Ouch. My knee.

[SidTheSparky]

I used to think padded-knee work trousers were just extravagant. I learned my lesson and won't work without knee pads ever again.

Last week (Monday): Sinking sockets into a wall, kneeling on floorboards dusted with rubble. Wearing normal work/cargo trousers with no knee pads. Made my knees hurt a bit, but I decided I aint no whoos and i carried on.

Tuesday: Right knee was aching, so i had paracetamol and thought nothing more.

Wednesday: I was in agony. The pain woke me up. The front of my knee was red and bulging a bit. Got a GP's appointment. GP said i had an infection which must have got into my knee when I was kneeling. Sent me for Xrays and put me on antibiotics and anti-inflammatory tablets.

Thursday: My leg from my knee right down to my foot had ballooned and was very red. Went to A&E. While I waited in A&E for 3 hours I saw the redness travel up my leg by another 2 inches.

Had to stay in hospital on an intravenous antibiotic cocktail until Saturday and the swelling and redness had pretty much gone.

It's now Friday of the following week. And my knee is still somewhat inflamed and sore. It'll probably be another week before I can work again. I ain't complaining, things could've been far more catastrophic.

Two lesson learned. Use knee pads all the while. Appreciate the NHS, despite its problems.

 

[Apache]

Ouch - glad you are on the mend. Sounds like a nasty infection.

The NHS is bloody good for emergencies it's the more chronic stuff that's not so good!

I have a pair of knee pads in my car.

 

[sellers]

since i got my knee pads a year ago I can't live without them!! Infections can get really nasty!!

 

[ianmacd]

The NHS is bloody good for emergencies it's the more chronic stuff that's not so good!I have a pair of knee pads in my car.

You say that but my GF fell off a bail of straw onto the concrete floor of the hay shed and hurt her wrist. She got someone to drive her car back home (with the dogs in still) and I took her to the hospital. I had a quick look and suggested it was a fracture. TBH we didnt wait that long and then we saw a quack. He sent her off for an x-ray. Waited a bit longer to see him again. He came over and said it could be broken but he isn't sure so wear this splint and come back next week for an appointment with the fracture clinic (friday early eve by now). The following tuesday she went into the fracture clinic who looked at the x-ray and immediately said it was fractured. Decided it was best left in the splint though (esp as we were going on holiday the next day for a week).

I could not believe that the original quack could not tell what was wrong. Good job it wasn't her neck!

 

[Apache]

You say that but my GF fell off a bail of straw onto the concrete floor of the hay shed and hurt her wrist.

Some kind of sex game gone wrong

:coat

 

[NozSpark]

Sounds nasty, hope you are fit and well soon.

I've always had knee pads since starting out self employed. I started with the elasticated velcro ones and now wear Snickers pants with built in pads..

I found that the elastic ones were constantly slipping down or cut the circulation off to my lower leg.. I also sweated a lot behind them!

I also always wear toe capped boots, however I very rarely use dust masks or safety glasses (I do wear glasses though)

 

[ianmacd]

Some kind of sex game gone wrong :coat

I was going to ask why you carry knee pads in the car Patch?

 

[ianmacd]

Sounds nasty, hope you are fit and well soon.I've always had knee pads since starting out self employed. I started with the elasticated velcro ones and now wear Snickers pants with built in pads..

I found that the elastic ones were constantly slipping down or cut the circulation off to my lower leg.. I also sweated a lot behind them!

I also always wear toe capped boots, however I very rarely use dust masks or safety glasses (I do wear glasses though)

I always find that my knees are in the wrong place for both the snickers ones I have (and the dewalt ones I used to use). I was looking at some nice gel ones the other day too.

 

[NozSpark]

Yep, I find that aswell...

You just have to hoik them up a little when you kneel down... second nature now!

 

[Apache]

I was going to ask why you carry knee pads in the car Patch?

It's not uncommon to operate on cows in funny positions. A typical one is a caesarian section operation on a cow that is exhausted and laid down. 1-1.5 hours kneeling down hurts!

Also blood sampling sheep to get low enough requires one knee to be on the ground. As does delivering lambs.

 

[septiclecky]

Hope you are getting better but sorry to say you are about to get lesson 3 as you problem has caused you to be away from work for more than 3 days then it has to be reported to the HSE under RIDDOR legislation.

Are you self employed or employed by someone else in either case the HSE could start looking into it as regards to whether a correct Risk Assessment had been carried out prior to the work being carried out with you having an industrial injury to your knee.

If you are employed then your employer will be in trouble if not i am sorry to say ot will be you in trouble.

 

[septiclecky]

I was going to ask why you carry knee pads in the car Patch?

Dogging possibly

 

[Badger]

Hope you are getting better but sorry to say you are about to get lesson 3 as you problem has caused you to be away from work for more than 3 days then it has to be reported to the HSE under RIDDOR legislation.Are you self employed or employed by someone else in either case the HSE could start looking into it as regards to whether a correct Risk Assessment had been carried out prior to the work being carried out with you having an industrial injury to your knee.

If you are employed then your employer will be in trouble if not i am sorry to say ot will be you in trouble.

:coat :coat thats foe hse bad day explodebad day explodebad day explodebad day explode

 

[~Sparky~]

I have the same prob with the snickers knee pads, they sit just too low for my knees, but i came up with a solution..... i baught a couple of pairs that are 1 size longer than i need in leg length..... and i also got the carpet fitters trousers with the elastic actualy built into the trousers..... so when i pull the elastic and pull the knees up a little they dont move and sit like a glove, (you have to pull elastic now and then), the reason for the longer leg..... well when im not using the knee pads i fold the bottom of the leg over so the trousers are not to long but when im using the knee pads and pull them up a bit, there unfolded and i dont have my trousers looking like there at half mast... lol.... i also have the snickers rubber hammer loop that ataches to the trousers, also i would be lost with out that.

 

[Lee321]

how bizarre that the pad position in work trousers is wrong as clearly its not as some have said they have THEIR knee in the wrong position:^O

thats a bit like I'm not tall enough for my weight :^O

they must of all used the same mongrel person to design them on :run

take care op

 

[Subneural]

I have the same problem of the knee pads being to low. I got some braces to hold the trousers higher up my waist. Look a bit Simon Cowell at times but on days when I'm crawling around a lot it makes life that bit easier

 

[NozSpark]

Like I said I have the same problem...

and have thought about getting some braces.

but maybe it's the fact that my waist is higher than I'd like to think it is ROTFWL

 

[a1]

I have the same problem of the knee pads being to low. I got some braces to hold the trousers higher up my waist. Look a bit Simon Cowell at times but on days when I'm crawling around a lot it makes life that bit easier

I have the Electrician's Braces.

Similar to the attachment...

 

[Lee321]

tommy walsh would be proud admin

 

[Evans Electric]

I have been banging on about knee pads on here for yonks, even you young guys need to wear them , you are building long term problems .

And who said he didn't use the facemask , just look at that vile crap in lofts that we are breathing in , housebashers on a daily basis ,sometimes.

I get annoyed at these stupid H&S rules that make some workers wear a hard hat in a furnished house yet when I phoned them to ask which facemask was correct for disturbing OLD lagging in lofts all they would say was if I employ people to work in lofts I must supply the correct gear or they would bring an action against me.