S.O.S Save our Shoulders- PT for treeworkers

[SouthSoundTree-]

A lot of massage therapy helped my left shoulder recuperate. I've holidays and crazy business has gotten out of the regular massage routine, and stretching, and solid hydration. Cold, wet weather makes it harder want to put water into the body, and makes it a hassle to get water out of the body.

I've done Rotator Cuff strengthening exercises, which I need to get back onto doing. Easy, and can be done with a Theraband, or a can of soup, or jar of applesauce. I'll have to look for some youtube examples.




What do you do/ know of that is good for keeping things muscles balanced, and joints aligned?

Discuss. Naturally, this doesn't have to stay 'on-topic' to shoulders.


I just called for a massage appointment. Money well spent. We beat our bodies up, even trying to 'work right' with minimizing strain on our bodies. If you all don't get massage work done because of the expense/ work for a company and don't have all the insurances/ etc, there are a lot of massage therapists that are out of the game full-time, and do some side work, often as their bodies become beat up.

 

[Mick!]

Don't lift anything heavy, ever. Get a youngster to do it or buy a mini skid/compact tractor.

I'm not joking, that's from the horses mouth.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

And a Wraptor. Accessible everywhere.

I spurred up a tall tree for the first time in a while a couple days ago. I couldn't get a good line in a dying pine over the house and garden without shaking a bunch of stuff loose.

 

[Mick!]

For me the actual process of climbing is not that taxing. I'm always in spurs and when you're up a tree gravity is your ally.

It's the groundwork that'll injure you, leaning, lifting, wrenching, standing for long periods.

In the last couple of years I've put another €90 or so euros on any big job and got another pair of hands in. I come out of the tree and toddle about, the heavy stuff is for the paid help.
My back has never been better.

 

[FireFighterZero]

I dislocated my shoulder playing dodge ball in high school. ( I usually tell people it was playing football).

It gives me trouble once in a while. The best help was to quit playing sports for the glory of some prick I did not get along with.

Sorta off topic but, New Zealand has decided that one of the best things a farmer can do is to buy a four wheeler with power steering. HUGELY easier on the shoulders than non power steering.

I now I can hardly lift my arms after a day of pawing at the tiller of my four wheeler chasing cows.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

It just all adds up. I'm going to start using a second groundie more often. I don't do much groundwork, but its the miles, not the years. I have put a lot of miles on my shoulders between rock climbing and tree work. Often, winter has historically worked out where I have one seasoned groundie. Busier this year. Just hard to find someone that has their brain turned on, and can be safe, and work hard.

With a lot of conifers around here, you have a lot of small limbs, so tradition roping is not as practical, 0.5% of the tree at a time. A lot is cut-and-guide on the way down, but a lot is cut-and-throw, having tight landings between garden beds. Speed lining is very practical.


Handsaw work, pole pruning work, hand pruning work this time of year with fruit tree pruning. A lot of pruning lately and large trees, so more odd reaches, one handed, precise cuts. Sometimes removal work is easier. Sometimes. Gravity can be your friend. Fighting out storm damages limbs in big conifers is hard, and seems to make gravity my enemy, at times.

I need a MS150t.

 

[Mick!]

Yeah cut and throw is bad for you, the sudden weight on your arms, bigger than you thought, twists your wrists etc.

Drop it on the shrub and tell em "with the extra light and nutrients now the tree has gone that'll come back lovely!"

( breaking roofs are more difficult to look on the bright side of)

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

I've had a Rotator Cuff Impingement diagnosed in the past http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotator_cuff and did some PT like the video has.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EQfE9waXdLU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

3:15 The internal and external rotations are what I have found to be very valuable, and easy to do. Just a matter of doing it. Of course, my range of experience is very limited.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WR1W79AWOag" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>




I might look into a different pintle ring mounting plate to be able to tip the chipper up more, while on the hitch, thereby lowing the feed table. When its detached from the truck, I can crank it up a long ways on the tongue jack. This makes less work for the crew overall.

