Is/Was Your Job Physically Demanding or Painful?

[Debater Slayer]

Out of curiosity, I was reading today about the life of pro wrestlers and how they cope with the physicality of their sport. Many of them frequently use painkillers, have trouble sleeping, and experience worsened physical pain after retirement.

Is/was your job a physically demanding or painful one? If yes, how do/did you cope with it?

 

[The Hammer]

Is/was your job a physically demanding or painful one? If yes, how do/did you cope with it?

My job in the military was physically demanding, and in the long run I have ended up 100% disabled because of it. I deal with it by frequent use of pain meds and doctors visits.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Well, I'm not a wrestler, but it definitely can be. I work in the pickup department of a supermarket, fulfilling online orders. It's a very physical job as you're constantly running back and forth, pushing and pulling carts that weigh hundreds of pounds for hours, lifting, bending, going out in all types of weather, etc. We're often totally exhausted and I know I'm in pain a lot of the time. Most people hired into the department end up quitting or transferring fairly quickly.

We drink and do [removed by moderator], honestly. One of my coworkers told me that job would have her going home and pouring a bottle of wine, not a glass. Lol. I honestly thought my drinking was really bad before I got to know many of my coworkers and realized that most of them drink way more than me with my beers. So I will not allow my doctor to get on me about that anymore. Many of my coworkers are college students so it's not rare for us to be hungover and just go puke in a restroom and keep going.

That's my job now. Before, working for the same company, I tore a ligament while working in the furniture department. Yeah, it sucks. Retail in general destroys your body and soul. It just wrecks you, even if you're lucky and don't end up injured. It will take its toll.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Out of curiosity, I was reading today about the life of pro wrestlers and how they cope with the physicality of their sport. Many of them frequently use painkillers, have trouble sleeping, and experience worsened physical pain after retirement.

Is/was your job a physically demanding or painful one? If yes, how do/did you cope with it?

The last job I had was, a lot of lifting of steel-stacked and gypsum-stacked carts. The one I'm at is nowhere near that heavy lifting, but I hand assembled thousands of parts a day so in time my wrists are doomed, happened to a few of my coworkers who've been there for a while - tendinitus and carple tunnel however those are spelled. I did have tendinitus once but have recovered since I started this job, ironically.

 

[JustGeorge]

Yes.

Parenting can be more physically exhausting than it gets credit for, even more so when a child has special challenges. There are times I've had to run after my son, busting knee/feet/limbs against stuff as I dart along, ignoring the pain at the time but finding the bruising later. (I hurt my foot on the dog dish having to make a dash after him when he got outside last week.)

Kids can be feisty sometimes, too, hitting/kicking/etc. When my oldest was little, he ripped a chunk of my hair out. It wasn't noticeable, but it sure hurt!

Carrying kids wears on the back after awhile, too. He meant well today, but is over 70 lbs, and put his arms around me, and then hung from my neck. Hurt my back(even though it wasn't intentional).

My former job hurt, too. I had to lift people all the time(in and out of wheelchairs), and it did a lot of damage on my back.

 

[Truth in love]

Out of curiosity, I was reading today about the life of pro wrestlers and how they cope with the physicality of their sport. Many of them frequently use painkillers, have trouble sleeping, and experience worsened physical pain after retirement.

Is/was your job a physically demanding or painful one? If yes, how do/did you cope with it?

Most have not been.

Years back as a missionary I put in 70+ hours a week. It was not full tilt physical but it was moving much of the day. I was young enough that it did not meds etc to get through.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

I have done physically demanding jobs (worked in a steel and pipe distribution warehouse during uni years) but not consistently over time, which is where I think the long term impacts really happen.

I do have chronic ankle issues due to basketball though. Have played for a little over 30 years (and still play competitively twice a week, which is a lot less than I used to), and I have a variety of fun issues, including persistent achilles tendinitis in both ankles, and pretty severe scar tissue buildup generally through both ankles which can make it feel like someone is stabbing you with a penknife when putting pressure on them (on a bad day). Practically, that makes walking a touch painful, and stairs in the morning (for example) are quite difficult. It also now limits my ability to exercise, which sounds weird given that I'm still playing.

But effectively I play, and then immediately start rehabbing to try and get ready for the next game.

Worth noting, basketball is optional for me, so this isn't as debilitating as it would be for someone who's career is impacted. And I manage the pain without drugs, etc, which would put it a level down (at least) from the sort of stuff ex-pro sportsmen are often dealing with.

 

[Debater Slayer]

My job in the military was physically demanding, and in the long run I have ended up 100% disabled because of it. I deal with it by frequent use of pain meds and doctors visits.

Do they have any sort of pension for ex-service members? Getting injured while working for them sounds to me like something they should compensate for.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Yes.

There are times I've had to run after my son, busting knee/feet/limbs against stuff as I dart along, ignoring the pain at the time but finding the bruising later.

Tangent, but at the height of covid lockdowns here, I broke the little toe on my right foot by stubbing it on a door jamb whilst wearing only socks.
I was running through the house, because I only had 4 minutes between meetings, and was trying to get to the coffee machine to java up.

Exactly like you, at the time I thought 'Bugger, that hurt', but continued my mad dash, got my coffee, and sat through my meeting...only to discover later what I'd actually done.

 

[Debater Slayer]

Well, I'm not a wrestler, but it definitely can be. I work in the pickup department of a supermarket, fulfilling online orders. It's a very physical job as you're constantly running back and forth, pushing and pulling carts that weigh hundreds of pounds for hours, lifting, bending, going out in all types of weather, etc. We're often totally exhausted and I know I'm in pain a lot of the time. Most people hired into the department end up quitting or transferring fairly quickly.

