Aches and Pains of homesteading

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Back pain, carpal tunnel, headaches, purple fingernails, bruises, pulled muscles, eye strain, and more. What do you do to help the inevitable in the Spring, and avoid some of the less desirable by-products of working with your hands?

-- Rachel (rldk@hotmail.com), April 28, 2000

Answers

Rachel, I keep that picture in my mind of what my flowers will look like when they bloom--how we will enjoy the things out of our garden, even think of recipes as my back hurts while I'm planting! Think how great that fence will be when it is done! My hubby & I try to share our dreams & goals & work together & enjoy each step until it is done- --& praise God each day that He gave me another day to enjoy & be able to work!!!!!

-- Sonda Bruce (sgbruce@birch.net), April 28, 2000.

It's important to work smart, not hard -- think it through and follow safety rules. I don't know how to prevent the carpal tunnel (now that I've already got it!), but most of the other things Rachel mentioned are preventable. Another thing to be careful about is getting too much sun exposure. My husband has already had skin cancer because of sun exposure (with possibly a contribution from ten years in front of Air Force radar scopes), and our youngest daughter has vitiligo (patches of skin with no pigment that burn very easily), so we've gotten very careful about that.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), April 28, 2000.

I wear sunscreen, I always wear a visor. And I have started taking Glucosamine and Chondroitin. I initally started taking it for my hands, I milk twice a day. With it and a copper/magnetic braclet (just one from Walmart) my hands have been fine. The added benefit of the Glu. and Cho. came this spring when we cleaned barns. I had no aches in my hips at all! Being very large busted, I have had trouble with a certain muscle in my back, not the back per say, but this darn muscle. I also have had not one episode, with it! The real challenge will come when haying starts! Learn to wear gloves, don't work during the heat of the day, and don't do dangerous work when you are exhausted! Get yourself proper tools, my husbands hammers that the crew use, are to big around for me, I found a hammer with a smaller diameter grip. Don't use little flimsy pliers, get yourself a pair of linesman pliers or dockers. A rubbermaid wheelbarrow, pitch forks, shovels and rakes that are made for the job you are doing! Hold nails with needle nose pliers if you can't aim! I love my leatherman (a tool with everything on it, with it in my chore pants pocket, I am less inclined to try to bend that wire with my bare hand. And hire a neighborhood kid! 20$ and my whole place is mowed! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 28, 2000.

Having a good chiropractor helps.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), April 28, 2000.

I also recommend frequent short breaks and drink plenty of cool, not cold water, even in summer. It's easy to get dehydrated and not know it. (My husband says that if you don't need to urinate, you aren't adequately hydrated. That's a bit much for me but you get the idea.) Acclimate yourself to the warmer weather. To rest your back, try lying down on a rigid surface even the floor and rest your lower legs on a stool or chair so that your torso is at a right angle to your thighs and the thighs are at a right angle to your calves. Stay that way about 10 minutes. It hurts at first until the muscles in the small of the back relax and lengthen then it feels wonderful. To rise, roll onto your side and get up slowly.

I also have carpal tunnel syndrome and found that eliminating caffeine from my diet and taking B complex supplements helped dramatically. Resting my hands and stretching them open and back at the wrist helps a lot. In my case, losing some weight would also help. Like Vickie, I milk twice a day, knit when the moment arrives and cane chairs for a local refinisher. Any of the three are tough on the hands but the doctor who diagnosed my CTS couldn't believe I did all three.

I also take the glucosamine and chondroitin after my vet put our aged Great Pyrenees on it and it works very well for me. I have my doubts about sunscreen and if I can stand it, I wear long sleeves and gloves when working outdoors. If possible, I do indoor jobs-hey, the barn is indoors-between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to avoid the heat of the day and sun exposure. I wear a broad brim hat and UV blocking sunglasses to protect my face and eyes and hopefully prevent cataracts and other degenerative eye problems. I'm fair and already dealing with skin cancer. I didn't sunbathe and broil myself when young either so I can't imagine what my friends who did are doing now.

Enlist help when possible. This place had an inground pool when we bought it and I have a standing offer to help with haying from 2 teenage neighbors if I will let them swim afterward. Break jobs into less strenuous sessions (How do you eat an elephant? One bite at at time.) and take those breaks. Use the right tool for the job and be sensible about your limitations. It's just another version of the tortoise and the hare. Enjoy this lovely weather--at least it's lovely today in central Missouri.

-- Marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), April 28, 2000.



