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robin(at)PaintTheWeb.com
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 Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 9:28 am Post subject: Building and my knees - the last leg (long & personal) |
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Sorry to hear about your knees Bill.
I have one knee pad observation. About a year ago I was stumbling through an army/navy store when I came across the knee and elbow pads our boys wear when in country. The knee pads are the best I have ever seen or used. Very comfortable with both wrap around fabric with Velcro plus upper and lower straps that can be crossed or strung straight. They have a hard knee cap with a padded section above and below the knee cap for added protection. They can be worn for long periods of time comfortably without slipping. And the best part is I paid $10.00 a set. Your tax dollars at work.
Robin
Bill Watson <Mauledriver(at)nc.rr.com> wrote:
Having just returned from my doctor's office with a relatively clean
bill of health, I thought I'd share the story of my knees.
Background; I've had bad knees since adolescence. The initial diagnosis
was something called "Osgood-Schlatter Disease" while in junior high. I
was threatened with an immobilizing cast on the left knee if I didn't
RICE it (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation). Training to become a
tackling dummy, I stressed them in the weight room and never made it to
summer practice in high school. So instead I swam, played volleyball,
jogged and RICEd the knees as required.
Thirty-some years later, I started building the '10. The knees had aged
gracefully. Naproxen was always effective and recently became cheap
(Alleve). However, a scan some years ago had shown that I had tears
in the menisci and that surgery would be required at some point. Carpet
or rubber pads on the floor kept the pain and swelling down for the most
part. Otherwise it was a comfortable build since I was lucky enough to
have my workshop/hangar 200 yards out back along with a Maule to fly
while maintaining a steady but leisurely building pace.
The '10 was getting close to flight. Painting started in late 2010 and
I actually had a schedule laid out for completing the paint and doing
the final assembly. I also decided to get arthroscopic surgery on both
knees following final assembly.
Yes, I was 99% done, 99% to go, or however that saying goes.
I first discovered that you can't paint in the winter so the schedule
started to fall apart. When spring returned, the painting was completed
and only final assembly remained. The plan was to take the project to
another airport with a hard surface runway and friendlier terrain for
the initial flights. The challenge was to find some hangar space at a
nearby airport where the project could be completed.
It worked out better than I could have expected. The airport manager at
the nearest airport graciously agreed to let me do the assembly in his
main hangar. It had a painted floor, great lighting, friendly dogs, and
a mechanic who freely shared his tools and expertise. The '10 was
trucked in and assembly began.
However, when the painting was halted for winter, I stayed with the
schedule for bilateral arthroscopic knee surgery. Recovery hurt, but
throughout, the medical team encouraged movement and use of the knees.
When asked, "can I resume normal activities?" The answer was always a
qualified "yes, as much as you can do comfortably".
They have no idea how motivated a homebuilder is, especially on the eve
of flight. And I had no idea how much harder I would work now that I
was away from home and in borrowed space.
Once the final assembly began my days started at sunrise when I had the
privilege of jumping in the Maule with a couple of tool boxes and flying
to my temporary workshop. The airport manager/mechanic worked 8
hours/day, 7 days/week so I did too.
Standing, walking, stooping all put stress on my recently cleaned up
knees. There was pain so I RICEd them when I could. However, the bar
on "what I could do comfortably" had risen. At post-operative checkups,
I told the doctor of the pain and he could see the swelling. We tried
cortisone shots to see if we could get back on the curve towards
recovery. Things would get a little better before getting worse again.
The '10 was looking fantastic! Wings on, seats in, wiring completed...
each step more exciting. Commuting by Maule each day was some of the
best flying I had done since starting the project. With summer temps, I
removed the door on the Maule for some open cockpit fun. But as you can
imagine, the final assembly took 2 or 3 times longer than expected
though it was moving forward without a hitch. That is, except for the
fact that I could barely step up into the Maule and was otherwise
severely hobbled. The fact that my airport host crunched around all
day, without complaint, on an artificial leg probably spurred me on even
further. Though every time he dropped to his knee with a sound only
titanium on concrete can make, it did get my attention.
First flight and the RV grin; it was better than I could have imagined
and it just keeps getting better. The '10 is a fantastic aircraft!!
Really!!! Yes, I'm very proud of having built it but the real kudos go
to Vans for the design and the (quick build) kit. The build was fun,
the flying even better!
