The begining of the end?

[Goat Mick]

Also drink LOTS of water. It's amazing the power that a few simple glasses of water has with the body.

[agfsteve]

The only thing worse than getting old is not getting old.

[rmp]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

Rheumatoid Arthritis is just so cruel.

it sure is..

My wife has recently been diagnosed. She's been having some issues for a while now. It breaks my heart to see her struggling with this. She's always been so full of energy. She's trying so hard not to let this get the best of her.

Praying that the meds she's just started taking will help.

Apparently for her, it's pretty aggressive, she's only 62.. (I say only but we're still pretty active most of the time.)

[PapaC]

Originally Posted by nitram

Pain is nature's way of telling you that something is wrong and needs attention.At the very least-take a rest to let things try to heal.Pushing through pain is a good way of creating a chronic condition.Work smarter-not harder.

Arthritis can be treated, but not cured. It’s a degenerative condition that 99% of us will develop at some point.

So you’re comment “take a rest and let it heal” is a little off. Yes, you can rest, and treat until symptoms subside, but they will come back.

Silly did say that when at home he can stop whenever needed. What if he/I/we were doing a gig that is scheduled for Two, or three sets and we are suffering from it? Me? I’m taking an aspirin and going on. When it gets to the point I can’t take the pain any more, that’s when (unfortunately), the gigging stops. Just have to play at home, or Jam with friends etc.

Second point. You say “pain is a good way of creating a chronic condition”. Actually, pain is telling you that there IS already a condition, be it chronic or not.

I’m 61, and the only place I have what I consider bad arthritis is in my back. Fortunately my fingers still work pretty good, but I know the day is coming. I stretch, and warm them up before playing, and try to keep good overall health. That, and treating the symptoms as best we can is really all we can do.

Finally; nitram, Nothing personal. Just wanted to clear things up a bit.

[jansch]

Have a look at https://www.drmcdougall.com/

Tons of free information about dealing with arthritis/aging etc.

D C Jarvis's old classic Folk Medicine is also worth a look at
https://www.biri.org/pdf/books/JARVI...icine-1960.pdf

[Mr. Jelly]

Not all hand pain is arthritis. Personally I live with it. I have decided I will keep playing until I can't. It means that much to me. I have moved to wider fret boards and recently purchased another guitar. I am starting to warm up before playing. It's something I always knew that I should do but didn't. I can always sell them when the time comes. But as long as I can get a half hour or an hour in a day I'm happy.

[Earl49]

A few years ago I felt the onset of arthritis in my fretting hand (I'm now 61) and began worrying about my ragtime and Piedmont blues finger picking repertoire, which is about 75% of what I play. I'm doing better these days but there is still some loss of dexterity. What really helped was cleaning up my diet, particularly nearly eliminating wheat. Wheat is especially toxic for blood type O. The book, "Eat Right for your Blood Type" really helped both my wife and me. It contains lists of foods that are recommended, neutral, and to be avoided for each of the four major blood types. My wife also tried the McDougall program for a while and it did good things for her, especially for allergies and digestive issues.

My "Plan B" was to pick up a cheap square neck resonator for Dobro style playing. When I cannot fret any longer, I should still be able to hold a steel. That also fits with my interest in alternate tunings. Open D and a variant of Open G are two common resonator/slide tunings. One advantage to open tunings is that you often use only two or three fingers to make a chord, and when needed a full barre can be supported by multiple fingers -- or the slide.

[mball]

Tuning down 1/2 or one step and then capoing the first or second fret to get back to standard pitch greatly reduces your fretting effort.

[jpd]

Originally Posted by hat

So, I've known about it for a while, the signs were there. The little nodules on the sides of the joints. The little finger's last joint slowly turning inward. the pain, and stiffness. How do you deal with age's slow advance, and the inevitable consequences of it's ravages?

Tom...I'm there too. The physical can be ignored and accepted, or medical intervention can be taken. In my case, I've chosen to accept and deal with what I have. It's a decision that gets talked about with friends and fellow musicians. The magic of what I have is a wonderful bit of music...hope you see this too

Mr.Jelly...

[SJ VanSandt]

I am having some success reducing arthritis pain by avoiding foods that cause inflammation - primarily sugar, wheat and dairy. It's such a relief to not to hurt all the time that playing guitar without pain seems like a side benefit. I've toyed with this idea for years, but a couple of months ago I thought, if not now, when? It's not easy for me: it's been tough figuring out what else to eat!

[Birdbrain]

That's when I'll finally try to learn slide guitar.

[MikeB1]

Hi Tom,

I went through something a few years ago. I thought for sure it was arthritis.
I changed over to nylon string guitars exclusively for less tension. I am also looking at shorter scale instruments. At the time, I started using warm wax treatments. You never know what will help.

There was also a long period where I could not play. I found many other ways to enjoy music. I had a friend and we explored listening to different types of music. We went to shows to see people who may not have been in the mainstream. We read books about the history of jazz, and all the genius classical composers. We had great discussions about their lives. Sometimes we took a piece of music, usually Bach, and after dinner, spread it over the table and analyzed what he was doing. It was all so much fun.

Sometimes accepting reality and adapting can result in new and wonderful experiences.

[Br1ck]

When I first pick up a guitar, I can't finger a simple C chord, but all it takes is less than a minute to get it working. My thumb gets sore too, and now my pick holding thumb is barking at me. I'm still playing .013s on dreads though and heavy mandolin strings. Eventually I'm going to end up with the oldest 0 or 00 Martin I can afford, and string it with silk and steel strings.

And I can tell you exactly where they cut my carpal tunnel, two years later, and my chest isn't the same either. But I have friends far worse off who play mostly electric guitar these days.

[icuker]

Be sure to get diagnosed. I thought I had arthritis but it ended up being instrinsic muscle stiffness, something I could work on through certain stretches.
The lump on my finger was just tissue. So far so good, though it can be painful at times. (I type a lot at work which is an aggravating factor).

[BluesBelly]

Originally Posted by Mike McLenison

I'm 68 and watch my diet eliminating carbs and junk food in addition to intermittent fasting with an exercise routine. I also have a daily regimen of vitamin supplements and herbs. No aches, pains or deformation so far. It could be genetic but my parents ate cookies, cakes, chips and pies and suffered with pain and pain killers.

I’m 69 and I support what Mike says here and it is very good advice.
Additionally others have added similar suggestions. I drink lots of water and add lemon or lime slices for flavor and additional health benefits. Eat fruits, Especially berries, earlier in the day as they contain sugars and eat vegetables later in the day. Eat a couple of dates for a sweet treat and the side benefit is dates reduce inflammation. Make sure you get protein but too much red meat can make arthritic joints swell and pain flare. Go easy on the booze especially wine which is full of sugar and other inflammatory Ingredients.

Eliminate Excess sugar, sodium, and preservatives. Eliminate processed food, for instance instead of a hamburger eat a small 4oz or 6oz steak. Eliminate or cut back on dairy. Eliminate white foods such as baked goods, chips, etc. And eat foods that get along well with your body or blood type as suggested.

Living cleanly will sure help a body be the best it can.
And keep moving!

Getting older is not for the weak of heart but keeping the mind Strong with music and reading goes a long way toward building the positive attitudes we need to stay on top.
Best to all,
Blues