Getting old stinks

V

vwdave

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Apr 3, 2009
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Now I'm not that old ,30, but I've been in the trades for 14 years.  I've always had a problem with knee pain but it was always manageable. Yesterday I knelt down and almost fell over, the pain was horrible. My kne started swelling up and I was having a difficult time walking but figured it would go away tonight, it usually does. All night my knee was in a lot of pain and this morning I barely could walk. So off to the ER I went. My wife is a nurse at the hospital so I was seen promptly. They said I have prepatellar bursitis, it is very common for guys in the trades. They took some ex-rays gave me some IV antibiotics as well as some oral pills to take over the next 10 days. Now I'm supposed to rest and take it easy.

I'm thinking of getting a creeper style chair to use at work, does anyone use something similar??  The only way to get better is to keep off my knees at work but I'm constantly down low doing decks, base molding and such. So I was hoping one of you could give me some pointers, knee pads do not work for me, they just keep me pain free alittle longer.

Thanks Dave  
 
Dave:

You're still a pup!  I'm not aware of any chair or roller that gets you that low and doesn't strain your knees in the process, and automotive creepers are often too large if you're working around a kitchen island or other obstructions.  If you have been using standard knee pads, I can recommend trying ProKnee --they made a big difference for me when I was working on floors for several weeks.

Good luck,
Phred

 
I've been there but fingers crossed I'm OK for now. I went to see my doctor and was most disappointed to find out that I had housemaid's knee which is the common description for what you are suffering from. I was severely limited at work for a few days and wanted it to be something a bit more rock n roll than that!

I'm always very careful where I kneel nowadays as kneeling on something small or sharp can set it off.  
 
Carpenter's knees and elbows.  Ouch!  Larry Haun on page 100 of this book shows how they used to use something similar back when.  I wonder if a Festool rolling board for the sustainers could be utilized.

Larry's Book

Peter
 
Dave,

My knees are very bad.  My right knee has no cartilage on the outside and both knees are in pretty bad shape. I had knee surgery 16 years ago. 

While I'm not a pro, over the last five years I've spent hundreds of hours on my knees rebuilding the master bath and refinishing/repairing three decks.  However my knees are so bad that I can't kneel more than a couple minutes now. That is, unless I wear a special set of kneepads called ProKnees.

Proknees ( http://www.proknee.com/index2.html ) are custom-sized kneepads used by a lot of flooring and tiling pros specifically to reduce problems like you have - bursa injuries.  What is unusual about them is that they transfer almost all of your weight to your shin.  You feel almost no weight on your knee joints.

They are bit heavy (and pricey) if all you do is kneel down occasionally.  But if you are on your knees a lot, the lack of pain for people with bad knees make the weight and cost TRIVIAL.

Here is a thread on JLC Online Finish Carpentry Forum about the ProKnees: http://forums.jlconline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45398&highlight=Proknee .  I posted a review including pics about 1/2 way down comparing ProKnees to Monster Pads.  While the Monster Pads are good, they are similar to the other dozen or so kneepads I've owned over the years - all of the weight is on your knees.  To reduce pain to damaged knees, the ProKnees are FAR better.  I highly recommend them!

Good luck with your knees.

Regards,

Dan.
 
Thanks for all the advise. I wear blaklader pants and use the light duty foam knee pad, is the heavy duty knee pad much better?  My tile guy uses the proknee pad and he loves them, they are just so bulky I'd be afraid I won't find them comfortable. Next time I see my tile guy I will look at his knee pads closer.

I did just order the Festool cart and was thinking of stacking a systainer on top and make a wood top to help displace my weight.

Dave
 
Dave,

You need to hire another young helper so the 2 can carry you around the job.  Then get the van outfitted with a lift for easy entry and exit.
 
Remenber when they always tell you to lift with your legs?
Well thanks a lot! Now my knees are  shot!!! Just like you,i have bad knees,but wearing knee pads does help.I use some that i got from Lowes and i do like them.
 
Racatac is a great little tool if you are on your knees all day tiling, trim work etc... If you are up and down all day Proknees.  30 is when you start to realize that your body has a limited life span and you have to take care of it. Great work shoes, great bed, gloves, knee pads, hearing protection, ear wear etc... It all cost money but it is worth it.

Like they say it suck to get old but the alternative is worse.

Bruce
 
Dave,

sorry to hear what you're going through.  I went through the same thing around ten years ago (I was 26!) , actually was diagnosed incorrectly amd ended  in the hospital with iv's in me as a result.  Carpet layers knee the doctor called it. 

Don't worry, it will go away and youll be up and rolling around on your knees in no time.  Since having suffered through it, I havent had any form of relapse or reoccurence...and I rarely use kneepads, and constantly on my knees installing toe kicks, furniture base, shoe, etc. (stupid, I know).
Get some rest, and in the immortal words of Frank Barone from "Everybody loves Raymond":  Suck it up Nancy! [big grin]

Jon
 
Jonhilgen said:
Dave,

sorry to hear what you're going through.  I went through the same thing around ten years ago (I was 26!) , actually was diagnosed incorrectly amd ended  in the hospital with iv's in me as a result.  Carpet layers knee the doctor called it. 

Don't worry, it will go away and youll be up and rolling around on your knees in no time.  Since having suffered through it, I havent had any form of relapse or reoccurence...and I rarely use kneepads, and constantly on my knees installing toe kicks, furniture base, shoe, etc. (stupid, I know).
Get some rest, and in the immortal words of Frank Barone from "Everybody loves Raymond":  Suck it up Nancy! [big grin]

Jon
Click to expand...

Jon, it looks like you gave up carpet laying.
 
Ken Nagrod said:
Jonhilgen said:
Dave,

sorry to hear what you're going through.  I went through the same thing around ten years ago (I was 26!) , actually was diagnosed incorrectly amd ended  in the hospital with iv's in me as a result.  Carpet layers knee the doctor called it. 

Jon
Click to expand...

Jon, it looks like you gave up carpet laying.
Click to expand...

Ken, luckily I've always been a cabinet guy.  The doctor called it carpet layers knee because it occurs so much in that trade (carpet kickers, ouch).  It happened to me as a result of rolling my knee over a nail while installing toe kicks, got infected...extremely painful.  I feel for Dave.

Jon
 
Just to follow up on something I posted in this thread, Larry Haun, who wrote several books and made several videos passed away recently.  I didn't realize that until I was notified of an article written by Gary Katz.

Here is a link to Gary's article about Larry's recently published book:  A Carpenter's Life

Here is a link to an article published by the New York Times:   Larry Haun

Peter
 
Oh crap, what a loss.

When I started framing houses I learned all Larry's techniques and most are still the best today! What a great carpenter, not woodworker, but carpenter. :)

I still think that framing by hand with 16d spikes does make a difference, to bad there is not time for that anymore. It's funny, some of the younger kids can certainly build well, but they swing a hammer like a girl, I guess that's because they did not learn framing by hand and started with guns.

They have had Larry's vids on DVD for awhile now, when I started it was the books only. Though his books and vids seem a bit dated, I still recommend them.

 
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