequently, and I often experience numbness at night. When it acts up, I usually wear a wrist brace with a curved metal bar for a month or so while working and it has always gotten better...until this time. I have worn a brace now for 6 months straight and it doesn't seem to have gotten any better. I have never worn it at night though, like some of these posts suggest. Didn't know you were supposed to. I thought I needed to wear it while working to reduce wrist movement. It's very inconvenient and hard to hold tools. Guess I need to get one of those EMG tests done, huh? I can't afford to not work, but I may have to change my methods -- hire help and become a manager. It's just hard to find anyone as particular as I am.
*How about Ice at the end of the day? I had elbow problems a while ago and for awhile I iced after work everynight. Helped a little, couldn't have hurt, gave me some time off, at least 20 minutes. Are you sure this isn't from typing?
*Oh JD that was funny.............I don't know who in this trade who doesn't have hand problems after years in the trade. I to had grip problems on my hammer and a guy told me to change my grip. After scratching my head about what he said he showed me what he had been shown. His hammer grip was wrapped with the stuff they use on tennis rackets. He explained that most guy's have bigger hands then the people who make the stuff and you have to grip harder to stop it from slipping. At this time I was ready anything and found some at the local sports store. After two weeks the sorest had gone away. Give it a try and let us know what you think
*From experience: Time to be thinking about a new primary career.
*O K, Ice wasn't meant to be funny, I played sports in college at the division 1 level and I had more parts of me in ice than I want to remember. One day on a job i came off a ladder, landed on my toe and tore up an ankle. I continued to work but could hardly walk by the end of the day. I went home that night and filled a 5 gallon bucket with ice and water (much more ice than water) and spent the evening 20 minutes in and 20 minutes out. It was very unpleasent, but I could walk the next day well enough to work. I was raised that ice was the best thing for anything. Pull a muscle, ice the first 24 hours. Then heat, ice, heat, ice, see the doctor. Maybe things have changed, but Ice is great for tendinitis, or so I have always thought.I bought a 20" x 30" gel pack I keep in the freezer just in case something hurts. I know it doesn't cure severe problems, but it is a great topical anti-imflamatory.
*One more thing, get rid of the metal handled hammer. I had one once for a week, worst ever. Use "Vaughn" fiberglass now, tried and loved wood but got tired of breaking handles. Incidentally, I bought a cheapy fiberglass hammer once and it was the worst.
*Jim, nice post, I remember the last... vaguely. Well done, thought the A&P course did come in handy when "laparoscopic" showed it's ugly head. What do you have for CRS, as compared to CTS? Too many of us suffer from the former.
*What you guys need to know, is that it ain't going to ever get better and you'll have to adapt. When I was about 30, I took Fred B.'s advice- went to school and got a real job etc., etc. But that only lasted 7 or 8 years. I want to work with my hands, work for myself, stand back and look at it. Now I joke to my wife that she needs to get me one of those handicap spoons to velcro to my hand so I can eat dinner. The reason I do smaller remodel jobs is so I don't have to do any one thing more than a day or two. Thank god for nail guns, I can't even swing a trim hammer all day. A big taping job (2 or 3 rooms) cripples me for a day or two after I am finished. But I always recover, a couple days screwin around or a good road trip always helps. Working slower all the time at 49, but still got more lined up than I can ever do-lonecat
*I am so glad that you posted that about steel handled hammers. I recall hearing someone else mention the same thing. I have used nothing but Estwing hammers for at least the past 10 years. I wondered if it was the ability for a greater amount of shock to travel through a steel handle than through wood or glass that amplified and sped along these wrist & hand problems. My father has pounded more nails than China has rice and has only had real trouble with his hands for the past 5 years. He is 62. Always uses wood handled hammers. Then again he is getting senile so maybe he just doesn't remember having troubles.?!Pete Draganic
*Pete, see my CRS reply to the good Doctor. Your Dad's not the only one. I've found the Hart hatchet handled "California Framer" hammers help when really pounding frame nails, the wrist angle in use is better. More of a "position of function" in medical nomenclature. Still CRS, but I've a pocket full of notes.
