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Thread: arthritis

  1. #1

    Default arthritis

    greetings fellow pickers. I have started developing arthritis in my left hand. I just bought an octave mandolin and it is giving it a real work out. Do any of my contemporaries out there, who are closer to 100 than 30, have any easy remedies or suggestions? I am about to try using Aspercream to see of that will help.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: arthritis

    I've found that generic Voltaren Gel helps with my arthritis pain. It used to require a prescription, but has been available over-the-counter since 2020.

  3. #3
    Registered User Ranald's Avatar
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    Default Re: arthritis

    Here's a second to Voltaren, which seems to be standard for arthritis relief in Canada. I find that arnica gel helps too. However, everyone's arthritis is different and responds to different treatments. You may have to experiment. I use a thumb pick, as holding a regular pick between thumb and fingertip makes my thumb sore. Black Mountain is my preferred pick, though I have little complaint with Herco. However, this may not help your problems. Otherwise, don't overdo it, build up your tolerance. (I'm ten years closer to 100 than to 30.)
    Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
    "I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
    Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.

  4. #4

    Default Re: arthritis

    My problem is in my fretting hand. Trying to stretch out to play this octave has me questioning my decision to get it. Since I will be 70 this year, I'm not surprised at these little annoyances.

  5. #5
    Registered User Ranald's Avatar
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    Default Re: arthritis

    Practice stretches. you can probably find some online, or else figure out what you want to do and work out your own stretches, starting them two or three times, and increasing over time.
    Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
    "I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
    Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.

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  7. #6
    Old Guy Mike Scott's Avatar
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    Default Re: arthritis

    CBD Gummies
    Thanks

    Several mandolins of varying quality-any one of which deserves a better player than I am.......

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  9. #7
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    Default Re: arthritis

    A child of 1950 here. I have been using CBD cream at bedtime (careful, some of ‘em are too fragrant) and in the morning I fill the wash basin with hot water (hot to your discomfort level) and soak my hands in it for several minutes while listening to music or a podcast. This combination helps about 85%, which I’m pleased with. In winter I watch the weather and try to get in my practice ahead of any cold fronts coming my way. As Ranald said, everyone’s response to remedies differs. Try various things to find your relief.
    A couple years in, now, and still learning!
    Ratliff F-style Country Boy
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    I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.

  10. #8
    Registered User Billy Packard's Avatar
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    Default Re: arthritis

    I began this journey of mine in 1946. I’m blessed with no issues. For quite a few years now I have been using an herbal product by the company Solgar named 7. It is comprised of various elements said to promote joint health. I know it works for me because sometimes I forget to take it and after two weeks or so my hands start feeling crotchety. Then I start taking it again and my hands feel fine. By scrounging around the Internet, I find lower prices also.

    https://www.solgar.com/products/solg...able-capsules/

    Billy
    Billy Packard
    Gilchrist A3, 1993
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  12. #9
    Registered User John Rosett's Avatar
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    Default Re: arthritis

    All the things mentioned above are good ideas, but not all work for everybody. The Voltaren cream had no effect for me, but I've heard that it works for other people. I take Meloxicam every day for overall arthritis, and I know it helps a little. I've also used Capsaicin cream in the past, but that's kind of the nuclear option. The thing that works for me better than anything is to keep playing and using your hands. At the beginning of the pandemic, My right index finger was so bad that I could barely hold a pick, and I played my last few gigs before the shutdown on lap steel. My doctor had nothing much to offer, but he did tell me that a lot of times, the pain will just go away after a while. I kept playing every day, and after a while (like a year) it really calmed down. Now, I can play a several hour gig on mandolin with almost no pain.
    It also may be that the OM is just too much. I had a couple of wonderful vintage guitars that I ended up selling because I just couldn't handle the large necks and fairly heavy strings. Good luck!
    "it's not in bad taste, if it's funny" - john waters

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  14. #10
    Likes quaint instruments poul hansen's Avatar
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    Default Re: arthritis

    I sold my octave. I don't have long fingers but have actually extended the range of my left hand about 10mm by stretching every morning. Stick every two fingers over your right arm and bend them, to the position they are in when playing and keep for 30 seconds.
    I too have arthritis but I make it a matter of principle to use my hands as I used to, even with some pain, and it looks like that is working. I am not bothered much by it now at 76.

