Arthertis and Dairy farming

kerryjack

At the doctors yesterday with my hands felt swolen and sore and gone a bit weak, Doctor said its arheritis setting in and is common enough with dairy farmers first i have euer hard of this, she said its from all the kicks and cold water and that it will play up in frosty weather I am only in my mid 40s a bit too young to retire yet , any one else suffer from this.

MFdaveIreland

my granny is crippled with it, she blames the cold and wet, especially getting soaked round the shoulders in rain. another cause can be breaks and fractures.

cute geoge

Once it gets cold I am just hobbling along and cant wait to finish milking and take it handy in nov,dec and jan but as it softens I get back into the swing of things . It definitely a massive disadvantage with a lot of jobs left slip but this how I deal with it At 40 the only medicine I take so is cod liveoil I guess I will be taking medicine long enough

Dubl07

I'm sure you need dexterity for the milking but you might consider heated gloves.
Blazewear is one brand. You could research them and perhaps find something suitable.

Here's a review.

Timmaay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12-PAIRS-BLACK-NEW-PU-COATED-WORK-BUILDERS-MECHANIC-CONSTRUCTION-GRIP-GLOVES-/170739387722?pt=UK_BOI_ProtectiveGear_RL&var=470048677801&hash=item27c0dc4d4a I wear a set of these, and then XL disposable milking gloves over them, keeps the hands nice and warm. Last winter was my 1st year fulltime in the parlour, hands use to be froze off me, never again would I put myself through that!

bogman_bass

even a pair of disposable milking gloves will take the edge off. Its when hand are wet that the cold gets in IMO

MFdaveIreland

Wouldn't milk without the nitrile gloves, hygiene important in the parlour, serious amount of bacteria harboured in the crevices of the skin