Pickerwannbee - Posted - 06/14/2014:  03:01:19

Not sure if I'm posting this in the right place or not, site administrator feel free to move it..

Arthritis has set in in my left hand to the point it's getting painful to play guitar.  Just wondering if anyone has any tips or remedies that will at least ease it to the point I can play with the least amount of pain and with some freedom of movement? I know Tony Rice is having issues with his hands, not sure if his is arthritis or not.  What a loss to the music world if Tony can't play!!  Thanks.

Texasbanjo - Posted - 06/14/2014:  05:19:32

Have you been to a doctor?  If not, go.  I have arthritis in both hands and take Naproxen daily to help control the pain.  It works pretty well.  You might try taking an over-the-counter Aleve -- same thing as Naproxen, just not as strong as what the doctor can prescribe for you.

If your hands get cold, try warming them in either warm water or with a heating pad.  The heat will help control the pain.

Whatever you do, continue to use your hands/fingers -- exercise keeps the hands/fingers more mobile so you can continue to pick.

I have found that I have trouble making barre chords now and have to find other ways to make chords -- and that's not usually too much of a problem.  Other than that, my arthritis is not stopping me from playing.  It is, however, slowing down my picking somewhat.    It's much easier to pick the banjo!

nickwleo - Posted - 06/14/2014:  06:53:45

I fully agree with keeping your hands active but I'd be very careful with ANY medication in the group labelled NSAIDs.Okay 14 yrs of psychiatric nursing didn't do my wrists/hands much harm,but 10 yrs coalmining before that did!.An August 1983-installed plastic wristbone following a 1979 mining accident didn't help either.I medicated myself with prescription Ibuprofen 400mg in between those dates like sweets/candy[ALWAYS WITH FOOD!!]and moved on to SLIGHTLY lighter duties down the pit!.I suffered a life-threatening accident in 2003 and,after 4 failed operations,I was finally referred to a guy that,in the course of treating a persistent non-union of my right mid-shaft thigh,became a surgery professor.In order to allow the bones to inflame and heal he hated NSAIDs with the same passion usually reserved for smoking.However other evidence is now out there showing that the use of NSAIDs can be counter-productive re joint health.NOW we get to the hub of the matter----HOW sizeable is your wallet??!!I.I've found Serrapeptase to be a wonderful anti-inflammatory and,if you're bothered about sea-based pollution,there's always the more advantageous Krill Oil as opposed to Fish Oil.Turmeric's cheap used in conjunction with Bromelain.MSM[what used to be called Brimstone and later Organic Sulphur]used along with the much newer Natural Eggshell Membrane[NEM]knocks spots off/more than adequately replaces Glucosamine Sulphate/Marine Chondroitin IMHO.Personally my hands are the best they've been for a very long time.Obviously seeking the advice of a medical professional is always a good course of action in an ideal world,particularly re potential interactions between drugs and other drugs and drugs and supplements.However doctors receive SO little information on eg nutrition/supplements as part of their training and there's a chasm in between the advice that one's likely to get from an alternative therapies-friendly doctor and one who's straight -down-the-line medical model.Okay a bit long in the tooth now but read Bill Gottlieb's Alternative Cures.Hope this helps.Feel free to e-mail me any time.

bob sears - Posted - 06/14/2014:  09:48:45

arthritis in hands but worse in left thumb. Doctor prescribed a hand lotion rather than oral meds due to meds I take for having some strokes a few years back, it does help. Play with a celtic group twice a week and an old time group. Can't use my thumb for pressure on neck for bar chords. Started using my chord encyclopedia a lot more. Lots of 3 and 4 finger chords to play that actually help the sound and offer new rewards. I'm 76 and no plans to give up. Have even started learning DADGAD. Hang in there and good luck. You can do it.

Pickerwannbee - Posted - 06/14/2014:  18:05:04

Have actually taken Aleve but wasn't sure about taking everyday.  It does help.  Mr. Ritis started in my left thumb and has now taken up residence in my left fore finger as well.  Certain chords are harder to play than others....C, F, Bb.  Thank goodness for a capo   Like Bob said, I have no plans to give it up!!!  Thanks guys.

Jim Yates - Posted - 06/15/2014:  09:09:05

I pop a couple of Advil before a gig and rub my thumbs with Voltaren.  My left hand hasn't been affected too much; no trouble with barre chords, but finger picking is becoming difficult.  I can still clawhammer, but my days as a Scruggs style picker are over.  It doesn't seem to affect the use of the flat pick.

DanielWS - Posted - 06/18/2014:  08:05:24

Activity is the best medicine for me.  The more active I am the less pain I have.  I have arthritis in more locations than my hands.

Naproxen is my over the counter medication of choice.  I also have a prescription for Meloxicam.  Both work but I alternate them because effectiveness seems to reduce after taking one for a while.

I don't have severe problems (and not as bad as I used to when I was more sedentary) but I'm active enough that I may take a couple of pills or less per month.

+1 on the suggestion for warm water.  I also like the Watkins Menthol Camphor Ointment.  A pharmacist once recommended it as being better than Capsaicin Cream and I agree.  (I've used both.)

Edited by - DanielWS on 06/18/2014 08:09:36

nickwleo - Posted - 07/03/2014:  05:24:23

In my last contribution to this important topic[which has thrown up some good advice from fellow pickers]I forgot to mention the relatively cheap supplement Ginger.I recognise that NSAIDs are faster-acting than the supplements mentioned in my first/previous post,though N[atural] E[ggshell] M[embrane] seemed,for me,to kick-in fairly quickly.Of course in Britain with me having attained the age of 60,I get free prescriptions on the NHS.That means that eg NSAIDs come without cost whereas I obviously have to pay for what,IMHO,are safer natural alternatives.If,due to discomfort/pain,you feel that you have no other alternative than to use NSAIDs,it may help to heed advice given to me some years ago by a GP/joint author of the book 'Nutritional Medicine' in Britain.I'd written to him to ask for advice re a stomach ulcer problem suffered by my ex-wife.As a youngster she'd taken a tumble from a rented horse damaging vertebrae in her neck.The resultant use of NSAIDs had caused the stomach problem,and I reminded him that,in his book[a copy of which I saw sitting on the bookshelf in my own GP's office],he'd advised the use of zinc supplementation.He replied sympathetically enquiring whether or not my ex-wife had ever thought of taking cabbage water.He admitted that it wasn't to everyone's taste,but the flavour could be disguised in stocks and soups.I've since read that an important ingredient in this stomach-problem preventer is Glutamine,which is available to take as a supplement.It may well be a good strategy to take the latter with NSAIDs and perhaps switch to pickin' the 24.75'' shorter scale Gibson instruments!.