Wear & tear on the body

Just wondering if anybody else suffers nagging repetitive strain? My forearms and shoulders over the last year in particular really have started to suffer, also pain around the finger joints. The finger joint pain is from Trad gripping things but hurt shoulder from WFP last year and still nags and hurt forearm from a nightmare WFP job i had about 2 months ago. I've had a few disaster jobs over recently too that has really kicked things into gear & with what we do for a living it's near impossible to rest them for a period of time.

Don't think I am doing enough strengthening and stretching of the forearms in the gym, so that's my plan before I visit physio or docs but the issues are getting all too regular for my liking. Anybody else dealing with these issues?

Daniel Perkins said:

Just wondering if anybody else suffers nagging repetitive strain? My forearms and shoulders over the last year in particular really have started to suffer, also pain around the finger joints. The finger joint pain is from Trad gripping things but hurt shoulder from WFP last year and still nags and hurt forearm from a nightmare WFP job i had about 2 months ago. I've had a few disaster jobs over recently too that has really kicked things into gear & with what we do for a living it's near impossible to rest them for a period of time.
 
Don't think I am doing enough strengthening and stretching of the forearms in the gym, so that's my plan before I visit physio or docs but the issues are getting all too regular for my liking. Anybody else dealing with these issues?

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I get the odd niggle with the left shoulder with WFP occasionally but it's generally ok.
I've been taking cod liver tablets for a few years now (on a customer recommendation), so this might have helped.
I don't do any excercise outside of work, which might be good or bad.
I put my feet up whenever possible.

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Daily issues with left elbow and wrist till last October. Switched to extreme poles. Much stiffer, no flex causing 'energy return' to trigger spasms in my arm. 

Not one single incident since I switched pole. 

I don't go to the doctor as I ain't sitting in the waiting room with all those ill people plus you wait weeks for a physio and the NHS ones are afraid to touch you for fear of being sued and I ain't joking as it's well known, I had quite a bad issue with my shoulder but using an Xtreme pole over the years has helped and I just get the odd niggle now I did have quite bad tennis elbow but managed to almost resolve this by wearing Ioncore Elbow Support 

I have  a dicky shoulder electric reel helped big time also arthritis in my fingers recently started to use an extreme 18 that also as helped a bit still pain but don't seem as bad.

I take fish oil capsules every morning and a turmic tablet every night these also help with the imfamation. 

I have niggles all over my body...do not know if it is down to doing Trad and wfp or wear and tear over the years..probably more the latter, more active you have been, the more it eventually catches up. Have done lots of Saturday and Sunday League Football, Martial Arts, Half Marathons etc, and have these niggles, and a mate my age in the pub never did a days sport in his life has no dodgy knees, shoulders and stuff.

I did suffer with a painful shoulder 6-8 months ago. I think I may have pulled something though, as it’s been ok since.

i do suffer from a stiff neck. Looking up for long periods of time, on a big gutter job or something I have to regularly look down at the floor for a ew seconds.

This job isn’t great for the body if you do it 5 days a week for many years. But things like extreme pole, then possible physio & exercises will help. But seems to be, that ultimately things to do with health & the body, some are lucky, some are unlucky. 

I know people who live a very unhealthy lifestyle yet don’t have any health problems or injuries, and yet I know some very healthy living people who do have injuries & health problems, and obviously other way round as well.

I think your body will adjust in time. I was trad for 16 years and obviously WFP for the last 4 years  and I'm now using different parts of my body I didn't use before. Shoulders especially, forearms, and most where I hold the pole the joints on my thumbs. They originally gave me gip but now they seem to have adjusted to this use and are now fine.

Sorry this isn't helpful from someone who suffers from back issues and pain from being a child.

Maybe the gym is the problem @Daniel Perkins. (Said confidently by someone who would never be seen dead in a gym other than to clean the windows.) An NHS physio signed me up for exercise classes focusing on strengthening my back. It made my back pain worse.  Unfortunately its just seems to be who your are. Some people will suffer with their joints in later lfe where others seem not to. Has diet got something to do with it? Could be, I don't know. The wife is very much into diet nonsense but it doesn't seem to help her. Point that out and she counteracts with how ill she would have been if she didn't focused on all her health remedies.

I believe stretching is very helpful. These ladies who practice pilates seem to do well in older age. They are also not overweight like I am. ?

I suffered a lot from strain and general fatigue, it was pretty bad.

I broke my pole down so now its an 18ft, started using an extreme brush too. these two things made a huge difference. Also, put in electric reels which only cost £100 for the two.

