My shoulder screamed at me after a weekend of open houses

Last month, I was setting up for an open house and felt a sharp pain in my shoulder. It happened when I was hammering a sign into hard ground. The next day, I could hardly move my arm. I had to postpone two property tours because of the discomfort. I went to see a doctor, and she said it was from doing the same motion too often. She gave me some stretches to do every morning. I started doing them, and after a couple weeks, the pain went away. Now I'm more careful about how I handle signs. Anyone have tips for avoiding injuries like this as a freelance agent?

4 comments

4 Comments

derekl781mo ago

Glad the stretches worked, but you gotta warm up before any heavy lifting or hammering. Do some light arm swings and shoulder rolls to loosen up first, it makes a huge difference. Also, maybe get a rubber mallet for tough ground so you're not fighting with a regular hammer. I learned to mix up my tasks during the day so I'm not doing the same motion over and over. Keeping an eye on your form when you're tired stops a lot of stupid injuries. Making these small changes part of your routine is key for staying pain-free.

alexpalmer1mo ago

Your routine tip reminds me of my dad's old hammer story. @derekl78

the_tessa1mo ago

Assumed stretching was only for real athletes until my physio fixed my elbow. Now I do basic wrist circles before any repetitive task, and it actually helps. Sometimes the simplest advice is the hardest to follow.

evan_grant7023d ago

Warm up before hammering? Come on, it's just putting a sign in the ground. Sounds like making a big deal out of a simple task. I've been doing this for years and never had a problem, just hit the thing until it's in. Maybe some people just aren't used to a little physical work. The doctor probably just gave you busy work with those stretches, the pain was going to go away on its own anyway. I'd save the time and skip the whole routine.