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Joint Health

6 questions answered about joint health for people who work with their hands.

Knees, shoulders, back, and wrists—the joints that take the most punishment in the trades. Plumbers destroy their knees from kneeling. Electricians wreck their shoulders from overhead work. Concrete workers compress their spines. These FAQs explain what's happening and what you can do about it.

The Problem

Most tradesmen notice joint pain starting around year 10-15. It begins as morning stiffness, progresses to constant ache, and eventually affects your ability to work. The key is addressing it early—not waiting until surgery is the only option.

What You'll Learn

Which joints your trade destroys first, why cartilage doesn't heal like other tissue, what knee pads actually work, whether supplements help, and how to modify your technique to reduce damage without slowing down.

Last month I was talking to a guy named Tony in Cleveland. Thirty-one years in the trade. Started as an apprentice at nineteen, now runs his own shop. "You want to know why my knees hurt?" He laughed—one of those laughs that isn't really funny. "Come watch me work for a day." He wasn't kidding. ## The anatomy of plumber's knee Here's what happens when you kneel eight hours a day, five days a week, for three decades: Your prepatellar bursa—that little fluid-filled sac that cushions your kneec...

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I met a guy named Marcus at a supply house in Denver. Twenty-two years running electrical. Both shoulders shot. "Want to know what killed 'em?" He pointed at the ceiling. "That. Eight hours a day, twenty years." He wasn't being dramatic. ## What overhead work does to your body Your shoulder isn't one joint. It's four. And when you're running conduit overhead, hanging drywall, or pulling wire across a ceiling for six hours straight, you're abusing all of them. The rotator cuff—those four lit...

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Frankie started pouring concrete in Phoenix in 1991. By 2009, he couldn't tie his shoes without sitting down. "It ain't the heavy stuff," he told me. "It's the repetition. Every day. Same motion. Same curve in your spine." He was forty-one. ## The anatomy of concrete back Here's what they don't teach you in apprentice programs: Your spine is a stack of discs designed to compress and rebound. But wet concrete weighs about 145 pounds per cubic foot. And you're not just lifting it—you're raking...

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Danny's hands went numb during his daughter's birthday party. He couldn't feel the cake knife. Thirty-four years old. Fifteen years in carpentry. "Thought I was too young for this," he said. "Turns out my wrists didn't get the memo." ## The carpenter's wrist problem Your wrist is a crowded place. Bones, tendons, ligaments, nerves—all packed into a tunnel about the size of your thumb. Now run a reciprocating saw for six hours. Then a nail gun. Then a drill. The vibrations compress that tunne...

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A concrete guy named Rick cornered me at a trade show in Vegas. Looked like he'd been poured himself. "You write about health stuff," he said. "Tell me the truth. Is any of this supplement garbage real, or is it all marketing?" He had a point. The supplement industry is full of overhyped nonsense. But buried under the noise, some things actually work. Here's what the research says—and what matters for guys like Rick. ## Glucosamine and chondroitin The granddaddy of joint supplements. Been a...

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I watched a tile setter in Albuquerque kneel directly on tile for three hours straight. No pads. Asked him why. "They slow me down," he said. "Can't feel the surface." Six months later, I got a text from him. "Where do I buy knee pads?" Too late. He'd already developed bursitis. ## Why most guys don't wear knee pads The excuses are always the same: - "They're uncomfortable" - "They slip down" - "I can't feel what I'm doing" - "I'm only kneeling for a minute" That last one is the lie we al...

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