I started to focus on recovery more now I'm 40, I lift heavy 3 days per week and have to work 7 days sometimes while I'm building up the business. Half hour naps after work and bed by 10pm helps a lot. Cold showers give you lots of energy and are great for inflammation, as is CBD oil.

A well balanced nutritious diet and lots of water are vital too.

Make yourself a plan, identify your problem areas and overcome them one by one.

I did years of trad and never experienced hardly anything until I started using wfp on a daily basis. That’s why I still do a lot of trad as it gives my body a vital break and change from the same repetitiveness. I feel so much better at the end of the day when I’ve been doing both rather than one or the other. Either that or it’s signs of old age creeping in. [emoji23]


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I feel it mostly in my hands so I'm not sure if arthritis is kicking in. When I first started, for months my hands would pain badly especially on a morning until I worked them in. I'm blaming overgripping the pole. I try to keep my daily working hours down to as much as possible to not put too much strain on my body. 9-2.30pm working through my dinner generally.

I have an old shoulder injury (rotator cuff tear) which plays up sometimes but that's about it

Slipped a disc years ago and was sore for a few years until a personal trainer friend told me to do lots of deadlifts etc in the gym which I used to avoid

Was very painfull for a couple of weeks until I started building up my core muscles

That completely removed the pain and I don't suffer at all from it now

Any time I injure myself now after a few days rest I build that area up in the gym and it goes completely 

I think avoiding using those muscles leads to more problems

I had lots of back problems when I was trad though I was told by an osteopath that they stemmed more from continually bending forward and to one side to pick up a bucket of water.

Since moving to wfp I have fewer problems generally. Problems with my back now are generally caused by tripping over stuff I haven't noticed in customers gardens. Last time it was an uneven paving slab and a newly placed ultrasonic cat repelling device on the same day. The resulting muscle spasm trapped the left femeral nerve in my lower back and the result has been two weeks off work so far as I have chronic pain in my left leg and can't stand for more than a couple of minutes on that leg without extreme pain and the leg just buckles. Last time it happened was nearly three years ago and though I was able to work after nearly two weeks off it took six weeks to fully recover.

Re wfp specifically though, it took me about a year to settle into it. One thing I found that can cause quite a few problems is standing too close to the property when cleaning upper windows. This causes your neck to be bent back at quite an angle. Done repeatedly this can not only cause pain in the neck but can also cause neuropathic pain in the arms due to pinching the nerves that supply them and if you damage the nerves this type of pain can be very destressing as it lasts long after you stop working and over the shelf painkillers don't usually touch it.

I had troubles with my wrists after using first a cheap alu pole and then an xtreme 47 as my main pole for far too many months. Got to the point where I couldn't use my hands to push myself out of a chair off the bed. Also couldn't carry my 1 year old daughter at all for fear of my wrist collapsing on my. 

I went to the doctor and by his recommendation I got an expensive wrist support. That plus taking the bottom sections off the 47 footer unless needed, gradually eased the pain. I now only use the wrist support occasionally, when doing tall work or long days.

Belay glasses also is a key element for me being able to work. I was in a car accident years ago and hurt my neck, so I try to use anything that lowers the strain on it.

Xtreme poles is the way to go as well. Bought a slx18 and I feel a big difference the days I use it a lot extended to its max. I honestly would rather use the 47 extended. I'll get a xtreme 22 next time around for sure.

Daniel Perkins said:

Just wondering if anybody else suffers nagging repetitive strain? My forearms and shoulders over the last year in particular really have started to suffer, also pain around the finger joints. The finger joint pain is from Trad gripping things but hurt shoulder from WFP last year and still nags and hurt forearm from a nightmare WFP job i had about 2 months ago. I've had a few disaster jobs over recently too that has really kicked things into gear & with what we do for a living it's near impossible to rest them for a period of time.
 
Don't think I am doing enough strengthening and stretching of the forearms in the gym, so that's my plan before I visit physio or docs but the issues are getting all too regular for my liking. Anybody else dealing with these issues?

Click to expand...

