So I’ve only been doing this full-time for about 1.5 years now and I have been finding myself switching to spray with my left hand and hold the Lance with my right hand because my right hand starts cramping. Lately the last several hours of sleep I will wake up frequently with my hand numb or cramping up. Is this normal for this business? Seems like only 1.5 years would be pretty quick to develop hand issues?
Pretty normal to cramp up. my knees are pretty shot from standing on ladders also. Mitigate as much of this as you can while your younger, you’ll thank yourself later. It’s a problem not often spoken about.
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Hand cramps are common. I’ve had tendon surgery as well. Why are you washing with a lance?
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Not washing house with lance, usually just put the m5 or Jrod right at the end of the gun. Been using the turbo a bit lately with the 36” lance for some flat work.
You all need to stop being girly mans.
When both my hands cramp up I hold the gun in my teeth!
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I just zip tie the trigger open and fling the gun in the general direction of the house and let the random pattern and good old luck do the rest
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Let’s go garry!! And a 1 and a 2, big paying commercial job, you can do this garry! 
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But then what when your teeth start cramping! @MuscleMyHustle @garry.cooper
Garrys got the luxury of taking his veneers out, he’s lucky man! Mine are still fixed to my head 
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If you feel it now, wait for it in another 10 years…
My right forearm is a mutated monster during wash season. Popeye syndrome in full effect.
I just turned 50, 25 years of window cleaning. I have carpal in my right hand, sometimes I wake up at night with no feeling in my fingers.
Not much I can do about it, maybe surgery at some point as William mentioned.
I have been pressure washing since 1989 most nights I have the same numbness,I take aleve liquid gels,I only take them after a hard day knowing I am going to have a bad night - I am 70 years old,the numbness just started a couple years ago
You’ve done well my friend testament to how fit you are 
be sure to leave some in the tank to enjoy the golden years.
Thanks
The “Flextend Restore” device can help with carpal tunnel syndrome, by balancing out the muscles in your hands. I’ve got one, but have yet to use it much, ‘cause I hate ‘exercise’ in the structured sense of the word. The Flextend Restore comes highly recommended by some window cleaning veterans on WCR, who are even more prone to carpal tunnel issues than pressure washers.
Other things that can help:
- switching hands,
- changing your grip,
- changing the gun you use,
- use a tennis ball in the gun,
- or one of the velcro thingies you can strap to your wrist that has the emergency shutoff in case you drop it.
- Turmeric capsules for inflamation, and fish oil for joint health. I take a lot of these during the busier seasons, and can usually avoid taking OTC NSAID’s like Naproxen (Alieve)
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Cod liver oil is amazing for joint pain. I was told at 32 I need double knee replacements. They want to wait until I’m 50. My knees will hurt something fierce unless I take cod liver oil daily. Then I barely notice them. No fishy taste either. My doctor recommended it in Hawaii and I take it daily.
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I take Nordic Naturals cod liver oil. By the way Kratom is the best all natural pain reliever/anti anxiety/anti-depressant in the world. Cheap, super effective and side effect free! Still don’t like the symptoms tho, maybe because now I’m 39 it’s different, who knows
Out of an abundance of curiousity, do people here switch hands? I’m not ambidextrous, but I would think it would help. That and building a anatomical brace around the affected area. A stronger joint is better than a braced joint. This is what the doctors and physical therapists have told me over the years. But I would rather have hydraulics, at least they can be repaired. I don’t do much PW though, so I don’t know.
I too have knee and back issues, years of sports and physically demanding work sometimes makes it hard to walk down the stairs without a lot of pain. But I am older now and the younger me would be mocking me, calling me names, questioning my masculinity, and probably taking my lunch money. 
I’ve been switching hands.
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Do you mean a tall boy in each hand for balance? 