Anyway, four months after first flight and one year after surgery, I was
still hobbled and in pain. The doctor went from dismissal to concern
and we decided to do an MRI. I knew my knees were bad but it didn't
sink until I realized that the doctor and his team were a bit shocked
and surprised by what they saw. My left knee in particular looked worse
than before the surgery. It was all rough surfaces with several pieces
of stuff floating around.
So, we re-did the surgery on the left knee. This time I RICEd them more
aggressively as I balanced the injectors on the '540. Five months after
the second surgery, I seem to be on a path to recovery.
Earlier today, my doctor finally smiled and with some relief "released"
me. I admitted that I knew I was abusing my knees after the first
surgery but continued nonetheless. He admitted to having made the
mistake of relying on a patient's tendency to self-limit their
activities based on the pain. It appears that the challenge with most
patients is to keep them moving to maintain flexibility and strength.
With a motivated '10 builder, the challenge was to get me to slow down
and treat my health with the respect it required.
Screwing up my knees is the ONLY regret I have with the experience, but
it was worth it anyway.
Bill "hoping this story is of some value to someone" Watson
http://www.mykitlog.com/mauledriver
N215TG
40605
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michael(at)sausen.net
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| Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 10:48 am Post subject: Building and my knees - the last leg (long & personal) |
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Bill, glad to see you are finally recovering. I've torn the meniscus in both my knees, once in my late teens and once again last year. The one last year I had repaired in January and I'm lucky enough to say that I'm back at 100%. But much like you I over did it in the beginning which lengthened the full recovery.
Michael
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jeff(at)westcottpress.com
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| Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 11:26 am Post subject: Building and my knees - the last leg (long & personal) |
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My meniscus repair was right before Christmas... cleared with no
restrictions at the end of February. I initially injured it launching
one of my kids on a sled over a year ago but didn't have much problem
with it until I was crawling around under the plane shooting laser
lines for the wheel pants. Everything was fine until I tried to stand
back up. My knee locked and stayed that way for the better part of two
days.
A few years ago I had to spend 3 months in PT instead of building. I
had spent an entire day riveting my wings with a pneumatic squeezer...
the first half of the day with my right arm and the second half of the
day with my left. The next morning I tried to get a box of cereal out
of the pantry. The pain in my elbow from trying to close my hand
around the cereal box was so great I fell to the floor. I tried the
other hand an no luck there either. Tennis Elbow X 2.
This building obsession can take its toll.
Jeff Carpenter
40304
Do Not Archive
On Apr 27, 2012, at 11:47 AM, Michael Sausen wrote:
[quote]
Bill, glad to see you are finally recovering. I've torn the
meniscus in both my knees, once in my late teens and once again last
year. The one last year I had repaired in January and I'm lucky
enough to say that I'm back at 100%. But much like you I over did
it in the beginning which lengthened the full recovery.
Michael
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Kellym
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 1705
Location: Sun Lakes AZ
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| Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 12:46 pm Post subject: Building and my knees - the last leg (long & personal) |
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Yup, trigger finger syndrome in right hand middle finger(as used for
drill and rivet gun triggers), as well as arthritis and strained tendon
in right thumb, that will continue until building is done. Fortunately
only front upper cowl deck and rear fuselage top skin behind baggage
require significant amount of riveting to do..after finish ADHARS
install and instrument panel. Shoulders still a little sore for riveting
bottom wing skins the last couple weeks.
On 4/27/2012 12:24 PM, Jeff Carpenter wrote:
[quote]
This building obsession can take its toll.
Jeff Carpenter
40304
Do Not Archive
On Apr 27, 2012, at 11:47 AM, Michael Sausen wrote:
>
>
> Bill, glad to see you are finally recovering. I've torn the meniscus
> in both my knees, once in my late teens and once again last year.
> The one last year I had repaired in January and I'm lucky enough to
> say that I'm back at 100%. But much like you I over did it in the
> beginning which lengthened the full recovery.
>
> Michael
>
> --
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Kelly McMullen
A&P/IA, EAA Tech Counselor # 5286
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Eric_Kallio
Joined: 29 Jan 2006
Posts: 149
Location: Baton Rouge, LA
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| Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 4:39 pm Post subject: Re: Building and my knees - the last leg (long & person |
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Bill, went through a tear myself, although I was only about 20 and in peak physical condition so it wasn't long before I was back in the game playing soldier. Recovery can put a damper on many things so it is great to see you push through it all. I have worn the knee pads Robin mentioned in country. They are one of the few things the Army got right. Grab a pair and you won't look back. Your knees will thank you. Mine have!
Eric
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