I agree with the others' advice and I just wanted to add a comment. My mom is 81 and she has arthritis in her hips and knees. She is on Glu. and Cond. and the right vitamins, etc. and still has pain in those joints but she gets out there and gardens like crazy. She takes frequent breaks and sits in a chair and enjoys her flowers but she is truly amazing. She claims that if she quits gardening her arthritis hurts her worse and she will never be able to get out of a chair. Her doctor agrees that excercise is the best thing for arthritis as long as you don't overdo. Two years ago when my parents moved into a new house there was a woodpile behind the house which was rotten and unsightly. She single-handedly loaded every log into the back of a pickup truck and took them all to the dump. Then a couple of weeks later she had a dumptruck load of loam delivered and spread the whole thing herself. (My Dad has heart trouble and can't do any lifting and I live ten hours away so I wasn't able to help.) Oh, yeah, she also swims three mornings a week. She puts me to shame. I keep her in mind whenever I want to shirk exercising because she is a perfect example of how important exercising is to maintaining your mobility as we age.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), April 28, 2000.

Well, it seems like I have to relearn certain lessons every year but some of the things that have saved me much grief are:

#1 - Get a *good* pair of gloves! If you're going to be doing something that's really hard on hands a decent pair of gloves will save you much pain. Once your hand calluses (if you want them) start thickening up the gloves aren't as important but for some jobs they're good to have no matter how tough your hands are. I have learned not to do hard handling of fence wire without wearing gloves. Had to learn it the hard way but I did eventually learn.

#2 - If you're working in the sun wear a hat! I'm blonde, fair skinned and just turned thirty eight so I don't forget that one much any more. If I'm going to be out in the sun for a while I'll shove my bandana under my hat and let it hang down in back like a kepi French Foreign Legion style. May look a little strange but it keeps the neck and ears from burning and it's considerably cooler. If it's really hot I'll soak it with water. I'll frequently wear long sleeves and always long pants when I'm working in very strong sun. I live in Florida so it's something to think about down here. My grandfather had a number of skin cancers cut off and I don't want to have to do the same.

#3 - Use the right tool for the job. Many times we make work harder for ourselves because we're trying to get the job done with an inefficient tool. I just bought an axe mattock and have been kicking myself for not buying one years ago. Working in ground that is rocky or full of roots is *much* easier with a mattock than trying to do it with a spade or hoe.

#4 - If the weather is at all warm or you're working in the sun be sure to stop and drink your fill of water at least every hour. Fatigue can really set in hard if you work when you're dehydrated. I surprise myself sometimes by how much water I drink when I'm really putting in a day outside.

#5 - Always lift with your legs and not with your back. Man, the number of times I'd forget and then have to have the wife massage my back that night so I could get to sleep! If you can't lift it without heroic exertion by yourself then leave the doggone thing until you can get help. Most times a back strain will go away after a few hours or days (that feel like months) but sometimes you can do something to yourself that really will pain you for months or maybe forever.

#6 - If you're not used to doing a lot of sustained hard physical labor give yourself time to toughen up. It's crazy to think you can go from being a desk jockey to a field hand in a week. Pace yourself and allow time for muscular strength to develop. Eventually you'll get there. Push too hard in the beginning and you'll rack yourself up so bad you may pitch the whole idea when you'd have made it just fine if you'd have given yourself a bit of time to become accustomed to the work.

..........Alan.

The Prudent Food Storage FAQ, v3.5

http://www.ProvidenceCo-op.com

-- A.T. Hagan (athagan@netscape.net), April 28, 2000.


Advance planning!!!! I know what I want to get done well in advance of the deadline. I can then take my time, and get to it when I get there. If I have a really tiring job, I tackle it a bit at a time. For example, I wanted to move a stack of unsplit logs. Instead of deciding I had to get it ALL done RIGHT NOW, I just picked up a log whenever I was walking by, and carried it to it's new home. As I was walking several times a day anyway, it didn't take long to do at all, and this turned a potential back buster into a job that was done without any hardship. Weeding works the same way, one bed and/or row a day, two if I'm feeling spunky. Also, don't pack your schedule so full that something unexpected is going to ruin your week.

