Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: david thomas on October 19, 2009, 03:15:51 pm
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Apart from elbo and shoulder pains. from wfp. I'm now getting a sharp shock like pain from my neck which travels up to the back of head,this seems to happen several times a day while cleaning upstairs windows with wfp. This has been going on for around six months been to the Doctors twice his said its repetertive use of the neck muscle no reel
cure other than stop doing this sort of work, Ive been cleaning bottom windows and wife helps me clean the tops
but can only help me 2 days a week as she works full time with her other job.
Started window cleaning at 15 years old till I was 29 swimming pool/plumbing service for fifteen years and this last
five years trad/wfp w/c. Now at the age of 49 don,t want to start looking for a new job as I have built up my round
to £2500 per month plus add on service income driveway,gutter cleaning ect. My only 2 options are to carry on my own
or get more work and employ staff,my van is set up with 1000 litre tank for 2 man plus freedom trolly ive got several poles including the new gardeners carbon 61 foot pole as ive picked up some 5 storey houses as you can see ive
invested alot of money in my business and would prefer to stay in this line of work Has anyone on this forum been in this situation and what did you do any advice please
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thers a neck brace just for lookng up its bin posted on hear befor
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go see a gym fitness bloke and see if they got any exercise for your neck, or go to a chriopractor and get checked out u would be suprised what these people can do
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Get your ladders out mate ;D
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Get your ladders out mate ;D
Very helpful. ::)
David, how far do you stand from the building and how heavy is your pole?
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make up a floor mat that is high at the front and lo at the back. this will tip your body back so your neck wont be bent at the angle thats causing u the grief
or perhaps a six foot tripod that you could lean back onto ,yet again changing the angle of your head to neck
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Thanks for the replies xtel 17 80 % of my work . I stand back 3 to 4 metres away from the house depending on room
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Apart from elbo and shoulder pains. from wfp. I'm now getting a sharp shock like pain from my neck which travels up to the back of head,this seems to happen several times a day while cleaning upstairs windows with wfp. This has been going on for around six months been to the Doctors twice his said its repetertive use of the neck muscle no reel
cure other than stop doing this sort of work, Ive been cleaning bottom windows and wife helps me clean the tops
but can only help me 2 days a week as she works full time with her other job.
Started window cleaning at 15 years old till I was 29 swimming pool/plumbing service for fifteen years and this last
five years trad/wfp w/c. Now at the age of 49 don,t want to start looking for a new job as I have built up my round
to £2500 per month plus add on service income driveway,gutter cleaning ect. My only 2 options are to carry on my own
or get more work and employ staff,my van is set up with 1000 litre tank for 2 man plus freedom trolly ive got several poles including the new gardeners carbon 61 foot pole as ive picked up some 5 storey houses as you can see ive
invested alot of money in my business and would prefer to stay in this line of work Has anyone on this forum been in this situation and what did you do any advice please
I would book in to see an osteopath, these guys specialise in this sort of thing.
they may be able to sort you out.
Matt
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Thanks for the replies xtel 17 80 % of my work . I stand back 3 to 4 metres away from the house depending on room
Buy a longer carbon fibre pole and stand further back. The carbon pole will change your working life on its own.
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Thanks Matt we book a visit
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Thanks for the replies xtel 17 80 % of my work . I stand back 3 to 4 metres away from the house depending on room
Buy a longer carbon fibre pole and stand further back. The carbon pole will change your working life on its own.
excellent advice imo
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Do a lot of warm up and warm down exercises to relax into and out of job of high work. Also take a few breaks on long jobs to prevent stiff neck from constantly looking up all the time.
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Thanks for the replies xtel 17 80 % of my work . I stand back 3 to 4 metres away from the house depending on room
Buy a longer carbon fibre pole and stand further back. The carbon pole will change your working life on its own.
excellent advice imo
Absolutely - my SLX (using the top 20ft or 4 sections) is really light to use.
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your not standing too close too the house are you , ?
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Hi
I have a puched nerve in my neck, c5 is the technical term for the position,
agggravated big time looking up at 1st or 2nd flr windows.
Bought slx 35 and use extended to max where poss so I am as far from building as possible.
My symtoms are bad shoulder pain numb 2nd digit.
Oesteopath helped big time.
1st time it happened couldn't work for two weeks, bought on by a stretch of all things!!!
2nd time my fault, it was getting worse did a 3 storey house with crap pole had to stand too close and it just went.
That took 4 weeks to get back to normal.
Do warm downs after a strenuos cleaning job.
Neck exercises , left, centre,right,centre,up,centre,down,centre.
