Arthritis in the left hand

[JayMack]

I've been checking out AGF for a while now and there seem to be quite a few 40+ and 50+ players in the forum and I'm betting that a number of you deal with arthritis in the hands. I'm 48 and picked up guitar over a year ago after laying down my woodwinds years ago. I've had the beginnings of basal thumb arthritis for a couple of years now (pain where the base of the thumb joins the wrist) and a little in the left pinkie. Ibuprofen and the occasional wearing of a splint to restrain thumb movement have helped with flareups, but I'm into a longer period of pain in my left hand that's a real drag.

I try to play every day, but this has slowed me down. I try to keep as light a touch on the neck as I can, but just positioning creates random spikes of pain and I'm generally more sore after practicing. I'm typing with a splint on right now. If I can't get this bout under control, I may consider a cortisone shot, but my wife says they are VERY painful, which is a little scary in itself.

What do you do about your arthritis?

Jay

[gary palmer]

I'm 46 and have suffered from widespread Rheumatoid Arthritis for the past 6yrs (Every joint apart from my spine). In all honesty, your best bet is to rest whenever necessary, don't force issues or try to work past the problem, because over doing things only tends to make matters worse in the short and long term. Enjoy playing guitar between flare-ups, but learn to recognise your limits.

Cortisone injections aren't too painful, but results vary from person to person and the degree of discomfort depends upon the injection site and person giving the injection (Only worry if he/she decides to take a run up with the needle and paints a bullseye on the target site).

I find playing guitar is more beneficial for maintaining hand and wrist movement and flexibility than allowing things to get me down, but a good set-up is a must if you wish to enhance your comfort.

[MJH]

I am suffering with this right now myself with an extreme amount of pain in my left index finger. I have been taking an anti-inflammatory for quite awhile now, but nothing is helping right now. I literally cannot bend my finger to make a C, Dm, Am chord. I have recently been to a chiropractor who is going to treat the finger with ultrasound and manipulation. If that fails we are going to try accupuncture.

This is really breaking my heart that I can't play right now.

I hope you can figure something out for you. I'll let you know how my treatment works.

[jlkitch]

I was first diagnosed with Osteo Arthritis when I was 17 or 18. The worst areas are the knees,spine, hands,and neck. My knees are so bad that they cannot get a good x-ray image. I have a few knots on my hands; but, I've been able to control it with a good balanced diet, prudient use of Cortisone and Aspirin. For some reason the only anti-inflammatory agent I can tolerate is plain old Bayer aspirin. About once every two or three years I'll try the latest "fad" NSAID. The last, rthrotec, I was able to take three days before I started into the pre-ulcer mode.

What you really need to do is to keep yourself healthy, moderate exercise helps, and eat a well rounded diet. Stress, mental and/or physical can cause episodes; so, what does the son say, "Don't worry, be happy." right now my knees, lumbar and cervical spine are wrecks. I go to the pain clinic once a month and the physical therapist once a week. Oh, yeah and I play my guitars about 15 - 20 hours a week. When it gets to aching, I take an aspirin and use a little wet heat. I try to eat my vegetables every day and am on a high fat, high protein diet to keep my cholesterol up and my supply of synovial fuild plentiful. Oh, I forgot to add, I have low serum cholesterol, a real dangerous condition.

Try not to hit your hand or fingers on anything. Injury to soft tissue around a joint can bring on a arthritic episode. Rest often and listen to your body. Try not to strain lifting or twisting items. And, everybody says this, drink plenty of water. I have my own well so I have the benefit of having natural mineralization in my water. Bottled or filtered water is not as good as a good balanced deep well source with plenty of trace chemicals. Be moderate in all things, don't over-eat or over-indulge.

I'm 60 years old and I've been a volunteer firefighter for about 25 years and a HAZMAT responder for for almost 30 years. It's a tough thing to do but you cannot let the pain win. When you start giving in and not doing your daily routine you start losing the ability to do those things.

Good luck,

[Squeezebox]

Originally Posted by MJH

I am suffering with this right now myself with an extreme amount of pain in my left index finger. I have been taking an anti-inflammatory for quite awhile now, but nothing is helping right now. I literally cannot bend my finger to make a C, Dm, Am chord. I have recently been to a chiropractor who is going to treat the finger with ultrasound and manipulation. If that fails we are going to try accupuncture.

This is really breaking my heart that I can't play right now.

I hope you can figure something out for you. I'll let you know how my treatment works.

I started having some pain issues with my left index fingerTIP a couple of weeks ago.....Not sure if it is a bone bruise, metal sliver from the strings, wart under the callous, etc......It is very slowly getting better, but, point of my post is:

I refused to let this stop me from playing...and luckily this was the affected finger........

