HI Repetitive Motion Warning

[mgbinspect]

Actually, I just told a slight fib on the slidin' thread that I wish to clear up here, for the benefit of other home inspectors.

I DID deal with some WICKED pain for two seasons, while learning to snowboard. The reason I'm sharing it here is that it turned out that it had very little to do with the beating I was taking learning to snowboard.

So, do read this, because it may help you. About 2007, I began to develop pain in the joint of my left knee. It got worse pretty fast, and soon any time I bent that knee much beyond about 125 degrees, or so, it would make me yelp. The few times I slid on algae and did an accidental full bend back of that knee, it would darn near pass me out the pain was so massive. It would cause me to just lay there - not move for a while, recovering from that instant agony.

I'm pretty tough. I've damn near cut my thumb off with my trowel; run a hedge clipper into my leg, foregone stitches a few times, etc. but this was quickly becoming un-manageable.

So, I got an x-ray, MRI, and tried physical therapy, but none of those efforts revealed the cause or eased the pain.

Finally, one day I figured at out, and as soon as I did, within six months I bounced back to 100%.

1. I was getting out of my truck wrong. As I turned out of my truck, I would lift myself up with my trailing leg still in the car on the floor board. That was causing my knee joint to flex ninety degrees opposed (sideways) to the direction it's designed to bend.

But, that was only about one third of the cause...

2. The BIG offender, was the motion I used to test toilets to see if they were loose. I was doing three inspections a day, so that's a minimum of nine toilets a day. Each one, I'd walk up, place my foot beside the toilet and try to rock the toilet with the side of my leg. Well, guess what? The knee doesn't bend that way. So, after about fourteen years of that (probably about 40,000 toilets), my knee finally said, "If you rock even one more toilet like that, I'm going to make you pay." And boy did it.

Now I'm back to 100%.

So, a word to the wise: if you're going to use your leg to rock toilets, USE THE BACK OF IT - NOT THE SIDE.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

If you have a repetitive motion warning regarding method, add it.

[Scottpat]

So, a word to the wise: if you're going to use your leg to rock toilets, USE THE BACK OF IT - NOT THE SIDE.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

If you have a repetitive motion warning regarding method, add it.

I'm with you on the knee pain! Over the past couple of years I have had fluid drained and a steroid shot 4 times. My problem was with my knee pads. Now I use Patella "T" Knee Pads.

Now as far as testing toilets? What about if you wrap your arms around them and give them a big bear hug?

[Ben H]

Just curious Scott, how many toilets do you bear hug on a weekly basis? [:-taped]

[Bain]

I don't believe any of this stuff about repetitive motion. If it were true, my right wrist would have stopped working a long, long time ago.

[randynavarro]

Repetetive motion troubles for me are appearing in three areas:

1) the knee that I would kneel on to get at low stuff--problem was solved with a high quality knee pad.

2) Using a mouse while on the computer. I've always used a trackball, but I've just recently switched to a thumb-control trackball mouse and that seems to be helping considerably.

3) Upper back and lower neck: I believe from being in crawl spaces on my belly and looking up while on my belly rather that laying more on my side and looking straight.

[kurt]

I don't believe any of this stuff about repetitive motion. If it were true, my right wrist would have stopped working a long, long time ago.

Au contraire, mon ami........

Don't be dissin' the repetitive motion thing.....if you ain't got it, be thankful.

Some things on some folk, other things on others.

I had the surgery for a totally compressed carpal tunnel on my right wrist 24 years ago; it was so bad I was essentially walking around like I was a stroke victim.

Surgery cleared it up and I've been meticulous since then in what I do with the wrists.

Knees are OK; one of my old carpenter mentors yanked me to my feet about 35 years ago and screamed at me to "take care of my knees". I was dropping down onto them from a full standing position to nail baseboard. Ever since his warning, I've taken care of my knees.

I've also had the computer mouse thing....I used to laugh at it as impossible, but I'll testify......it isn't.

[Bill Kibbel]

I don't believe any of this stuff about repetitive motion. If it were true, my right wrist would have stopped working a long, long time ago.

Short fuse!

I was clean-jerkin' the big ladder off the top of vans and SUVs for 24 years. I finally got severe tendinosis in one shoulder, so I thought switching to a lower roofed car would solve the problem. I now slide it off the back before lifting and the torn tendons are finally starting to repair.

[kurt]

Every one of us would be well served by studying the basic nursing skill of body mechanics. I did years ago, and it's served well.

[Jim Katen]

Every one of us would be well served by studying the basic nursing skill of body mechanics. I did years ago, and it's served well.

Ah, that's where I went wrong. I've been studying the basic body mechanics of *nurses* for years.

[mgbinspect]

Every one of us would be well served by studying the basic nursing skill of body mechanics. I did years ago, and it's served well.

Actually, I DO have one other "don't do it, regarding inspection methods - breaker panel covers: I used to remove the screws and pin the top of the panel against the wall and lift away the bottom of the panel with my right hand. When I had a firm grip on the bottom of the panel, I'd then pull back the top of the panel cover and ease it to the floor. I used this method to ensure that It wasn't possible for the top of the panel cover to fall into the panel, because I knew the motor reaction would be to grip the bottom of the panel cover, when it fell, which could be electrifying. That worked well, except the easing the cover to the floor with the left arm. Finally the left elbow said the same thing, "You ease even one more panel cover to the floor like that, and I'm going to make you pay." - Tennis elbow.

So, now I do it all the same way, except I pop the cover up a bit so I can grab the panel on the upper right side and ease it to the floor with two hands - End of tennis elbow.

Regarding my pain threshold - My record ouch was driving a wood splinter about the size of a coffee stirrer clean through my leg. We're talking in at on place to come out about 2.5" further down my leg. when I told the the head waiter that I needed to go to the hospital, he asked why. So, I told him I had a splinter in my leg, to which he said, "Aw, does Mikey have a splinter?" So, I dropped trou right there, and when he saw the splinter he about passed out, and took me to the hospital. They had to pull it through. I wouldn't back out. Fun!

[Bain]

I don't believe any of this stuff about repetitive motion. If it were true, my right wrist would have stopped working a long, long time ago.

Au contraire, mon ami........

Don't be dissin' the repetitive motion thing.....if you ain't got it, be thankful.

Some things on some folk, other things on others.

I had the surgery for a totally compressed carpal tunnel on my right wrist 24 years ago; it was so bad I was essentially walking around like I was a stroke victim.

Surgery cleared it up and I've been meticulous since then in what I do with the wrists.

Knees are OK; one of my old carpenter mentors yanked me to my feet about 35 years ago and screamed at me to "take care of my knees". I was dropping down onto them from a full standing position to nail baseboard. Ever since his warning, I've taken care of my knees.

I've also had the computer mouse thing....I used to laugh at it as impossible, but I'll testify......it isn't.

Actually, I was being a little silly and suggesting that, um, despite excessive auto-gratification over the years, my wrist was still working fine. Don't ask why these things enter my mind . . .

[kurt]

Because you're a sick, sick man.

OK, less man grunts about their fookin' bods goin' south, more attention to nurses body mechanics........I'm closing this thread.......

[hausdok]

Because you're a sick, sick man.

OK, less man grunts about their fookin' bods goin' south, more attention to nurses body mechanics........I'm closing this thread.......

Aw shucks,

I was just about to go into a discussion about the great time stealer - inflammatory bowel disease. You aren't much fun, Kurt. You must be getting old.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike