Work related injuries, conditions, etc....

I have just been diagnosed with tendonitis of the right wrist. Its painful and irritating. I have been told to use a wrist brace and take anti-inflammatory drugs to keep the swelling down. Hopefully it only lasts a week or two.

My question is, Has anyone else experienced similiar conditions or injuries? I know for myself that loss of my hands is a very scary thing. Anyone have any thoughts or comments?

[Jim]

Sorry to hear about your injury. I have heard that repetative-movement injuries are very common in the culinary field, especially among butchers. The reason; using a knife, positioned obscurely can cause injury. Furthermore, a dull blade can cause you to exert more muscle force than necessary, thus stretching the muscles in your wrist.
Good luck & feel better...

[Pete]

Also beware: many chefs suffer from back problems due to standing for long hours, or being bent over tables for hours. Standing on the hard kitchen floors only compounds the problem. Good shoes are a must, and though many chefs nowadays are wearing clogs they really dont cushion your feet and can be a contributing factor to back problems.

Since I started wearing Sears diehards, my feet feel fine. A cook I worked with is on permanent disability with bone shards in his heels, can't stand for more than fifteen minutes without excruciating pain. He wore tennis shoes for years.

I think I will be at diminished capacity for a couple of weeks, then I will be fine. I hope.

CLOGS>.. I swear by them.. but not the typical wooden ones. I wear a German clog, that has great support and they are lightweight... i'm on my feet, like any one else in this business, for 12-14 hour days or more.. The one thing that never gives out on me are my feet. You can get them here in Chicago.

[Pete]

Carol, what is the name of the clogs and where can you find them? I can't wear ones with wooden soles, like most have, but if these are cushioned I would like to try them.

[m brown]

back problems are caused by so many factors and one way to combat them is doing a workout called Pilates (keep your tummy strong) and using arch supports in your shoes. seeing an ostiopath or chiropractor is a good thing too. i had to stop working when my back went out and the labor pains started 3 mos. early( did not continue the workouts while pregnant, oops). ( no one makes maturnity chefs pants, yet.)
birkenstocks make great soft yet supportive clogs and they can be washed.

Pete. you can get them at a little shoe store up in lincoln square (north... Lincoln and western) called Salamander. They are called Romika (romisana?) I swear by them. I received my first pair as a gift to see if I'd like them... Many chefs and waitresses throughout Germany wear them... They are awesome. and very affordable.

What are pilates? Are they like sit-ups? I need to tighten my stomach muscles just so I don't have to buy bigger chef pants.

[m brown]

Pilates is a workout based on the priciples of Joseph Pilates from the 1920's. During the war it was up to him to get the injured GI's out of the beds so he used the bed springs to make them use the muscles they could to get healthy. There are studios with machines and mat workouts on tape ( the method )
The whole thing is based upon the stomach as powerhouse, keeping the spine and limbs from injury. Very low impact but very intense, it looks easier than it is. Many dancers and actors use this method to maintain long lean muscle and bring up stamina. There are several web sites that can better explain, just put Pilates into your search engine.

dishydrotic eczema

Often people whose hands get and stay wet (chefs, bartenders, dishwashers hairdressers, to name a few) suffer from this disease, your skin cracks and peels and all sorts of not so friendly bacteria climbs aboard. I was rated 30% disabled from it and sadly cannot cook professionally anymore

I am very sorry to here you can't cook anymore, that is terrible. I never heard of that condition. My skin is constantly cracking from being dried out(Bleach Buckets), I never thought of bacteria getting into them. Of course, the bleach would probably take care of that.

My tendonitis seem to be better. Where I could not even hold a knife, I trimmed and tied a prime rib in 4 minutes flat. Must be getting better.

andrew,

sounds like you are getting better

heaven to betsy, be careful with your hands, (your tools) perhaps mine started in a similair way, dont know. all those tiny cracks, fissures and all that fish to clean dirty produce we all handle. some people are just be predisposed, i suppose.

I read an interview with Jacque Pepin once, he was asked what his favorite tool in the kitchen was, he said "My Hands". We should all take steps to insure we don't lose the use of these most important part of our bodies. Frequent washing and moisturizing are great ideas. As for latex gloves, I only use them when I am dishing up banquets, that way I don't have to use tongs or spoons and it makes dishing up for 250 people go alot quicker.

[m brown]

Andrew, every chef I have worked with over the past 5 years has worn gloves. Especilly when working with meat, peppers and sea foods. To insure they don't have a reaction or get contaminated with some bacteria or other food born disease.