Woodworking Injuries #1: Broken tendon, .....that's tendon, not tenon

Bob,

You have deepest sympathies. Man that is a bummer. A lot of us are guilty of not asking for help in situations like this and insisting on going it alone rather than inconveniencing someone else. We tend to ignore the fact that we just aren’t as resilient as we were 30 years ago. One of the jocks spoke volumes about this the other day when he commented about his age to me and stated that “getting old sucks”.

Anyway I hope your surgery goes fine and that you will be back making sawdust after your therapy is complete.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

ouch!!!
best of luck with the surgery and a speedy recovery. I keep hearing that sound or what I imagine it sounded like.. eww

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

My prayers for successful surgery and a swift, complete recovery.

-- Maplewood, MN

God luck on the surgery. My thoughts and prayers go out to you.

God Bless
tom

-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa

I hope the surgery goes well, and wish you a speedy recovery.

I think I’m hanging out here too much though. When I first scanned the entry, I read it as
“Woodworking injuries #1 – Broken tenon.” I was wondering how much damage a tenon could really do :-)

-- To do is to be

My dad has had that happen to him… Surprisingly, only once. It’s painful. Hope you get back in the shop real soon!

-- Happy Ripping!!!

I’m sorry this had to happen to you. I wish you a rapid recovery.

-- Dick Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

I just turned 50 so I better watch out. Hope you get better soon.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

There was a guy at my fencing club who did something like this, but the bicep rolled up like an old window shade, and all this happened during the night, while asleep! When he woke up, his bicep had crawled inches up towards the shoulder, and rolled under itself, so while it now was about half as wide or long as it was before, it was twice as tall, as though he had suddenly developed a huge muscle during the night. Pretty freaky looking. In his case, no pain, however. It’s a very recoverable surgery though, so as long as you take care of it, and rehab it properly, it should work out just fine.

-- "That which has in itself the greatest use, possesses the greatest beauty." - Unknown Shaker

Sorry to hear about your injury. I hope you heal quickly and are deep into sawdust again soon.

-- Jack - Mission Viejo, Calif

Best wishes for a flawless surgery and a rapid recovery.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

good luck Bob, wish you a speedy recovery. Be sure to let us know how you are feeling

Regards

DAN

-- a legend in my own mind ...

You still have the right arm to work with. So show us your next “one arm “project.

-- Zipsss

I couldn’t read this without cringing… good luck with a speedy, full recovery.

-- Dust collectors suck.

ouch

Surgery will most likey be the easy part the recovery and rehab will be tough – i’ve repaired a ton of tendons in dogs/cats and I know its a tough rehab process – best of luck to you!!

-- Doc Hanson - www.ripnchisel.com

Heres wishing you a speedy recovery. One of my next projects will be a bench so I am looking forward to seeing yours.

Bob,

Good luck with the surgery. A year ago this past Christmas I completely ruptured my PCL in my right knee. Hurt like heck when I did it and really bad for several days after. Doc here says they can fix it, but it would never be the same as before, plus I would be in a hip to ankle brace for about eight weeks. Since it was the right knee, this would mean no driving. The PT helps a lot when I remember to do it.

We will keep you in our prayers.

-- -- Rob Hix, King George, VA

In my prayers . . . guess I should be a little more careful too, no spring chicken anymore.

-- Anchul - Warrensburg, MO: As a Pastor, I am just trying to get closer to Jesus. He was a woodworker too.

Bob I hope you get by the surgery without complications,
I was very nearly in the same boat as you with an overhead lift of a chunk of 3/4” tongue and groove particle board here in January.
I pulled muscles in my lower left back area and my right shoulder so bad that I had to wear a brace for 2 months on my back and ice patches on my shoulder.
I couldn’t sleep on either side without Tylenol.
I have been pulling off stunts like this all my life but that was my warning.
If I can’t get help it’s not going to get done anymore.
Life is too short to be crippled.

Cheers
Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Hi all, thanks for all the kind words. The surgery went well, only took and hour. When i woke up, it felt like
I had gotten hit but a truck! Thank goodness for modern painkillers! So, next two weeks in a splint and sling, then rest and PT for 3 months. No lifting (no fun in the shop) until July.

This was a real eye opener , have to be extra careful from here out. This could very easily happen in my right arm also now that the left one has sprung.

Woodworking is great fun but let’s all be careful.

I’ll have plenty of time to check out all your projects and other woodworking sites. Looking forward to getting back into the shop and get caught up on my list of projects. With great ideas and inspiration from the Lumberjocks, I’m sure my list will get even longer.

Thanks again.

One – armed Bob

-- Bob A in NJ