Re: Recommendation for Saving Joints, long-term

[wedgie]

One injury can lead to another.

I had a severe case of tennis elbow from repetitive use . After 30 years of scrapping and hammering, the tendons got so inflamed I couldn’t bend my elbow without excruciating pain, but my employer brow beat the heck out of me so I returned to work before I should have. I was using elbow locked and working the shoulder instead. The result ? 10 months off work with a torn supraspinatus in my right shoulder. Incredibly frustrating and very painfull. Pulling over a 1954 Fleetwin is a challenge now, and I use my left mostly now. The tendon never heals, but the other ones take over for it.

The only good thing is the shoulder injury forced me to rest my arm enough that the elbow calmed down. I have had to adapt some new techniques on the job such as telling my supervisors to "get someone else to do that overhead hammering for 8 hours straight" 👿
I shouldn’t complain cause I am still able to work and have very good, steady job. A fellow member I know had severe nerve damage and lost much of the mobility in his left hand forcing early retirement. Fortunately he is a very talented mechanic and has adapted too and does amazing work with the "claw."

I guess my best advice is if you do hurt yourself, give it a chance to heal, or you can make things a lot worse 😥