Mr Rhode Island Red Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 As I write now my hands are quite swollen in size. I was using a leafblower to clean up garden debris for about 15 minutes. After I had finished I took off my gardening gloves to reveal these monstrosities of hands! Obviously the high-frequency vibration of the leafblower has done something to something in my hands. It is a bit scary. My fingers are still coloured normally. Only major difference is that I can't ball my hand into a fist properly. Now, don't get me wrong, they have reduced slightly in size since 20 minutes ago, but they are still a bit swollen, particularly on the middle 3 fingers. I tried to self diagnose myself off the internet, and it seems to be a fairly common consequence of using machinery with high-frequency vibration. Should I get to a doctor, or do ye think it will go down in swelling itself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Looney Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 Hmmm. I would wait a while to see if the swelling keeps going down But I'm definitely no expert and don't like going to the doctor! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Rhode Island Red Posted September 29, 2012 Author Share Posted September 29, 2012 I think I will be fine swelling has gone down considerably Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bantambabe Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 No. 1 Son gets this when he rides his bike, especially when there's a nip in the air. He's dead skinny so looks a bit odd when he develops big sausage fingers. Swelling usually subsides fairly quickly though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlina Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 Back in the day, various workers got 'whitefinger from using lots of vibrating machinery Like a lot of things, it's something (they think) you can have a genetic disposition to, especially if you have any raynaud's disease in the family. could be on that spectrum? I have no medical knowledge, but an ex was diagnosed with raynaud's after he starting using a chainsaw as part of his job and had to give it up, because continual use would have caused him problems. Occasional use wasn't a problem, but he did get numb/swollen/pale fingers. (there were no other problems with the condition, but he was told he was more susceptible to cold damage to the extremities and had to take care as he got older) If your fingers do go pale and or numb in the cold (more than usual), that's an indicator. Apparently much more common in males than females Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Rhode Island Red Posted September 29, 2012 Author Share Posted September 29, 2012 Thankfully, my balloon hands have subsided Back to the ordinary, bony hands It must have been the muscles/blood vessels in my hand getting shook out of their minds from the leafblower's high-frequency vibrations. I think from now on I'll be going back to the more traditional method of a rake and a few bin-bags when it comes to ridding the garden of leaves, I wouldn't want to cause any lasting damage... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowberry Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 I wonder if putting your hands in tepid water would help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 You are right that you experienced a short term reaction to the vibration of the leaf blower. Surprised it happened after only 15 minutes. The normal advice would be to only use it for short periods of time, but I would class 15 minutes as short. Obviously not short enough for you! Wearing thick padded gloves helps as they absorb a lot of the vibration. You are unlikely to have caused any lasting damage, although if you continued to use it and ignored the symptoms, they would take longer to resolve each time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 It's quite common in the construction industry; there are very strict regulations about the sue of vibrating equipment. Hope it gets better soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Rhode Island Red Posted September 30, 2012 Author Share Posted September 30, 2012 Glad it isn't just me experiencing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...