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Thread: Getting tougher to stand for long periods of time

  1. #1
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    Getting tougher to stand for long periods of time

    Boy I find it getting tougher to stand for long periods of time working in my shop these days. I guess age is creaping up. But my knee is what giving me trouble these days. Started thinking because I like to make pens and bottle stoppers and small things like this. I also like to do segmenting within those projects along with casting my resin blanks. Was working at my desk the other day building a couple easy pen blanks for casting in clear resin and thought it would be great to be able to do the same with segmenting pen blanks. Nice to be able to cut woods sitting down with small tablesaw. So now I find myself in search of a used Byrnes mini tablesaw. I know they are a modelers saw but for what I do it is all I would need. Heard they are built with precision and are the best out there. I can still do my scrollsawing because that I can sit for hours.

    Has anyone just woke up one day and noticed you need to make changes to your routine in the workshop because you can not do what you use to do. But still love the smell of wood freshly cut and be able to see something built with your own hands.??
    John T.

  2. #2
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    May 2008
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    Yup. Had surgery on my left thumb 4 weeks ago to rebuild the CMC joint, due to arthritis. Cast comes off Monday, then I start therapy.

    Had a hard time doing my job at work let alone anything at home.
    Confidence: The feeling you experience before you fully understand the situation

  3. #3
    I had a similar problem years ago. Somebody suggested I go to a shop owned and run by one guy. It had been a fixture
    for years ,but I had never heard anything about it before. The guy watched me walk , looked at the shoes I wore into the
    place. Then he wrote up notes about what I needed ,think he ordered the shoes and made fine adjustments with stick on
    pads. The shoes helped right away. Think I bought and wore out 3 pairs. They fit well ,but we're at least 2 inches longer
    than any shoes I had worn before. They were big shoes ,can't remember if someone asked me if I was trying to get a
    job with a circus; or if that just came to me. At some point the feet were fine ,and still are. OR the knees are crying too
    loudly for me to hear the feet.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jerry Bruette View Post
    Yup. Had surgery on my left thumb 4 weeks ago to rebuild the CMC joint, due to arthritis. Cast comes off Monday, then I start therapy.

    Had a hard time doing my job at work let alone anything at home.
    Hands and feet have the most difficult rehab challenges.

    The PT may be arduous, but it's the key to maximal range of motion. Best of luck for a speedy recovery.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by John Terefenko View Post
    Has anyone just woke up one day and noticed you need to make changes to your routine in the workshop because you can not do what you use to do. But still love the smell of wood freshly cut and be able to see something built with your own hands.??
    Multiple small knee injuries lead me to get a properly fitted orthotic insert for my shoes and put down dense rubber mats in my shop. Mine were salvaged from a fitness center remodel.

    If your shop is directly on a concrete slab, an underlayment like Barricade might help.


    http://barricadesubfloor.com/barricade-subfloor.html


    https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...t-x--frac12-in

  6. #6
    Seven and a half years out from bi-lateral (that means I had both of them done at one time) knee replacements. Before surgery, I found walking down hill, and leaning forward when standing to be painful. You might try to raise your working surface to make sure you aren't leaning forward. Places like the Good Feet Store can help with inserts for your shoes.

  7. #7
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    After years of running multiple miles every day, my knees were getting pretty sore. I found that my knee pain was preventing me from doing things I wanted to do and was still capable of doing. I went to a local orthopedic doctor whose specialty is knees and hips and had partial knee replacement done in both knees almost a year apart. I followed the doctor's recovery and rehab recommendations and just a year after the second surgery. Now I can walk as much and as far as I care, work in my shop, go hunting or most anything else with little discomfort.
    Lee Schierer
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  8. #8
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    I have changed my shop and projects to fit my needs. I have a terrible back and have had lumbar fusion about 20 years ago so standing for long not gonna happen. But I am finding ways of working so I can make sawdust.

  9. #9
    Join Date
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    When my neurologist diagnosed me with muscular dystrophy I asked what I could do to slow the progression. The two things that standout are "the more you move, the more you will be able to move" & "disease never takes a day off."

    I have a daily routine that embraces both of the statements. I stretch, do resistance training and walk every day. In 2020 I walked 4,127 miles. The only time that I sit is for meals. I move all day long until my muscles having nothing left to give, then I switch to a walker.

    There are many things that I can no longer do the way I did them in the past but I have found new ways to work. I expect that it is the same for many of us.

  10. #10
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    I saw a Oneway sit-down lathe once. I thought it might be perfect for me some day.

    No knee pain here, but I did have terrible foot pain for years getting so bad it was difficult to walk, let alone stand in the shop. This went away, hopefully for good when I switched to Telic shoes and later, to Oofos which are even better.

    My biggest problem in the shop now, at 70, is back pain from standing in one spot at the bandsaw for too long. I think the bandsaw is worse than the lathe since there is less body movement. Staying in motion is the best therapy for me, whether walking, moving hay, chainsawing, or herding peacocks.

    I hope you can find the modelers saw. I looked at them once and wish I'd bought one.

    JKJ

  11. #11
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    Back pain here too. Standing still is the killer. Don't know if it's arthritis or the discs I blew out about 12 years ago. Using one of those back braces that lifters use has helped a little.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Thomas L Carpenter View Post
    Back pain here too. Standing still is the killer. Don't know if it's arthritis or the discs I blew out about 12 years ago. Using one of those back braces that lifters use has helped a little.
    I've learned to use one of those too while bandsawing for a few hours. Years ago my doctor recommended NOT using one for general use or for long periods since it could cause muscles to weaken.

    You also might check with a physical therapist. Years ago I had a LOT of back pain the turned out to be from sitting too much with poor posture (I did software design and computer modeling). Some targeted exercises made a huge difference then. When this covid horror is behind us I might see what the PT says about back pain from standing still too long.

    JKJ

  13. #13
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    I've had lower back issues like many folks for over 35 years. And have been going to chiropractors for about as many. When I moved to my current location I found a new chiro who worked quite differently. The first thing he did was give me heel inserts for my right shoes. It didn't take long before I realized how much good that has done. I went from averaging 15 visits a year to about 2.

    My workshop is a pole barn with a cement floor. I have anti-fatigue mats all over and wear thick soled shoes. But I find more and more now at 72 that standing in one location for a long period of time does cause back pain. And, as John mentioned, it's worse if you aren't moving much during that operation. So I've "trained" myself to just sit down for even a few minutes now and then which helps a lot. But I found the thing that helps the most is to take a break and take my dog for a walk. We both have arthritis in our knees and the walks help a lot with that too.

  14. #14
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    I resemble that remark.

    I have good anti-fatigue matts over most of the floor and wear shoes with inserts that have made a big difference. At this point, standing is easier than getting down low.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by John K Jordan View Post
    Staying in motion is the best therapy for me, whether walking, moving hay, chainsawing, or herding peacocks.



    JKJ
    I'm having difficulty imagining the tool for this...

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