wear and tear on your body?

[igetbisy]

Does anyone have a problem with their hands from doing trees for many years? I work with a guy that has managed to just about destroy his hands, trigger finger, carpel tunnel, and wear and tear arthritis, by the end of a hard day, his hands are totally thrashed, sometimes we don't work for a couple of days after that, and I''m finally starting to realize that his hands are the reason, because he's too macho to admit it.
I know this work is hard on your hands, but is it common for tree workers to have problems down the road from it? mabye from the days before anti-vib., or just from over exertion for extended periods, etc.
I figure that we'd have been born monkeys, had big daddy-o known how much time we would be spending in trees.

 

[NickfromWI]

From what I gather, the symptoms you mentioned are more what you see in older workers.

Nowadays chainsaws a lighter (less strain on the body) and vibrate less (or at least they send less vibration into the user).

If you are smart about how you do things, wear your ear plugs, wear gloves...I'm sure you could do this job until you retire. I know I could.

love
nick

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Another thing is that people think that because they are in an active trade they get a healthy workout. But it is really unbalanced.

I have a shoulder problem because I let my back streach out too much and my pecks on the right side got too short. Been doing therepy for months and only now seeing some improvement.

I think Mat Mayo has a simmilar problem. I've talked to a few other guys with similar complaints.

Also, things like one-handing works the body in ways it is not suposed to.

Part of our training shouldinclude seeing people who know anatomy, kinesiology and how to train muscles that are not used every day.

I'm not saying go to the gym everyday and try to max your bench, but low weight/high rep exercizes that hit the small muscle groups that stableize the joints.

 

[Curtis James]

I get to jump on this one early. Those guys are off workin right now on a day like this! They'll be here shortly a little fatiged but ready to tell us all there secrets! I know I'm listening. I'm only 27 and it has been a while since I have been whooped from work. I did it allot more before I had kids. Now it's stricly an eight how thing. I beleive in diet and excersise. One could very well consider our job excersise. I try to stretch a little also. I will still have youth on my side for many years!!! I did hurt my back once being stupid and over exerting,(working harder instead of smarter.) I am more aware now. I do have a little joint pain in my elbows.From the incessant pruning. Any good supplements or vitimins for that?I will say I have the occasional numbness in my hands but my mother had the surgery for carpal tunnel and it was no fun. It is probably alot different now. Lasers and all. I have heard the chiropracter can releive many ailments. Straightening us back out after we have contorted ourselves. Getting the blood to flow through properly. Who has the doe for that? Climd safe. sorry John I type slow.You weren't here before.

 

[NickfromWI]

The things I focus on to keep me healthy are proper lifting technique when at work, and high variety in my exercise.

Run, bike, hike, swim, snowboard....do all sorts of things. The more you do, the more strain you put on different muscles...it keeps 'em all sharp!

love
nick

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I've heard that one of the causes of carple tunnel (the tendon sheath) is that you repeatedly work your hands at the same angle.

By stretching and gripping at different angles you will keep the trendons fro forshortening which causes the irretation and wear on the tendon sheath.

The best joint products are the glucosemine/chindroitin/MSM. Though Young Nick would have problems taking them since one is derived from bovine cartilage.

 

[BigJohn]

I can say I have had similar problems. Two years ago I blew a knee out one week from competition. I tour my right medial meniscus. It was so bad the doctor couldn't understand how I made it a month or so until I came in to see him but I had to wait until competitions were over. I think I was 6 in the state over all. I believe that was in part due to all the stomping in hooks and standing on hooks all day. I also had problems with my right shoulder the pain was really bad after work and I couldn't get any sleep at night and that went on for years. I saw a chiropractor and she didn't know what to make of it. She did say I had some deep muscle damage in my back shoulderblade. I finally went to my doctor who did my knee and after a MRI I found out that the muscle and bone combination in my shoulder was out of balance. The bone was thick and the muscle large. The muscle was being pinched under the bone. I had some of the bone removed and its been great ever since. The spastic mucsle in my shoulder blade in the back is fine too now. I am only 30 and consider myself in pretty good shape. I try and limit my diet to mostly red meat and other protein.

 

[TREETX]

Originally posted by BigJohn
I try and limit my diet to mostly red meat and other protein.

So you eat what Nick doesn't

I am a big protein fan. I lift really heavy in the gym a few days a week and run as well.

It is hard to hit the gym after a long day of tree work but once you get into the habit, it makes a day of tree work seem like a breeze.

I am ONLY 28. I hope to last a long time doing tree work.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

If you concentrate on heavy movements, then you use mostly the gross muscles.

Soemthing I forgot about from my bodybuilding days...go light and isolate. you'll find the muscles you don't normally use. Then before you leave, do some heavy to build fibers in the gross muscles.

