On second thought, packing tape + heat = really bad idea. (See how desperate I am?) I'll just hold it there or something.

Lots of water. . .and hot and cold pressure.

And staying off the Internet.

How does staying off the internet help? How do I rest my calf and get all your helpful tips then, huh? I think you just made that up.

Thanks for the other tips, though.

How does staying off the internet help? How do I rest my calf and get all your helpful tips then, huh? I think you just made that up.

Sorry, I just have your own good in mind. . .*(picks up phone)*. . .OK scissor lift or boom lift? What's the job site address?

My kingdom for some scaffolding, actually.

i've had some kind of problem with the tendon in the bottom of my left foot. i bet ladder rungs would either perfectly pressure massage it or kill me.

Upper calf or lower?

I would recommend importing some MetaChat guys to your island stronghold and let them fight one another for the priveledge of massaging your calves for you. Might I suggest slathering them in hot oil first, as well?

Calcium and potassium help cramps incredibly (which has a lot to do with relaxing being an active, not passive, process that requires energy, and the fact that energy is the production of ATP and ADP which requires calcium ions.) Eat a couple bananas, take a calcium supplement if you have one, stretch your calves by standing on your toes on the edge of a stair and letting your heels drop lower than your toes (if your calves aren't too cramped), then relax. You should be fine.

This often works for restless legs, too (calcium/stretching.)

When I feel one coming on I push my heel down and keep it there for a bit. That usually makes it go away.

Aha. Until recently I was making or buying smoothies with bananas (I can't eat bananas--it's a texture thing), and I stopped about a week ago (ran out of ingredients and motivation, now I've packed my blender). I will do all of the above. Many thanks.

ethylene, trust me--you don't want to spend a lot of time on a ladder rung. The cramps are the least of it. My doctor tells me he's never seen a ganglion on a metatarsal before. Apparently the real pros call it 'rungfoot'. Sex-ay.

Sorry to hear that, eLizard. My first question is are you wearing safety shoes¿ The kevlar toe with steel shank¿

Hope you aren't wearing running shoes./ Sturdy, comfortable footwear may help. Helps me. No second question :).

*kisses elizard's owie*

alicesshoe, I'm wearing these. Lightweight (for steel toes), great traction, love 'em on roofs. They have a reinforced shank, but not steel. Believe me, that's already down as my next work-related purchase. (I switched because my old work boots were too damned heavy in the summer.)

taz, it's true! Kisses do make it better!

Good for you, no sneakers or tennis shoes... so shoes don't seem to be the problem...
Mine are Altara Industrial, Canadian Tire sells them, I wait for the sales, also CSA Approved.

It's the job, it's killing ya./ Up and down ladders all day, basically, it's like being on a stepmaster all day, no need for signing up for Fitness classes./ It's a toxic environment to boot...probably closer to coal mining...than baking./ [all right, I jest]

Do you think ladders need a tread as wide as stairs¿ Whaddayathink. Maybe I ought to patent it, just in case./
Those 40' ladders would be a spectacle with regular stair tread rungs — no rung foot [what the hell¿ Dr. made that up, right¿ For real¿]. Kevlar. That'd be rich [read:expensive].

I worked with a guy who would buy weird old leather shoes from the Goodwill, then spray them gold. or paint them daily... now how comfortable is that¿ no way.

I guess soaking in a tub of Lush bubble bath bombs is the remedy. And a snifter. Those Lush products are damn near edible they smell so good./ I pointed to one of my favourite soaps [going for the price of gold, I may add].

Heh, no the 'rungfoot' thing was from an old friend who painted for years (he's a contractor now). (I'm too old to fuck around with bad footwear for work.) I love the idea of the ladder with stair treads, though not so much for the moving and the extending and the hey hey hey, 'cause the weight would be punishing. I don't have my own ladders yet, so I've been using the clients'--wtf is up with the round rung? Jeebus, people. Buy a decent ladder if you're a DIY type. Those things'll cripple you. (and me, if I'm working there.) Part of why I don't have my own yet is that when I do, they'll be serious & well-built, which means hundreds of dollars each.

No Lush here on the island, unfortunately, though that soap looks wonderful.

On the up side, thighs (and calves and arms) of steel, without the gym membership. Woo!