We drink and do [removed by moderator], honestly. One of my coworkers told me that job would have her going home and pouring a bottle of wine, not a glass. Lol. I honestly thought my drinking was really bad before I got to know many of my coworkers and realized that most of them drink way more than me with my beers. So I will not allow my doctor to get on me about that anymore. Many of my coworkers are college students so it's not rare for us to be hungover and just go puke in a restroom and keep going.

That's my job now. Before, working for the same company, I tore a ligament while working in the furniture department. Yeah, it sucks. Retail in general destroys your body and soul. It just wrecks you, even if you're lucky and don't end up injured. It will take its toll.

Wow. That's pretty brutal. They sound like an exploitative company that overworks staff, too. Aren't there any laws in place to protect workers or at least compensate them if they get injured at work?

I've come to realize during the pandemic, even more than before, that a lot of medical advice is simply impractical or even impossible to adhere to unless one is well off. Things like avoiding public transportation, not working while injured, getting regular and timely check-ups, etc., all either require a lot of money or a stable financial situation.

 

[JustGeorge]

Tangent, but at the height of covid lockdowns here, I broke the little toe on my right foot by stubbing it on a door jamb whilst wearing only socks.
I was running through the house, because I only had 4 minutes between meetings, and was trying to get to the coffee machine to java up.

Exactly like you, at the time I thought 'Bugger, that hurt', but continued my mad dash, got my coffee, and sat through my meeting...only to discover later what I'd actually done.

How'd you end up figuring it was broken?

 

[We Never Know]

Out of curiosity, I was reading today about the life of pro wrestlers and how they cope with the physicality of their sport. Many of them frequently use painkillers, have trouble sleeping, and experience worsened physical pain after retirement.

Is/was your job a physically demanding or painful one? If yes, how do/did you cope with it?

When I was 16 I tailended at a saw mill, stacking ties 8"x8.5'.
When I was 18-19 I ran a jackhammer.
Both very tough work. All I can say is good thing I was young.

 

[Debater Slayer]

The last job I had was, a lot of lifting of steel-stacked and gypsum-stacked carts. The one I'm at is nowhere near that heavy lifting, but I hand assembled thousands of parts a day so in time my wrists are doomed, happened to a few of my coworkers who've been there for a while - tendinitus and carple tunnel however those are spelled. I did have tendinitus once but have recovered since I started this job, ironically.

I have carpal tunnel syndrome in my dominant hand and cubital tunnel syndrome in both hands. Nerve compression can be extremely annoying and painful to live with, so I'm glad you've recovered. I hope you stay injury-free in your new job as well.

As for the spelling, both "tendonitis" and "tendinitis" are correct and used.

 

[The Hammer]

Do they have any sort of pension for ex-service members? Getting injured while working for them sounds to me like something they should compensate for.

Yeah, I have a medical pension, and all of my medical care will be covered by the govt for life. It's a decent setup, for 10 years worth of agreeing to be the govts *****.

 

[Debater Slayer]

Yes.

Parenting can be more physically exhausting than it gets credit for, even more so when a child has special challenges. There are times I've had to run after my son, busting knee/feet/limbs against stuff as I dart along, ignoring the pain at the time but finding the bruising later.

I once fell on my knee on asphalt while running in the army because I was in too much pain and couldn't keep up. (I had tendonitis from high foot arches.) My kneecap got badly bruised, and a part of my skin got entirely peeled off--peeled, not just scraped.

Weirdly enough, I got up quickly and finished the last two minutes of the run before I could take a better look at the injury and realize how bad it actually was. The human body amazes me with how resilient it can sometimes be.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I've had jobs where wrist, elbow and knee problems run through the workforce like wildfire.
In Indiana the mentality was just work through it, even in a warehouse lifting stuff and being scheduled for carpel tunnel surgery and wearing wrist braces.
California seems way more relaxed than that, where the one regular job I had here (I worked for the same company) I was assured it wasn't viewed as expected but crazy and too demanding to work the schedules I did in Indiana (lots of being in somewhere in the morning, somewhere else at night, and somewhere else the next morning) amd people suggested I take paid leave when I hurt my wrists.
California also takes tons and bunches and lots of breaks at work. Indiana a lot of places really don't give them much, if at all. But it's nice to have some time to rest.

 

[The Hammer]

I once fell on my knee on asphalt while running in the army because I was in too much pain and couldn't keep up. (I had tendonitis from high foot arches.) My kneecap got badly bruised, and a part of my skin got entirely peeled off--peeled, not just scraped.

Weirdly enough, I got up quickly and finished the last two minutes of the run before I could take a better look at the injury and realize how bad it actually was. The human body amazes me with how resilient it can sometimes be.

That certainly sounds like basic training to me.

 

[The Hammer]

Yes.

Parenting can be more physically exhausting than it gets credit for, even more so when a child has special challenges. There are times I've had to run after my son, busting knee/feet/limbs against stuff as I dart along, ignoring the pain at the time but finding the bruising later. (I hurt my foot on the dog dish having to make a dash after him when he got outside last week.)

Kids can be feisty sometimes, too, hitting/kicking/etc. When my oldest was little, he ripped a chunk of my hair out. It wasn't noticeable, but it sure hurt!

Carrying kids wears on the back after awhile, too. He meant well today, but is over 70 lbs, and put his arms around me, and then hung from my neck. Hurt my back(even though it wasn't intentional).

My former job hurt, too. I had to lift people all the time(in and out of wheelchairs), and it did a lot of damage on my back.

This reminds me of when my little brother broke my mom's nose with a flying headbutt.

 

[Debater Slayer]

That certainly sounds like basic training to me.

To them, it's basic. To someone transitioning from civilian life, it's one of the nine circles of Hell.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

This reminds me of when my little brother broke my mom's nose with a flying headbutt.

Sorry to your mom, but wow. Lol.