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Post by 60isolderthanithot on Feb 10, 2010 13:40:48 GMT -5
I'm realizing lately that a knee injury (for one) has made me so reluctant to get down low, it's affecting my ability and willingness to do certain chores. Is there some trick to, say, getting down on the floor to clean up some kibble the kitty flung off his plate? The dry stuff is easy enough, vacuum it. But when it's a bit sticky and should be scraped, I have to get down there and it's so unpleasant, I need some way to do it so it's not so painful getting back up again.
It's also a main reason I have not tiled one little powder room yet - it hurts just thinking of kneeling on bare concrete.
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Post by AnnieOkie on Feb 10, 2010 13:50:53 GMT -5
60-I really have no advice on the actual "getting down" to the floor, but I usually have to go into a sitting position to get up. I cannot squat at all anymore. (I am only 47, but have severe arthritis in one knee.) Maybe holding on to a chair/step stool while you lower yourself would be a little more comfortable. Good luck.  |
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Post by DJ on Feb 10, 2010 14:12:49 GMT -5
i try to prevent messes... like putting the cats wet food on a tray or just a 99 cent dollar store plastic place mat goes a ways towards keeping mess contained...
if my knees are bad off but i need to do something on the floor knee pads help out quite a bit...
volleyball kneepads are the best i've found:> but even my inline skating ones help... just anything for padding, gardening kneepads, even a rolled up towel..
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Post by 60isolderthanithot on Feb 10, 2010 14:33:19 GMT -5
Volleyball knee pads? I've never seen those. I will look. Now that I am thinking about knee pads, tilers are famous for bad knees, maybe they have some good knee pads?
Annie has a good idea about bringing something along I can pull myself up on so the knee isn't so jammed into the floor. The other knee is better but it's awkward to have one knee down and one not. The bad knee is so painful, I cannot kneel on it even on the bed. Maybe I should pad it all the time.
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Post by 60isolderthanithot on Feb 10, 2010 14:33:49 GMT -5
A place mat for kitty seems like a good idea too.
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Post by DJ on Feb 10, 2010 14:44:52 GMT -5
i have knee braces that essentially have padding and help for kneeling... when i played volleyball indoors the pads were meant to allow me to go down full force onto my knees. one of the first practices we had to get to trust our protective equipment and spent part of it jumping off the stairs onto the floor to get the clue that the knee pads would indeed protect us and we could aggressively go after the ball  they were awesome. tilers that i know tend to wear knee pads too. there are alot of different kinds of protective pads for knees and i am thinking ANYTHING would be better for ya than kneeling on hard floor, hope you can find something soon that will work for you:> |
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Post by bigtimetroubles on Feb 10, 2010 15:03:24 GMT -5
I also have bad knees...both but worse on left side....I get to floor but sit on my butt.....and for getting up yes a chair or support of some kind is darn good to use...otherwise I have got to get on the knees to get up....and it is a three point stance with hands on floor to get to standing....I even have trouble getting up off the toilet....I use support there too...some day my sink in bathroom is going to come crashing off the wall....  I would hate to live in country that does not have toilets but had a hole in the floor like when I was in Thialand....wow I would never go number 2! I could never squat to do it.... |
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Post by gifted on Feb 10, 2010 15:09:58 GMT -5
Now that I have some floor, I am noticing trouble gettting up. My problem is mostly inflexibility, and being overweight. I try to remember to keep a stable kitchen chair nearby so I can use my arms to help me up.
To avoid getting down on the ground, recommend a "grabber" tool. (Don't know if there is an actual name.) But it has jaws on the end, and a trigger to open and close the jaws. Also, I bought a dustpan with a long handle. It came with a broom which was awkward to use.)
I have seen gardening catalogs sell a device that can be used for kneeling or as a stool, but I have been too cheap to buy one yet.
For tiling the floor, can you get someone else to do it?
When I do need to kneel on my bathroom floor, a folded towel is sufficient padding for me. (I get a sharp pain in one knee, I suspect maybe there is a bone chip floating around somewhere, perhaps?)
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Post by illuminata on Feb 10, 2010 15:12:43 GMT -5
I use a PikStik ( www.pikstik.com/). No getting on the floor, no struggling to get up, and you'd be surprised at what they can lift! Plus, if something falls behind something else, you can grab it much easier, and they're great for picking up gooey, messy, ucky messes. I could NOT have desqualored without my PikStik. If you have issues with touching icky stuff (I do), this is a Godsend. I paid $15 for mine at Rural King but you can get them, or some equivalent, at most pharmacies. Walmart even has the Billy Mays kind. I've even seen a cheapie brand at Aldi, but just occasionally. |
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Post by gifted on Feb 10, 2010 15:23:30 GMT -5
Also, there is no reason to feed the cat on the floor (unless the cat has a problem.) Though you may not want to train him to eat on the kitchen table, or in a food prep area, since then kitty might think anything is fair game! I often feed mine on the seat of a kitchen chair. (Actually, it is usually bribe to get him off of the kitchen counter.)
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Post by 60isolderthanithot on Feb 10, 2010 15:31:52 GMT -5
Roomie suggested we put kitty's dish on a higher platform. We'll have to think of one.
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Post by bigrae on Feb 10, 2010 18:09:18 GMT -5
I have problems kneeling and bending,I use a garden kneeler/stool thing,it has a seat one way and when flipped it becomes a padded kneeler the seat supports become grab handles to push up on .I bought it from a budget supermarket and it was not very expensive had it for a few years now and is quite sturdy.If you can find one i recommend it because of the way you can use it to get up again hope this helps
BigRae
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Post by fluffychild on Feb 10, 2010 18:36:46 GMT -5
I use a rubbermaid tub - I have storage and on the top is where I put the food dish. The water dish is on the floor.
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Post by Butterfly on Feb 10, 2010 19:02:14 GMT -5
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Post by juniper2 on Feb 10, 2010 19:22:15 GMT -5
I have bone spurs on patella of right knee and some arthritis. I use a cheap thick foam padding to go on floor then make sure I have a chair or bench nearby to get myself up. I bought it for $1.00 at one of those cheap 99 cent stores. I also have dancer's knee pads that I use, sometimes use both if i plan to be a long time on my knees. I will also use an old chair pad/foam instead of throwing it out. I'm like to scrub floors by hand and wax...haven't done that in a while but will soon. Ugh, it is a chore getting up...I usually need to rock back and forth with both hands on my left knee if I don't have any support to get up nearby and allee oop to get up. Hate this getting old business.  Good luck. |
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