I think you could be over doing it to be honest fella. There should be no reason to go to the gym when you’re doing a physical job like this (unless it’s for specific sports training) if you’re simply doing it to keep fit or worried about seizing up maybe its time to look at other options. Swimming is a very good all round activity which is great for muscular pain as it works every muscle in the body. It did me a lot of good when i had serious back trouble. Cod liver oil tablets as others have mentioned. And a big thing that people overlook is a healthy lifestyle. If you smoke 10 a day and are on the drink every other day its really not gonna help. When i packed in drinking i lost 5 stone in a matter of a couple of months with no additional exercise or changes to my diet. I packed the fags in 3 years ago and feel much better for it. These poisons will only compound your problems as if you have one health issue, why create others for ourselves. I had major back pain for two years, i wore a back support until a few months ago, i went to the chiropractor, swam, kept active but not over exherting myself. It was a long road back to some sort of normality and i will always have underlying issues there, but i’m 80% back to normal. The body is a remarkable thing, it does tend to heal over time. Sitting around in front of the telly, as tempting as it is, should be limited to an hour or two as too much rest is no good. I find excuses to do things. I’m the first one to wash up, cut the grass, put the washing machine on, hoover, do things for parents/grandparents etc etc. not difficult for a young person & it does keep the muscles lubricated and the aches away i find. And of course your family thank you for taking the chores off their hands. Sounds a bit boring, but there’s always motorhead and rob zombie to have on in the background [emoji869]


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Thanks for the replies lads, forearm and shoulder issues are 100% since I start WFP, some truly crappy jobs combined with using a pole that is overkill weight wise for the job concerned (SLX 27). Definitely getting a lighter pole is an absolute must. Completely agree with what people are saying about the Xtreme poles and it will be my next purchase.

I'm fit and healthy, diet good, don't smoke but like a social drink. I just seem to be picking up tendonitis so easy in recent years, I'm so busy that i just don't think I can get a real rest which isn't a good thing I suppose. I went to physio while back about my back, have back issues for years. I was told to strengthen the lower back but to also keep it supple, stretch, pilates etc. It genuinely helped. But this is the thing, when you don't have the pain... the same bad habits come creeping back in. The same goes for most injuries imo, when you can feel it, you are aware and are cautious. As soon as it goes, it's like whatever i'm fixed!

As regards the shoulder, had a rotator cuff tear (Supraspinatus), i'm sure most people doing what we do have had it at one stage or another, also developed bursitis. Strengthening the shoulder has helped somewhat but I have to be careful. The forearm is the thing that is really bothering me, as in our game it takes a pounding. I know how I done it aswell doing a clean on a 3 story house that hadn't been cleaned in 10 years!! Favour for my mate who was going abroad and renting, so I cleaned it up for photos. Filthy dirty and so awkward.

Anyways Before I go physio, i am going to make a concerted effort to ice it, take anti inflammatories, stretch it and do strengthening exercises. If that fails, then physio it is. I suppose the ody always gets its revenge in the end. Cheers for all the replies, sound advice as per usual lads.. much appreciated. 

Marko067 said:

I had lots of back problems when I was trad though I was told by an osteopath that they stemmed more from continually bending forward and to one side to pick up a bucket of water.

Since moving to wfp I have fewer problems generally. Problems with my back now are generally caused by tripping over stuff I haven't noticed in customers gardens. Last time it was an uneven paving slab and a newly placed ultrasonic cat repelling device on the same day. The resulting muscle spasm trapped the left femeral nerve in my lower back and the result has been two weeks off work so far as I have chronic pain in my left leg and can't stand for more than a couple of minutes on that leg without extreme pain and the leg just buckles. Last time it happened was nearly three years ago and though I was able to work after nearly two weeks off it took six weeks to fully recover.

Re wfp specifically though, it took me about a year to settle into it. One thing I found that can cause quite a few problems is standing too close to the property when cleaning upper windows. This causes your neck to be bent back at quite an angle. Done repeatedly this can not only cause pain in the neck but can also cause neuropathic pain in the arms due to pinching the nerves that supply them and if you damage the nerves this type of pain can be very destressing as it lasts long after you stop working and over the shelf painkillers don't usually touch it.

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I like osteopaths, they’ve always got your back ? sorry.

I find the aches tend to get worse as the weather gets colder.

I find having a hot bath with Epsom salts helps and also relax’s you.

Actually, as I type this......

Don’ t go to mad with the bubbles though, very difficult to find your rubber duck ?

If he’s got my back, that explains why I can’t stand up. ?

Reckon @Part Timer will start having to use a slx40 instead of a slx47 as a everyday pole now his is almost retirement age. ?

Den said:

Reckon @Part Timer will start having to use a slx40 instead of a slx47 as a everyday pole now his is almost retirement age. ?

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No, will stick to my CLX 27 with a 45cm brush, would only be showboating if I used my 47' all day. 

Any way forget about me, how's you're dodgy shoulder, hip, knee, ankle, wrist and little pinky getting on. Hope the steroids and Viagra are working well. See you in January, got to watch telly down your way again. Will try and hang around for longer than 20 minutes this time