Hope this may help
mr B
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Thanks for all the help it feels like a pinched nerve plus stiffness in the muscle. My wife thinks Motocross riding I do at
weekends has coursed it
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what pole are you using
i had a similar pain and started using the RT zensorflex fishing pole, its so light, the pain stopped inside the week, it was amazing, it really was
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x-tel 17 80% carbon fibre modular for higher stuff
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Thanks for all the help it feels like a pinched nerve plus stiffness in the muscle. My wife thinks Motocross riding I do at
weekends has coursed it
hell that wont help.
do you race? mate of mine used to do british champ, he's got a bad back, he broke it. struggles some days with wfp. he goes to the gym to strengthen muscles around the old injury, try that with your kneck muscles
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Still race not big stuff like nationals just novice mx enduro riding great sport hard on the body, my wife said join a gym to help with the pain but too worn out each day from w/c to go down the gym
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x-tel 17 80% carbon fibre modular for higher stuff
try and fishing pole instead of the X-tel, for 20 odd quid its worth a try and it worked for me
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How do you clean the ground floor windows with a fishing pole
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How do you clean the ground floor windows with a fishing pole
its modular, you just use the top section
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Thanks mate no harm in trying at £20 got loads of pipes and brush heads to make one up
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http://diywfpole.webs.com/
OR
http://wfpole.110mb.com/
OR
http://wfpole2.110mb.com
as i said, i was in real pain for a long time, then tried the fishing pole and the pain went very quickly
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Take up yoga. Sorted my back out. It will make back muscles in particular stronger and more supple. Also with the stretching involved helps to release stress and so relaxes muscles.
Added benefit lots of women at the classes!
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Hi David what worries me is your reference to a "sharp pain" RSI is usually a dullish pain sometimes hot, I would go with the lighter pole advice and stand further back. JB sports sell a blow up cushion called "The Bean" which is great for relaxing your neck muscles but meant to tone your six pack- about £30
But first I would visit a recognised national health chiropractor who will x ray your neck before offering any treatment.
RSI is a long term thing and may leave you with permanent dammage, you can actually work your way through the pain ( I did) after you have had some good advice.
Warm ups and cool downs are mandatory.
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seems to be alot of moaning and groning about aches and pains wi wfp all i can say is go back to trad ;D
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I get pain in my shoulder because iof the forward movement of the pole, even happens with an sl-x, my brother inlaw is a physio and gave me 2 what to me looked like a sheets of stretchy plastic 2 mins in morning I do not suffer this problem anymore, forget to do it and within 2 days the problem is back.
Anyone one with burning pains in the shoulder should try this. if anyone is interested I could do a vid or pics to show what I mean
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matt,
how do you get on with fish poles?
i have a muscle zone 30 ft fish pole and is great for a handful of high jobs,
but wouldn't want to use all day as i think would be a pain.
Didn't you find telescopic poles quicker? (just curious)
thanks lee.
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You really need to see an osteopath or a specialist from that field, also you should be doing some kind of exercise to strenghten your muscles, WFP doe not take much strength so you will not build up muscle by working like you do in some jobs, even trad is more strenious.
I cycle about 60-70 miles a week and because of this i like to visit a osteopath every 6 weeks min, she keeps my muscles from knotting up and creating any major issues. i am in medicash so all of this treatment is re-imbursable.
If you ignore back pain it will not go away, what you will find is that you will be laid up for a long time and maybe do ir-reversible damage
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Here is a really good exercise to ease back pain that comes with wfp and gutter cleaning work.
1. stand with back against a wall.
2. bend knees as if you are on a bar stool.
3. let your head droop down with your chin in your chest.
4. let your hands hang down
5. gradually stretch down until your hands are touching the ground keeping your legs in the same position.
6. stay in that position for 5 seconds.
7. gradually, slowly return to your original position, breathing slowly all the time.
8. repeat this exercise at least 5 times.
This exercise has helped me many times, try it.
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Its definitely because your standing to close to the house get rid of that crap pole and buy a slx with extreme brush you will soon see the benefits!
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Same thoughts as everyone else. My wife damaged her neck and was virtually incapable of movement. Took her to the doc and they diagnosed her with stuck vertebrae. Treatment was to be up to 6 months of physio and as we were working together would have represented a catastrophic loss of income. Took her to our local and quite superb chiropractor and for £30 had her pretty much mobile again. Took two visits over 7 days and she was fine. May not be the same in your case but as others have said, don't ignore it or put up with.
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these are those neck braces that were mentioned...
http://www.cleaningspot.co.uk/acatalog/Safety_equipment.html
if it was my id buy one of these and seek professional help
and also get more work, employ a lad and get off the tools asap. then you can spend time growong the business and pushing it forward in other directions if you wish to do so!
all the best in what ever you choose
george
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And now, two years later, i wonder how the OP got on?
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And now, two years later, i wonder how the OP got on?
:-[ oh yeah i never looked at the post date ;D
i'd like to here how he got on too!
are you still here op? ???
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Can't believe I just replied to a 2 year old post! ;D ;D
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Oh yeah :o :o
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........I can't believe I read my own comment, thinking, blimey, he gets exactly same symptoms as me........
Doh !
Mr B