Physical ailments and WW

[David Ragan]

I'm only 60, and the last 3 years have had a very tough time w my left knee.

My mother in law told me yesterday: You may never get over your knee pain-it might be just part of getting older.

Leaving aside the diagnostic and therapeutic aspect of dealing w physical ailments, how do you all cope w stuff like this?

-If I stand too long, the pain becomes so bad I have to sit.
-If I sit, I'm good.
-I have a wonderful hobby, and love to do it, but just cannot tolerate being on my feet for a long period, say over 20-30 minutes

Maybe a lot of carving is in my future.
Maybe chip carving.

I suppose my question is this:

-How have some of you all adjusted to not being able to stand a lot; how can one pursue WW sitting? Is that possible?

Thank you, and have a great Memorial Day weekend,
(especially to those w loved ones who this Holiday is about)

[Jim Koepke]

One of my solutions is a couple of saw benches at the bench. When working around the tail vise they are at right angles so my backside can slide around the corner. They can also be set up end to end along one side of the bench. The only time that requires standing is planing panels or long pieces.

It may mix up the work flow a bit to change back and forth from what can be done sitting and what can be done in short sessions of standing, but it can be done.

On the other side of this is knee supports or replacement. My wife was around 60 when she had her's done

jtk

[Michael Pyron]

I'm 55 and started having knee issues a few years ago...I found that wearing a compression brace on both knees works pretty well, and have also found I must wear knee pads anytime I find myself working on my knees as even the slightest thing (like finding my knee on a pebble) causes a downward spiraling set of results that are fairly painful.

[Mike Cutler]

You can absolutely sit and do wood working. I've seen videos of people in wheel chairs doing woodworking.
Look at at changes in footwear and low impact flowing to get you off the hard surfaces.
Incorporate joint supplements into your diet. Glucosamine, SAMe, Boswellia, hyaluronic acid, etc.

You should though get to the bottom of the actual issue if, and when, at all possible. They're doing amazing things with joint surgeries these days.

[Simon MacGowen]

Time to pick up the traditional woodworking skills, I say.

You are not limited to carving when you can only or largely sit to woodwork. In fact, it is is better to sit down to do chisel work, and you can saw when sitting down if you have a low bench.

Planing? Japanese woodworkers sit on their bums to plane! You can plane by pulling with a western plane, but I would invest in Japanese or Taiwanese wooden planes which are more affordable for planing while in a sitting position.

The most critical thing here is your bench which must be built or retrofitted to accommodate your new way of woodworking.

Many physically challenged persons including visually-challenged folks and people in wheelchairs can continue to woodwork. A knee issue is a small obstacle compared to them. At 60, you shall have at least 15 years of active woodworking life in front of you.

Simon

[Jim Becker]

David, it's no uncommon for folks to have knee issues like you describe and it's something that can be addressed pretty effectively these days, depending on the root issue. Have you discussed your options with your doctor(s)? Also, be sure that your footwear is setup correctly as that can exacerbate knee and back pain. I had to get inserts to "correct" how I was standing and they have helped noticeably...at least while I'm standing. I also have quality anti-fatigue mats in my shop in all the places I tend to stand.

That said and to your specific question, I have a lot of physical joint and body pain that I deal with that is still undiagnosed. My hands and wrists are affected, as is my right hip and lower back. So I frankly just muddle through. I notice it less when I'm actually doing things...it mostly comes out when I'm trying to sleep, sadly. At 61 and recently retired, I refuse to let this stop me from doing what I like to do, but I'm hopeful that at some point, the root cause can be identified and appropriate measures taken. Ibuprofen only goes so far and one can only take so much of it. (under Dr. supervision, of course)

[glenn bradley]

I have had a blown knee, sprained ankle, tennis elbow and shoulder impingement. Like anyone who is active and pushes themselves a bit I encounter my limits. For all these types of ills I cope by diligently following the doctor's orders and doing the work (physical therapy). I watch others in the PT groups do well and not so well. When the therapist probes for answers, those not gaining on the problem often confess lack-luster effort at home in their PT.

All that being said, I try to keep safety at the forefront in my decisions of what I will do and not do. Even a bench chisel can send you to the ER if you are not steady on your feet or using good body positions. I may have a bit of arthritis in my wrists and hands and when that is acting up my grip is unreliable. I don't do procedures that require a lot of hand strength at those times. There is a wide enough variety of things in this craft to keep me active even when workting through an injury. Just check yourself often to see that your up to what you are attempting and stay safe.

[Stephen Tashiro]

Leg problems can lead to a downward spiral in health because it's difficult to burn many calories without using your legs. With today's food options, people who sit most of the time are likely to be obese, which puts more strain on their legs and spine, which makes it more comfortable to stay seated. If you get to the point where you use an electric cart instead of walking, you face an extreme version of the problem.

[John K Jordan]

I
Maybe a lot of carving is in my future.
Maybe chip carving.

Do you do any turning? Lots of things can be done sitting. There are even lathes that fold over and adjust for sitting and even wheelchair use. I often sit on a tall stool when sanding and finishing woodturnings and sometimes while turning small things.