 

[Tucker943]

Don't lift with your back. Lift with your laborers.

 

[Husabud]

Or your Boxer.

 

[Tucker943]

Both.

 

[Dave Shepard]

I dislocated my shoulder playing dodge ball in high school. ( I usually tell people it was playing football).

It gives me trouble once in a while. The best help was to quit playing sports for the glory of some prick I did not get along with.

Sorta off topic but, New Zealand has decided that one of the best things a farmer can do is to buy a four wheeler with power steering. HUGELY easier on the shoulders than non power steering.

I now I can hardly lift my arms after a day of pawing at the tiller of my four wheeler chasing cows.

Funny you mention a dodge ball injury. Just this morning I was reminded of a girl who could probably be a world champion. I'm surprised she never took anybodies head off with that thing. Once she got the ball, the game was pretty much over.

 

[stig]

Do some sort of physical exercise besides work.
If I just went logging for 8 hours a day in season, then home on the couch, I wouldn't have lasted this long.
Doesn't matter if it is gymnastics, yoga or as in my case, martial arts,just do something that has you jumping around and loosening up the parts of your body that work is hard upon.

 

[Mick!]

Diffrent strokes Stig, I could not countenance doing any serious exercise outside of work apart from walking the dog and gardening.
I think genetics plays a part as well, there are footballers finished at 30 and others as good as ever at 40 plus.
For me it's all about managing the decline.

 

[Bermy]

I messed up my shoulders playing goalie in field hockey for many years...first big climb and dismantle of the year yesterday, small stuff till now...right shoulder is aching today...up top and round the back in that soft spot just between shoulder blade and arm.
I am a believer in massage and physiotherapy

 

[McGuarantee]

I'm in PT right now for my right shoulder. Strained the rotator cuff from over use with tree work and rock climbing I suppose...
The smaller stabilizing muscles weren't doing they're job/they weren't strong enough so the bigger arm and shoulder muscles were overworking and everything was outta whack. It's feeling a lot better now. Lots of thera band work, scapula strengthening, etc.
One thing that has helped a lot is rolling on a tennis ball on the sore muscles. This can hurt a lot, but it massages it really well, gets oxygen to it, and helps relax and heal the muscles.
I miss rock climbing so damn much, can't wait to get back at it. When choosing which one to stop, tree climbing and rock climbing, the one that pays the bills had to be the one to stay.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I need a strong cortisone shot...

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Take the time to get an overhead climb line in place.

Propel with your feet, less with your arms.

 

[Husabud]

Arnica gel Bermy.

 

[woodslinger]

+1 on the arnica, that stuff works wonders

 

[MasterBlaster]

Arnie who???

 

[Al Smith]

Although I don't make my living in treework I can well relate to bad shoulders .As a construction electrician a majority of my work was over head .It didn't bother me when I did it all the time .However once I went to what I do now it does .Use it or lose it .Of course being 67 years old doesn't help things either

 

[MasterBlaster]

Better than 77, LOL!

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Better than the number stopping.


I haven't tried arnica gel, only oral tablets. I didn't get anything from them.


I have used Topricin on my wrists. I had some ibuprofen cream/ ointment from England years ago-no stomach upset.


That deep tissue massage today helped a lot.

My old massage therapist's dad was a tree climber. She has worked on a half-dozen climbers. She thinks that stress/ duress while cutting/working seems to make climbers have extra tough muscles (strong yes, but not that, tough). Very rope-like and tough. I was sharing this idea with the new massage therapist while she worked on my shoulder from the front and armpit for the sub-scapularis (spelling. Below scapula/ shoulder blade). She was like, uh huh, uh huh. Then, I turned over and she started working my back and was more like "wow, did you feel that?". Yes, that's why I'm here. Climbers and tree workers put their bodies through a lot.

 

[Bermy]

Arnica Gel, yup, I'm already sold on that! The cream works well for bruises, the gel for sore muscles.