For gardening - Living frugally is a great idea, but remember that your time is worth something too, and don't work twice as hard as you need to just to save money on tools. Read Ruth Stout! Use lots of mulch, and leave it there. My early brassicas were planted by simply moving the mulch out of the way, and scooping a quick hole with a hand trowel. Tomatos are planted the same way. For seeds, I saved up and bought a Garden Way Seeder. This is a wonderful investment, and really speeds up garden planting, freeing me to move on the the next chore. Do harder jobs in the early morning or late evening, to avoid killing yourself in the heat of the day, and light tasks in between. Frequent small snacks instead of heavy meals that might slow you down. LOTS to drink, but without sugar and caffeine, which will drop you flat when it wears off. If your area gets too hot, consider adopting the siesta custom, and avoid the severe heat altogether. Canning in August, for example, is a lot cooler after the sun goes down, just pick in the morning, prep during the heat of the day, (shell peas, break beans, etc.), take a nap, and turn on the heat after the sun goes down. Float a clean jug of ice in your pot to keep things fresh longer. Dry what you can.

For animals - Keep your supplies handy and organized. Keep your layout easy to maneuver in, and close enough to be convenient. Fill rain tanks off of your animal sheds, and plumb them with float valve water bowls. Fasten nylon window screening over the tops, dished to prevent splashing, to keep mosquitos and debris out. You can do the same thing from your house, and plumb in drip irrigation lines to water things, or use the catch tank to raise catfish in. At my place, hauling water is a rarity.

Above all, take good care of yourself. If you need a day of rest, take it. The Sabbath, after all, came to us from a people used to constant hard labor.

-- Connie (connie@lunehaven.com), April 28, 2000.


All of the above answers make very sound advice. I would add, that if you can, you might consider getting a hot tub. (I know...bad, yuppie connotation). We talked about this for literally >10 years, and finally just went and did it. This is after knee surgeries, back therapies, drugs, and whatever else. Hydrotherapy is the best way to relax. And even when we take precautions with proper planning like lifting correctly, and easing into projects, etc., at 48, we are just bound to be a little sore at the end of the day. I will also add, that it's the very best way to "deprogram" after a tough day dealing with whatever other stress you have (job, kids, critters getting out,nasty inlaws, arguments at church!!) and it's nice for nurtuting relationships...just hang out and talk and unwind. We also entertain this way.

Not for everyone, but the Romans, and Japanese and others had it right. You can build a wood fired one. Friends of ours turned us on that way. Not for everyone, but that lactic acid muscle burn out thing is real, which is why athletic teams have hydrotherapy tubs in their locker rooms.

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), April 28, 2000.


Get a good massage therapist to prevent sprains and strains and heal/avoid Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. You might even trade services/goods.

We got an 8 person hot tub almost 2 years ago and use it every night. It was a great deal and since we entertain a lot and the gas is free to heat it, we had it put in the new deck we built. It is no more than about 5 strides from the door to total relaxation. The electric to run the filter does cost us though, and in the winter it runs almost 24 hours to avoid freezing. At least during the very coldest snaps.

Remember if you buy a wood fired one that you need to plan ahead to use it and have the wood available (and dry) during those lovely winter days when, after sled riding with the gang, you want to jump in.

-- Anne (HealthYTouch101@hotmail.com), April 28, 2000.



I use Arnica for aches and pains. It also works great for the muscle pain of fibromyalgia. It is a homeopathic remedy that can be purchased at health food stores. My father always began taking it a few days before haying season or the big workout in the garden every spring. I swear by it.

-- Cheryl Cox (ccox33055@hotmail.com), April 28, 2000.

In Virginia--a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line cures most aches and pains !

-- Joel Rosen (Joel681@webtv.net), April 29, 2000.

God, yes, someone build me a hottub! pinch me, I'm dreaming.

So, whatchu guys are saying is: take it slow, plan ahead, buy a leatherman, and stop hitting my fingers with a hammer. OH!

I do need some good gloves, and maybe Joel is right about a drink. But when I was cleaning the barn yesterday, I think the only help would have been to not over-exert myself. Alan (I think) is also right about giving myself time to get rid of the Winter wussy in me and get back into shape. I love to be outside and have a lot to do in the Spring, but I shouldn't do it all at once. Some projects are kinda in for a penny....like moving the pasture fence. Alone. While watching the four kids. boo hoo hoo.

The right tool for the job, that's a good one. Nothing moves hay like a pitchfork. I need some power tools. Anyone recommend a brand of reciprocating saw?

As always, thanks for your input.

-- Rachel (rldk@hotmail.com), April 30, 2000.


How do you stop the pains of spring. Do hard work year round. When hard work is normal the pain is not there.

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), May 05, 2000.

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