RW heat and bad elbow

Having strained tendons on both forearms and also messed up a shoulder, what worked for me is to keep climbing but make gear and technique modifications to allow the injured areas to take much less load and have a chance to recover.

For example my left shoulder was toast for most of last year. The solution was to climb SRT with a chest roller. The effect was similar to what the Croll does for you (as Chris described) except even better. It was very easy to climb one-armed, the chest roller allows you to use your legs and core for primary ascent power. I used my good arm to move an ascender w/footloop up above the chest roller. The bad arm had a free ride and got to do simple things like help tie hitches and fiddle with gear ;-)

Question is, can a RW or HH be installed on the rope at the same time as a chest roller? One approach would be use the chest roller for ascent only, switch over to the RW once you're ready to maneuver in the crown. Hitch can stay on the rope the entire time below the chest roller if you rig it all low enough.
-AJ
 
Reg, good luck with this issue, pain sucks.

As many have mentioned, accupressure and massage (diy), acupuncture, cold and heat, rest, anti inflammatories, and as you yourself mentioned, switch up sides/hands with the activities you do, be more ambidextrous to spread out the work load. I'm always amazed how good it feels to cut lefty when bucking alot of wood, it's like you have a whole fresh unused side of the body to utilize.

Consider what Paul Cox says about the wraptor, he is a highly skilled and knowledgable working climber.
 
Reg,

Here a picture of how I tape my elbow before climbing. I use a layer of KT Tape just below "the funny bone” and wrap one time around. KT Tape tends to peel off in sweaty, humid weather, so I finish it off with a wrap of Coach’s tape, which holds it well. This compression wrapping helps to limit the swelling from sore elbows, don’t even have to put it on real tight either.

Both website are listed below:

If you look closely on the inside of my elbow, you will see the red scar on either side of the tape where they surgically repaired the tendon 10 months ago. Have a scar just like it on the other arm as well from two years ago...same injury, same surgery.

http://www.amazon.com/KT-Original-Elastic-Kinesiology-Therapeutic/dp/B008AK0Q74/ref=pd_sim_hpc_1

http://www.amazon.com/Johnson-Sports-1-5-Inch-10-Yard-4-Count/dp/B001E96M6W
 

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I was about 5 hours through a crane removal and that same bad arm started cramping up. The tree was quite large, Oak at 6' DBH, and I was setting the rigging and making the cuts for upwards of 20 picks all done SRT. I've had this happen in the past, quite rare though. I've always thought it was from not drinking enough fluids, but I don't know. My grandma gave me some medicated cream, I guess it's prescription, it works like magic. Says $25 for a small tub. She's also good for pain pills when I'm really hurting.

Another hour and a half of craning and I made it out of that beast. Feeling it this morning, something about the big trees, they can start to break a man down.

Anyway, big thanks to fellow buzzerd... Chet, I got that 18ft steel core flipline you sent me the night before... needed every bit of it to get the job done safe. Thank you.
 
Reg,

One of the best and easiest things you can do to avoid and prevent that pain is a reverse wrist curl. It sounds silly but it really works.

Put you forearm on a arm rest, couch, truck whatever and just curl upwards with your wrist, use a 3-5lb weight and do 2-3 sets of 15-20 reps.

There is a ton of literature on the reverse wrist curl and climbing injuries, by one author in particular, Eric Horst.

Its a simple effective exercise that can eliminate the daily pain! I had very similar symptoms and I thought it would never go away, the reverse wrist curls make a ll the difference.

If you need something more complex here is a fun way to get the same and additional exercise:
http://www.amazon.com/Dynaflex-Pro-Gyro-Exerciser/dp/B004RYVCCA

The dynaflex can make a huge difference too!
 
I do the toss the saw, catch it by the lanyard, and hang it on my harness hook . I got a good tip from another climber. For straight forward fir removals ( not having to climb through branches), tape your hook open. You can shut off the saw, keeping your hand on the top handle, hang the lanyard ring on the hook and let go-- one repetitive shock load removed. Easier to pick back up off of your harness, too .
 
Just a few photos of the Black Oak I mentioned...
6 ft. DBH Black Oak-Removal










This was one of the pieces above the butt cut. The parking lot was littered with logs... lots of logs.
 
Why the notch?



I have a re-occurring elbow issue too, but it's it's inside tendon near the ulnar nerve (funny bone), flares up when I do alot of climbing or rope work. Ascenders and RW have helped for longer ascents.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Why the notch?



I have a re-occurring elbow issue too, but it's it's inside tendon near the ulnar nerve (funny bone), flares up when I do alot of climbing or rope work. Ascenders and RW have helped for longer ascents.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good question Andy. The notch at the bottom was cut so the crane could lay the log down rather than pick it up. During the sixth pick of the day, a branch caught the wire on the crane and busted it, so the operator couldn't tell the weight on the hook for the rest of the day. From what I was told he was good for 20,000 lbs there, I think the log weighed 18 thousand lbs. I'm thinking that had something to do with it.

I was only brought in to climb the tree, once on the ground the other fella's took over from there. I think I convinced them to not chop all of it into firewood, I'd like to take my mill to some of it.

Hey Andy, been meaning to catch up with you. Met you back at some of the climbing comps briefly back in the day. I think it was either Casa Grande, Arizona or Lake Castaic here in California. Anyway hope your well bud, and check it out I got this rock right outside my front door... look it's a Tree in a Rock!



...can you see it, it's a small little Cedar growing right out of that big rock. Ha!
grin.gif
 
Huge fan of the dynaflex gyro's. Rehabed my golfers elbow (bursitis) with it when no other doctor / physical therapist could without mentioning surgery.

Turned onto them by fellow rock climbing buddies
 
I wonder if gloves would help... that sounds like the grip muscle/tendon.. the added traction of a good glove might make a difference.. I had tendonitis in both elbows a couple years back, had to stop handling big pieces from the bucket...
 
Well, I haven't as yet followed up on any of the advise, all good that it was....but what I did do was increase the protein in my diet, quite dramatically.....while cutting down the sugar. More of a hunch than anything, but I tell ya, for whatever reason I'm much better now. I'm doing the exact same things, but I have no pain. So there!
 
[ QUOTE ]
I wonder if gloves would help... that sounds like the grip muscle/tendon.. the added traction of a good glove might make a difference.. I had tendonitis in both elbows a couple years back, had to stop handling big pieces from the bucket...

[/ QUOTE ]

Wonder gloves help me, or ATLAS - blue or grey, something with good grip. The thin black ones are easy to take on and off but slide on rope.
 
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