This thread pertains,maybe to the older UPS drivers,loaders and unloaders,but anybody can join in. As some one else put it-I believe it was upsgrunt quote "We are industrial athletes". In being so, Im just curious as old father time,and just plan wear and tear of the job, what are some of the things you do to keep your body in the game? I myself for the last couple of years have been wearing a male athletic mens supporter(formely know as a "Jock Strap). I find this is a big help in preventing hernia's,minor back aches and groin pulls. I also have bad ankles, to many times cutting across uneven yards and not following desinated walkways. High tops are a must. I keep the laces tight. I've also been getting a full body massage from time to time(1hr its great) (; Maybe I can right that off on my taxs.
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- Thread starter area43
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upsgrunt
Well-Known Member
The one constant I rely on is Aleve. I hate that I can't take it every day, but if I'm having one of those days where everything hurts, Aleve knocks it out. I also agree with the high tops and lacing them tight. Anybody ever roll an ankle and then get back to the pkg car and you can't hardly clutch it? At least with high tops if you hurt your ankle you will be able to drive yourself to the hospital!
Things that help
I was told by one driver who was having left knee problems from clutch pushing, that he would not use the clutch when going through 2nd to 5th gear. The pkg cars are diesel and with the low rpms he said it would slip right into the next gear when letting off the gas. This saved him from going out on comp as well as saving money on clutches.lol. He said it does not work at dead stops or reverse. Does no harm to engine. Prereably open rural roads. Also he had 15 yrs safe driving.The one constant I rely on is Aleve. I hate that I can't take it every day, but if I'm having one of those days where everything hurts, Aleve knocks it out. I also agree with the high tops and lacing them tight. Anybody ever roll an ankle and then get back to the pkg car and you can't hardly clutch it? At least with high tops if you hurt your ankle you will be able to drive yourself to the hospital!
Here 's another helpful hint. I call it the cross over shifting method. As we all know, We drivers use our right hand more than our left. Turning the ignition key,shifting, opening bulk head door,etc etc. This in time will wear out your right(hand,wrist,elbow on up to shoulder) and leave your left side fairly new. I find this helps. It looks and maybe a little silly but it works, bascially you shift with your left hand. Cross over and shift. Its a little awkward at first, but in time it will become second nature. The problem I have now is the left side is becoming worn out. Thats when i go back to the right,that has recovered by now, from being on a break. Try to be abindextrous. Even stepping in and out for the vehicle conciously alternate. Step up right foot first and then on the next stop step up using left foot and so forth. This will also improve your coordination and take your mind off the sometimes boring job of delivery.lol
DS
Fenderbender
I cant afford to call in sick if I`m not 100%
Hell,I`m never 100%
I take a vitamin every day.
I try to streach every morning and every night
Try to eat a good lunch.
Use the handrail to save your knees
Never change gears with your left hand
unless you are messaging the center while
steering with your knees and eating a taco
Never let the job stress you out like it did
the first few weeks when you started.
The mennan speed stick original scent
lasts longer than ocean paradise or morning rain
Hell,I`m never 100%
I take a vitamin every day.
I try to streach every morning and every night
Try to eat a good lunch.
Use the handrail to save your knees
Never change gears with your left hand
unless you are messaging the center while
steering with your knees and eating a taco
Never let the job stress you out like it did
the first few weeks when you started.
The mennan speed stick original scent
lasts longer than ocean paradise or morning rain
old levi's
blank space
What do you consider old for a driver?
upsgrunt
Well-Known Member
SmithBarney
Well-Known Member
Compression shorts(light spandex) do wonders for comfort on the road.
Back Massage, get your chiropractor to "prescribe" it.
In fact most chiropractors offer this service, deep tissue. plus
insurance will cover it.
Don't hang/pull/push/or grab handrails getting in and out, put your hand
there in case you slip, but don't grasp it with much pressure.
after about 3 months of full 3 point contact my shoulder was nearly destroyed. I would loose feeling in my arm and hand, etc...
Back Massage, get your chiropractor to "prescribe" it.