*Oh, boy, I'm gonna get in trouble with this one, especially with the good doctor! ; ) I work with my hands ALL the time; primarily my right hand/wrist: remodeling work, drawing, dyeing and painting fabric, gilding, sewing, typing - lots of repetitive stuff. Only time I started to have CTS was during a bad divorce; one of my daughters, who is an illustrator, went through the same thing when she was going through a divorce. We both took it easy on our hands, rather than do some real damage. Hey, if you mess up your health, you're in bigger trouble than if you put that hammer or paintbrush down, or take that vacation, than if you didn't! Two things:1) Youi gottaquit whenever it starts to hurt or bother you. This goes to taking care of our bodies, i.e., not pushing them too far. Corporate types get heart attacks; people who work with their hands get CTS. People who work with their hands and for themselves are probably prone to both. *sigh*2) I read a book entitled _You Can Heal Your Life_, by Louise Hay. It's not as new-age as one might think. At the end of the book, there is a list of ailments and what mental state causes them - it amazed me how on-the-money it was! If you doubt the veracity of what Ms. Hay is saying, think about stress headaches, or how family problems seem to make you more subsceptible to a cold, or how cancer patients with a good attitude stand a better chance of survival. Check out the book; it won't make you run out and buy crystals or start chanting or anything.I figure everything is all tied together: mind, body, dreams - the whole shebang. I keep a (Jungian) dream journal, and I have found that, first, my dreams let me know what's going on; if I ignore what my dreams are saying, the problem manifests physically. If Ii stilldon't get the hint, the physical ailment gets worse. I definitely believe in good medical care; I don't think any of us is single-minded enough to cure all of our ills. But Ii dobelieve we can control our own lives more than we think we can. As far as controlling anything else in the universe... well, sometimes I wonder. By the way, I turn fifty in May, and I definitely believe life has gotten better! I care far less about little stuff and what "people" think, and I've become more of a risk-taker. Of course, it could be the testosterone in the estrogen patches... ; )Patty, who does not own any crystals, and who has a slew of specialists... just in case
*Actually that is very interesting and I have a very strong theory on what realtionship your mental and physical state have on your health.
*Regarding hammers and wrist pain, as soon as I got rid of my Estwing steel handle framing hammer(which, incidentally, is breakable -- I've seen it happen), everything from my right hand to my shoulder started hurting less. When I ditched the Plumb fiberglass handle for a Vaughan California Framer 23 oz. wood handle, I never had another problem. Although I agree that you have to be more careful with wood, I've had the same handle in this Vaughan for six years of continuous work and it's still in real good shape. I carry a spare handle, but I don't know when I'll need it. I keep a smooth face rip claw fiberglass 20 oz. Vaughan for stripping forms, nasty work under houses, adobe remodels, and really bad demo, but the 23 oz. mill-finish rip claw with a wood handle does the rest no problem. Most recent addition was the Vaughan 28 ounce rig-builders ax for the few times when the 23 isn't enough. This is a tool worth having, if just for the fun of it.As for anti-vibration grip tape, check out GripStrip tool wrap from Chase Ergonomics at http://www.chaseergo.com. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks like it could help with situations like what Bill described.
*Pete, yeah? What's your theory? I'd love to hear it!Patty
*They just published a study where asthma and arthritis suffers were divided in 2 groups; one wrote about painful life experiences and the other about day-to-day drivel. The first group was twice as likely to show improvement, only 25% got worse. I probably wouldn't have believed it ... and I have a degree in psych. This stuff is only in its infancy, but dealing with stress is clearly a good thing for more and more reasons.On carpal, you may or may not have this ... but get a consult with an expert rather than self-diagnose (I doubt an internist would know enough detail about this rather specific orthopedic problem). Please don't delude yourself that it's manly to ignore the pain -- there are a lot of damn proud self-cripplers out there (like the ex-mason down the block who appears to have destroyed every single joint in his body -- and boy is he bitter). Obviously, there is something wrong. The main offender is repetitive stress -- doing the exact same motion over and over, especially in a slightly awkward way, classically by typing with your wrists down. Treat it early or you may lose your career -- and the use of part of your body. Some lifelong nail-pounders never have a problem, but that has nothing to do with you -- that there are 90 y.o. 2-pack-a-day smokers out there doesn't mean smoking is safe. Did I mention you all should have disability insurance!!! If you get injured there goes your income; and it will take you time to train for a career change.
*
You'r right I was being American, North American. There was an article I read about the new Province that said the largest population village was still Anchorage. The article didn't mention other parts of the world so can't say if they were taken into consideration.
But, back to the main post, it is plain from the length of this topic that all of us are getting older. It is also plain that those who cope best take care of their bodies and minds. Exactly how they do that depends on personal likes and attitudes. What is important is to realize the human machine(body) wears out. A person can space out that life over a lot of years or use it all up in a few. They can maintain it, or they can not. It is all up to the owner.