That you are good for 20-30 minutes suggests continuing with what you like interspersed with sit-down activities, preferable BEFORE it gets out of control!

Carving immediately came to mind for me, too. Chip carving is both tedious and relaxing and is best done seated. I also do most carving with hand, recip, and rotary tools while sitting. Lots of people sit to do enhancements on wooden turnings and items such as wood burning, painting, air brushing, texturing, carving.

Perhaps branch into something entirely different? Drawing, painting, pottery? I often sit while operating my metal-working lathe and milling machine when working on small projects. A side hobby of electronics design and repair is also provides sit down time. I have a comfortable chair and good lighting in my little office/library in the shop, perfect for breaks to read, sketch out ideas for woodturning, or to occasionally watch a DVD.

But I know a number of people with serious knee problems who had them fixed to like new with medical technology. When my knee acted up the doctor said to first try a knee brace which worked for me. But I assume you've exhausted or at least checked into all these.

Good luck to you! Let us know how things progress.

JKJ

[Mike Null]

I don't think you can avoid "diagnostic, therapeutic" in this conversation.

I have some issues with my back where I simply have to sit down and take a break but after believing that a knee replacement was on the horizon a visit to an orthopedic specialist seems to have solved my knee issue. They are giving me an injection of steroids every 3 months or so and my pain has disappeared.

I'm 81.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I have issues with both knees that have been reduced significantly since I began going to a gym and working out 3 times a week starting last year. I have periodic issues with my back which I broke in 2001 and my hip. I bought a stool for my shop as just getting off my feet for a few seconds can help reduce the hip discomfort.

I have a disease that cost me my hearing, and effects my balance. I took a fall last year. I landed on my side and injured a shoulder. The workouts at the gym have seems to have eliminated my shoulder pain.

At the age of 15 I began working on oil rigs for my father, for a contractor one entire summer I bucked hay bales, elk hunted in the mountains for a couple decades, in my 30s ran 10K-12K road races and did martial arts for a few years. When I consider everything that I have put my body through physically for 69 years, I am amazed that I don't have to take pain medicines daily. BTW, pain medicines scare me, even the over the counter ones so I avoid them if possible.

Like Glenn Bradley, everything I do in my shop, safety is my first and main consideration especially after I encountered a 5/8" pattern bit on my router while I was home alone one morning. Thankfully my neighbors were home!

My only holdback in woodworking is my abilities and financial limitations.

Like Jim Becker, the busier I am, the better I feel.

[Charlie Hinton]

Both of my knees have been diagnosed (MRI) with torn meniscus about 15 years ago.
If the torn part stays seated in place there's no pain, if the torn part gets shifted out of place it can be unbearable.
For me the pain came and went for many years with varying intensity.
About 3-4 years ago my knee had been hurting really bad for months and I finally decided to see the doc about it again.
He said he could cut out the torn parts but it would lead to other issues and prescribed anti inflammatory pills, I had no faith they would do anything for me but in two weeks time it was pretty much a miracle for me.
After 4 months the drugs were discontinued and I have only had a couple of minor flare ups since then and the anti inflammatory drugs bring it back to pain free very quickly.
Everyone is different and orthopedic doctors are different.
The one I originally went to 15 years ago wanted to do surgery at that time, I wasn't ready for that then.
The one I went to a few years ago (when I was ready to do surgery) wanted to try medicine first.
Thankfully that worked for me.
If you haven't done it get some diagnostic images done, it pretty much has to be a CT scan or an MRI.
In my area, Dallas, the price can range from under $1k for CT to many thousands depending on where it's done.
Talk to your regular doctor and get them to find a lower cost option for you.
If you are overweight lose weight.
I know that is easy to say and I know personally (-100 lbs) that it's hard to do and hard to maintain once it's done but not carrying around the extra weight in my advancing years has really improved my quality of life.
Good luck to you sir.

[Bill Dufour]

Lots of people like the hydraulic adjustable table as a workbench base. Adjustable for ergonomic height. If the jack is too hard for you to use install a air-hydralic jack.
Bill D.

[Bruce Volden]

I'm having trouble too! Mostly my arms/elbow areas. Knees ache terribly lifting heave stuff but recover after a couple hours.
I have been getting ready for winter cutting trees, splitting wood, hauling wood, stacking wood.........yuk!
Hopefully I will be ready in another week or two.

What---this IS woodworking too, right.

Bruce

[John K Jordan]

...
At the age of 15 I began working on oil rigs for my father, for a contractor one entire summer I bucked hay bales, elk hunted in the mountains for a couple decades, in my 30s ran 10K-12K road races and did martial arts for a few years. When I consider everything that I have put my body through physically for 69 years, I am amazed that I don't have to take pain medicines daily.

When we are young we think we are invulnerable. Just because we can jump of a 6' wall without instant pain doesn't mean we aren't damaging something. Same with loud noises and body slams. My mother used to warn us about things like that and encouraged us to read Shakespeare and play the piano instead of football.

A friend of mine in his teens and 20's was a stunt man in ski movies and surfing movies. He was amazing, from the clips I saw. At age 45-50 his joints started going and he ended up with total hip and knee replacements.

JKJ