    Many times I can move f.x. my thumb to where it hurts and leave it and the pain will subside within 10 to 20 seconds.
    Kentucky KM-805..........2 Hora M1086 Portuguese II(1 in car)
    Hora M1088 Mandola.....
    Richmond RMA-110..... .Noname Bearclaw
    Pochette Franz Janisch...5 Pocket............Alfredo Privitera pocket
    Puglisi Pocket 1908........Puglisi 1912.......Puglisi 1917
    3 Mandolinetto ..............C.Garozzo
    1 Mandriola...................Cannelo G. Mandriola...Böhm Waldzither 1921
    Johs Møller 1945............Luigi Embergher Studio 1933
    Marma Seashell back......Luigi Embergher 5bis 1909

  15. #11

    Default Re: arthritis

    I switched from Octave to Tenor Banjo. The stretches are the same but it's much easier to press the string down.

  16. #12
    Registered User Sue Rieter's Avatar
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    Default Re: arthritis

    Quote Originally Posted by Billy Packard View Post
    I began this journey of mine in 1946. I’m blessed with no issues. For quite a few years now I have been using an herbal product by the company Solgar named 7. It is comprised of various elements said to promote joint health. I know it works for me because sometimes I forget to take it and after two weeks or so my hands start feeling crotchety. Then I start taking it again and my hands feel fine. By scrounging around the Internet, I find lower prices also.

    https://www.solgar.com/products/solg...able-capsules/

    Billy
    This looks interesting. I've developed some rotator cuff issues in my right shoulder over the past few months, and may try this to supplement the exercises from my doctor.
    "To be obsessed with the destination is to remove the focus from where you are." Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen Guitar

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  18. #13
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    Default Re: arthritis

    I saw an arthritis doc for my thumb a few years ago. He said there was nothing to be done medically, so I take a Tylenol before I play which raises my pain tolerance. I asked a sports doc neighbor about my thumb when it first started to bother me. He said if it gets real bad they can fuse the thumb joint. After he said ‘fuse the joint’ the pain level decreased.

  19. #14
    Likes quaint instruments poul hansen's Avatar
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    Default Re: arthritis

    I'm not a surgeon but maybe operation is a possibility.

    I have arthritis in my big toes with the normal enlargement of the bone. This was very painful when bending my foot especially whe wearing skiboots. I got the extra bone protrusion removed and have no problems since.
    Kentucky KM-805..........2 Hora M1086 Portuguese II(1 in car)
    Hora M1088 Mandola.....
    Richmond RMA-110..... .Noname Bearclaw
    Pochette Franz Janisch...5 Pocket............Alfredo Privitera pocket
    Puglisi Pocket 1908........Puglisi 1912.......Puglisi 1917
    3 Mandolinetto ..............C.Garozzo
    1 Mandriola...................Cannelo G. Mandriola...Böhm Waldzither 1921
    Johs Møller 1945............Luigi Embergher Studio 1933
    Marma Seashell back......Luigi Embergher 5bis 1909

  20. #15
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    Default Re: arthritis

    I have a more radical suggestion/solution that has worked for me. I am 70 and the last few years have been tough with more and more joint pain and symptoms of arthritis. It seemed like soon I would become crippled by it and I finally accepted it as old age issues that can't be avoided. Then I heard about Oxalic acid and oxalic crystals accumulating in the body from eating foods high in oxalic acid. I changed my diet and stopped eating any vegetables that are high in oxalic acid and in just one week all my joint pain was gone. It has been amazing change for me and many other people. This is one of those things that stems from a completely disjointed medical and nutrition advice system.

