Climber/ Treeworker Injuries and Treatments

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Yes, I learned it is easy to find in any pharmacy locally.
 
Trimmed a black walnut on Tuesday, and my hands were all frigged up. Kept cramping and locking up and hurting. Wasn't much time climbing, maybe 3 hours. First thought is the saw, but I probably spent more time gripping a rope than saws and the ropes kinda need a harder grip too. They kept locking up on the steering wheel afterwards, right hand was worse than left but they were both messed up.

I may have gotten a tiny bit dehydrated but I never got fatigued or thirsty or anything like that. I had some caffeine and sodium and lots of water beforehand, and that's kinda my usual routine, a sugar free energy drink and water all day. Maybe some magnesium or potassium might help... or maybe stretching exercise for the hands, idk. Was bizarre, never had that happen before. Had to use my other hand to get my fingers off the steering wheel they were just kinda stuck gripping it.

Any thoughts or similar past experiences?
 
I drank 2 to 3 bottles of generic Pedialyte every day... one bottle before I even left the house in the morning. You GOTTA load up on your electrolytes!
 
Yeah, Butch has got it. When I was climbing full time I'd wake up in the nite and my hands would be locked up like that and curled over kinda like a mummy. I think I was dehydrated and drinking too much beer. I've learned that water alone does not hydrate very well, I drink an emergency every morning now and one at lunch when it's hot out haven't had that happen in awhile, also stopped caffeine. I tried the magnesium for awhile and it helped with stress and sleep too but messed up my guts too much.
 
Yea, they were like hooks or claws, caught me off guard lol I'm used to my hands doing what I tell them.

I do believe I'll get some Wal-Mart Pedialyte, it's probably low in sugar already. Good point though, higher doses of magnesium will have a laxative effect.
 
I start off my morning with a tall drink of water and then usually a Gatorade while my cup of coffee cools a bit on the way to work. Since I’ve started with a glass of water first thing I’ve felt a lot better and my joints hurt a lot less. I also set alarms on my phone for every hour to remind me to take a drink. I carry a 32 ounce Yeti bottle with me everywhere. Five gallon jug on the truck and I’m amazed that between the three of us is almost empty every day. I also eat small meals all day long with a good sized dinner.
 
Yeah i get the mix packets of it, you can definitely tell the difference. I also use a very low sodium salt named "life salt". Mix that in some water and it really helps. Carry a thing of it in the truck.
 
Electrolytes, smelectrolytes :). Bunch of hooie, methinks. Eat a solid, balanced diet, low fat, low salt, plenty of grains, fruit, and vegetables; some nuts, some fish, some animal-based protein; 3 squares a day, drink plenty of plain old water all day...you'll be fine, just like about 300,000 years of modern homo sapiens have done up until these last few hundred years or so. Foofoo special drinks...not.
 
Tell me that after wearing bibs, a welding coat, hat, hood, and gloves all day hugging a pipe hot enough to fry an egg in a minute in direct sunlight 115 heat index and humidity so high the sweat just soaks through and won't evaporate. 3 gallons of water a day and not piss once. You will actually drop if you don't get salts in you.
 
I disagree, if you're eating right and drinking enough plain H2O. So yes, I'm telling you, my friend. Don't go trying to out-heat index a wildland firefighter, sir :).

No bother to me...do what suits you, each and every one. I know what I know, and y'all do too :D.
 
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Yeah, yeah Butch :)...we've beat that horse to death more than a few times. You remember, please sir...I was born and raised in the deep south. Firefighting crews travel all over the whole country. I know every bit as much as you do about the climate in central Louisiana, and many more places too.
 
Well, you probably got me on the eating right thing!!! :lol: Honestly tho, the electrolytes help in my experience. I've had a heat injury before i learned that, and will not make the same mistake again. You might have been blessed with a more tolerant physique, I'm not sure. If you go to the er dehydrated, they use a saline solution to hydrate you, so i would think that in extreme weather working long hours, you need to do the same. The cdc and osha agree with you to a point, but when it gets really hot just about all companies in construction actually supply squincher packets to keep the workforce properly hydrated. That costs money, and they wouldn't do that unless it was deemed medically prudent.

Electrolytes, it's what plants crave! :lol:

https://youtu.be/GFD2ggNxR1g
 
You can also die from drinking to much water without getting electrolytes either from food or something else. The human body absolutely needs electrolytes to live and function.
 
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