 

[OutOnaLimb]

This is a topic I can truely relate to. When I first graduated from highschool I joined the army and wanted to be an Airborne Ranger. My first ride ever, on a helocopter I parachuted out of it and broke my leg. That did little to stop me, I healed up and kept going full tilt, not only that but on the weekends I was rodeoing pretty hard core. Usually hitting at least 2 rodeos a weekend riding bulls and bareback broncs. I finally got out of the army in 99 when I got stomped on by a bull at a rodeo and crushed the same leg that I broke years before on that jump. They put in some pins, screws and a lot of wire and told me that I would never be able to jump again. So I was medically discharged from the military after 8 years of service. And what did I start doing after that????? Climbing trees, and I have been at it for the last 4 years. Im only 31 and my right shoulder aches every morning and I can still feel those screws im my leg every now and again when I spike into a piece or hard, dead wood. But for the most part I am still In the game. Maybe I am just hard headed, or its all the vitamins and glucosimine pills that my girlfriend makes me take each morning. But I am starting to feel my age. An old rodeo cowboy once said, "it aint the years, its the miles"

Kenn

 

[MasterBlaster]

31? Trust me, 41's gonna be a wake-up call... really.

 

[OutOnaLimb]

For the most part good ole Motrin, or Ibuprofin is a good pain reliever and a good anti-inflamitory agent. Fortunatly now a days if you have some serious joint pain or discomfort you can go to your Walmart pharamacy and pick up over the counter Napercin or Naproxin which is pretty much just "turbo motrin" A daily intake of glucosomine and chondroitine will help keep your joints well lubricated.

Kenn

 

[OutOnaLimb]

Bring it on!!! Im like a bottle of fine wine. I just get better with age.

Kenn

 

[NeTree]

Kids, sheesh!

 

[Dadatwins]

This biz can be one of the worst on your body, working in cold, hot, rain, ect. all take there toll after a while. I grew up using old homelite saws before anti-vibe no gloves and never bothered to wonder why my finger tips tingled at night. Now twenty five years later they do not tingle any more they are pretty much numb at the tips. We never had lift gates or boom trucks, it was bend and lift the wood onto the old F350 flatbed and then hand dump it later. Never thought about stretching or how to lift just did it. Pay for all that now and sound like a bowl of rice crispies in the A.M. Thank goodness now for anti -vibe and boom trucks and lightweight chainsaws. Take care of what you got cause like one doctor told me there are no good replacement parts out there.

 

[Ax-man]

Originally posted by MasterBlaster
31? Trust me, 41's gonna be a wake-up call... really.

Well said MB, and there is not a darn thing you can really do about it, you just lose a little bit every year, weather you like it or not, it just happens. I might have beaten the odds in the over 40 catagory, but I have my share of aches and pains.

The biggest problem I have is my lower back. I haven't had to go the doctor yet, but I did get a good book called " Your Aching Back " by Agustus White M.D.. It is full of good info if you have problems with this area of the body and how to avoid pain and discomfort, by doing self therepy.

I did one thing really stupid years ago. I cut off a stump with a pronouced flare to it . While carrying it to the truck, one of the points was kind of lightly digging into the groin area. The piece wasn't heavy or akward, just pointy.

That night I swelled out big time in that area of the body, thought for sure I had ruptured myself good. Had to go to hospital with 100 plus fever, and vomiting, plus swelling the size of baseball. Doctors never did know exactly what happened, had them all puzzled in the ER, no rupture, just infection. Best explanation I got was I had disturbed my lymph gland. Spent three days in hospital, mostly sleeping and on anti- biotics. Dismissed after three days, every thing ok.

Just thought I'd pass this one along for what it is worth.

Larry

 

[MasterBlaster]

My right shoulder aches the most.

 

[OutOnaLimb]

The human body is an amazing thing. You can push it past the point of where you thought you could never push it any farther. Trust me I know this. But there comes a time when it will start telling you that you are pushing it to far. You and you alone are the only ones that can say when you have pushed it to the limit. Know your limits. In the mean time there are a lot of things you can do to eleminate the wear and tear on your body. I cant say that I am big on diet or excercise, I get more than my fair share of exercise every day climbing. And as for what I eat. Im getting a little better about that. My big thing is, and it always has been is, mind over matter. If I dont mind, it dont matter.

Kenn

 

[rahtreelimbs]

I believe what MB says about the 31 vs. 41 thing. I started doing treework at 31. I only do this on weekends and evenings ( in the heart of summer ). I can only imagine what it is like doing treework fulltime. I am in better shape at 41 than I was at 25. Alot of times we will split the work up on removals. One guy will do the 1/2 another will finish up. Or we will put 2 or 3 guys up in a tree on a big pruning. However there are times my minds says 41 and my body feels like 60.

 

[murphy4trees]

My wrists began to bother me a little down in Va... making those flush cuts on big uprooted balls was hard on the system over time... I started using elbows and forearms and knees etc to push on the saw.... And was more careful about body placement... in the end the best thing was just to lay off the work for a while.... I've had the luzury to take off long periods of time from runnig saw and climbing everyday... I clean gutters for 4-6 weeks in the fall and 2 weeks in the spring and mostly just plow snow during the winter...