In fact most chiropractors offer this service, deep tissue. plus
insurance will cover it.
Don't hang/pull/push/or grab handrails getting in and out, put your hand
there in case you slip, but don't grasp it with much pressure.
after about 3 months of full 3 point contact my shoulder was nearly destroyed. I would loose feeling in my arm and hand, etc...
Aleve,Tylenol and other none aspirin pain killers are best if you only want to mask the pain. It does very little to cure the problem, plus its a killer to the kidneys. Do not drink booze and take the non aspirin pain killers( active ind. acetaminophen) together for this will accelerate the destruction of your kidneys. As UPS drivers what we want is to have a faster recovery time in between our shifts. My foot ball hero, John Elway said recently that he would have kept playing the game if there was two wks in between each game. As we get older our recovery takes longer. For the last 5 years, I ve been taking aspirin. The best thing about aspirin is that it thins your blood, which in turns increases circulation(moving the good stuff (0'2,nutrients,water etc)in to rebuild us and move the bad stuff(waste,latic acid,etc) out thus reducing recovery time(because folks we dont have much time till our next shift). The downside of aspirin, its a killer on the stomach. I take two after each meal. I chew them up into a powder than wash them down with alot of water. Some people get the "gag affect",but dont worry you ll get used to it in time. Also aspirin dosent work as long or as hard as your non aspirin.
Ok here it is. You may think me nuts but I get into the wife's stuff from time to time. It's the only thing that takes care of the knee pains. As we know most of these pains have swelling whether inside or out of the joints. Some times my knees hurt so bad I don't want to walk down the stairs in the morning let alone go to work. As DS said though can't afford to call off a lot. So the remedy is MIDOL. It is the best non prescriptive pain meds on the market and the anti-inflammatory is great for the swelling. I know you all think I am nuts but it works, try it!!! Also I got some stuff from the chiropractor called Bio-freeze it is wonderful.
"Your as only old as you feel. ". To some extent that is a true statement. Old driver, that depends on a lot of factors. There are some drivers that have started driving late in life,maybe mid to upper 30 s I feel sorry for those guys,there old before they even get started. I started unloading trailers in the preload at 20. At 23 I became a driver. I am now 42 and still a driver(not a feeder driver).lol. Boy, Do I feel old.
old levi's
blank space
Well, here is why I ask. I am 54 and have been driving for 10 years after surviving 13 years of part time. I have often thought that if I could have done this as a young man ( 30 to 35 ) I might have been pretty good at it. I bet you don't feel so old now. On a more positive note I did get my first bid route recently , so life is good.
I totally agree with you. We have a driver at our center that worked 15 yrs am loader, drove for 12 yrs, and about 3 yrs ago he bid on the pkg car washing,fill up and line them up job. He s 58 and old school . I admired his will to keep going. His legs are so messed up. He limps, badly. He' s a christian, with a positive attitude. Its contagious. Im sure that his faith has carried him this far. He is a true inspiration to all us younger pups.
Shoes are important, there is a lot of wear and tear on our feet. Some good low top hiking shoes are what I prefer. I was having trouble with my feet a couple of years ago, it turns out my arches were starting to fall. A pair of arch supports made a world of difference. Most people buy ill-fitting shoes, you need to measure your feet standing up instead of sitting down on a bench in the shoe store. I also was starting to have a little trouble with my knees. I got a prescription for Celebrex, which is an anti-inflammatory drug that helps with joints. Luckily that pain went away, I could hardly walk down my steps leaving the house. I'm glad I don't have to take that anymore. Right now, I feel like I am in pretty good shape. The only thing that bothers me any is my fingers and thumbs. If I am texting a message, like my call-in at 2PM, I will lay my DIAD down and key with my fingers instead of using my thumbs. Thats another advantage of EDD, you don't have to key in stuff as much. Sometimes I wonder if all of us using the DIAD will wind up with "Blackberry Thumb", a condition related to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
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1Wow, I cant even imagine what its like to be doing this at 54. How are you treated by mgt? You started driving at 44 and on top of that you were a cover driver. My heart goes out to you.