I have basically been re-learning guitar without using the left index finger at all....I've re-learned all the cowboy chords using middle, index, and pinky fingers, and have found grabbing bass notes on the low E with my thumb is easier this way

I have also discovered all kinds of new chord inversions up and down the neck due to the fact that I have been forced to look at the guitar differently

True, there is still some limit to your playing with one less digit (stuff in C can be a bit tricky....especially any Mississippi John Hurt) but I have been amazed at how I have been able to continue playing

I also think the great Django Rheinhart had the use of only 2 fingers on his left hand due an injury.....didn't stop him from figuring out "workarounds" so he could keep playing music

Not sure if only your index finger is affected, but, well, just some food for thought.

[mhs]

Don't let the "pain" of a cortisone shot stop you from possible help. I've had 3 of them over the last 2 years (in different fingers or nodes of the hand), and the last one just 3 weeks ago, completely took the problem away. I don't know for how long but it is such a great feeling.

From past experience with cortisone injections in other spots, I've gotten nearly permanent (20-30 years?) relief from some ailments. For this, I'd be happy with a year. By the way, I have a number of "trigger fingers", along with some arthritis but mostly for me it's the trigger fingers.

Regarding the pain :: The first time I had a shot into my hand, I was told that they would give me anesthesia for the pain, then continue on into the shot and I wouldn't feel anything. What a mistake that was! I couldn't really feel my fingers for 5 days after that.

The last time a few weeks ago, I just asked the doctor to forget the anesthetic and if it was OK, just have the big dude in the hall hold me steady instead so I wouldn't squirm under this "immense" pain I'd been warned of. This worked out fine. It didn't hurt as much as the pain killer shot, and I had feeling in my hand within the hour. Within 2 weeks, my hand was working normally.

Just some thoughts.

[flip33]

When I used to wear a watch on my left arm, I had pain when I fretted the guitar neck. I quit wearing the watch and the pain went away.

[jonathanvaljean]

To all of you who are suffering from arthritis, you have my sympathy. Even though I am 33, I sometimes fatigue rather quickly while playing because of carpal tunnel. Unfortunately, using the computer each work day is inevitable, for my job requires lots of reports. I guess I should stop typing this post right now and go play while I still have the ability, right? Hang in there, guys!

[SteveS]

Originally Posted by jonathanvaljean

......because of carpal tunnel. .......

Carpel tunnel comes from doing something repeatedly in the wrong position. It is a good sign that you are doing something wrong. Check you posture and use an ergonomic keyboard and mouse.
If you are spending a lot of time at the computer, your posture might be out of whack. Stand in front of a mirror, relax and look at yourself. If your shoulders are sloped forward, if your hands are in front of you and you can see multiple knuckles on your hand, you would benefit by correcting those errors. I only know one place to get that done. PM me if you are interested.

[ayavner]

the cortisone shot is no biggie, trick is to relax as much as possible, against all reason. if you stiffen up or fight it, it will hurt. If you kinda zone out and let it happen, it just kinda does..

[mapletrees]

Originally Posted by JayMack

I try to keep as light a touch on the neck as I can, but just positioning creates random spikes of pain

if you haven't already thought of it...

if you use a capo up a couple of frets it will lower the action compared to your nut (well, at least a little most likely) and will definitely shorten your stretches....

[dragon1952]

I'm 56 and have the arthritis in the base of the left thumb. The 200mg Ibuprofen gel caps seem to work for me, but with bad flare-ups about all you can do is rest it until it goes away. You can play with more of a baseball grip to help ease the strain on it in the future. That can work for lots of chords. I've had cortisone shots in my shoulder before and it's no big deal.

[muscmp]

i pull on my shoulder, arm, forearm, wrist and individual fingers prior to playing. i also shake my hands to get the blood flowing. it seems to help me since i have arthritis also. some people have tried soaking their hands in warm water. i haven't tried it but it may help you.
hope this helps!
mikeB.

[BBWW]

It will get better. I had (have) in in my index finger of my left hand. Big pain for a year, but the nerve dies or something and it gets better. A great medication for small joints is a prescription anti-inflammatory called Voltarnen.

It's been a miracle to me...

[welshcitydragon]

I my self have Arthritis in my left hand index finger and it wont bed so I can only use my middle, Ring and little finger. Bridging is completely out for me as is chords like B7 or most any chord that needs 4 fingers. Is there ways around these chords that take 4 fingers to play please all help will be gladly appreciated .