<html> Hello ;) I have had chronic shoulder pain from x-ray diagnosed bone spurs in my shoulder bones.  The doctor gave me cortisone shots and didn't offer much hope of full recovery *sigh*.  Not a fun prognosis considering I play the violin and I USE my shoulders constantly. And now I'm tuning pianos, too... more stress... so when Dean started teaching me hammer technique, he put a well-designed impact hammer in my hand.  Makes a very big difference in my fatigue level and there is also the side benefit of not twisting the tuning pins!  I don't have the sheer muscle mass you guys have, so I was thankful for Dean's thoughtfulness in providing me with such a great tool.  I also have a double-headed one for grand tuning, but a regular ball-ended hammer works just as well most of the time. This idea might sound sortof like a no-brainer, but I've begun a program of weight training to build up strength in my upper back and shoulders.  I'm amazed at how much improvement's been made in just a couple weeks of lifting.  And no, I don't plan on bulking up... I just want to be able to heft my toolcase without making a side trip to the chiropractor!  Someday I'd like to tune more than three pianos a day, but I still have my full-time job of MOM and I need to be home by the time school's out :)   Be well Marty Reyburn </html>