    You can Google "oxalic acid and arthritis" and gather a lot of information. Sally Norton is one of the leaders in this sphere currently. https://sallyknorton.com/symptoms/

    And there are many YouTube videos discussing the symptoms that oxalic acid/crystals cause in the body: https://youtu.be/i7ArmIYGH0s

    It has been know to be a poison for humans since the 1800's but is largely ignored by the medical establishment, but it is similar to arsenic in that it accumulates in the body and then at some point when there is too much for the body to handle and eliminate, the problems become apparent, such as arthritis and joint pain among other symptoms such as calcium deposits, gout and kidney stones.

    I know it seems farfetched. But you might consider it. And it's easy to test on yourself. Just stop eating any food that contains oxalic acid for one or two weeks and see how you feel. For me it was day and night.

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  22. #16
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    Default Re: arthritis

    me, a young baby. I have tendonitis in both wrists and it prevents me from fretting too vigorously. hopefully this will protect me against arthritis. other than medical solutions, I suggest that you fret very carefully, avoid all long stretches, stick to "1 finger per fret" and if it is "too far", move the hand.

    use a capo. play fiddle tunes at capo-5 and capo-7 (in youtube videos, you see many people do this! there is a reason!). for flat keys, i.e. F and Bf, use capo-3, do not try to stretch from 5th fret G to 1st fret Bf. OM is large and one must accept the "you cannot get from here to there". if your OM plays at capo-12, do play there, do not be shy!

  23. #17
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    Default Re: arthritis

    Quote Originally Posted by mandocello8 View Post
    if your OM plays at capo-12, do play there, do not be shy!
    If you play your OM at capo-12 then you might as well just play your mandolin. Stretching and taking time to warm up seems to help me the most with joint pain.

  24. #18
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    Default Re: arthritis

    So sorry to hear. But you're not alone.

    I take Aleve for the arthritis pain in the base of my left thumb.

    I do neck-stretching exercises to cut the tingling in my left hand from bones spurs that cause pinched nerves.

    I wear a splint to bed to cut the trigger-finger in the middle finger, left hand.

    You have my sympathies. I've found that getting older means some new accommodations every day. Maybe my accommodations would help you?

  25. #19
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    Default Re: arthritis

    Fletcher Bright, who some of you may have heard of, had severe arthritis. He told me that some mornings he had to pry his left hand open.
    I asked him what he did about it. He replied that he made a point of playing at least an hour a day every day.

    The problems started when he was in his 50's, progressed when he was in his 60's, and got better when he was in his 70's. At some point, he no longer had to pry his hand open in the morning. I'm no doctor, but it seems like the hour a day routines paid off.

    If you heard him play Sally Goodin when he was 82 years old, you wouldn't know that he had arthritis.

  26. #20
    Registered User David Rambo's Avatar
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    Default Re: arthritis

    If it's a thumb that is the chief culprit, as it is in my case, the Dr. did what's called trapezium suspension surgery. I was able to fret 6-7 weeks after the surgery. I will have to have it done to my right thumb, also, but between voltarin and shere cussidness, that's down the road, yet.
    "Put your hands to the wood
    Touch the music put there by the summer sun and wind
    The rhythms of the rain, locked within the rings
    And let your fingers find The Music in the Wood."
    Joe Grant and Al Parrish (chorus from The Music in the Wood)

  27. #21

    Default Re: arthritis

    Light strings may help some.

  28. #22
    Registered User urobouros's Avatar
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    Default Re: arthritis

    I find focusing on 2 & 3 string chords makes the scale easier. If that works with your style of course
    2020 Northfield Big Mon
    2016 Skip Kelley A5
    2011 Weber Gallatin A20
    2021 Northfield Flattop Octave Mandolin
    2019 Pono Flattop Octave
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    And a few electrics

  29. #23
    Registered User Billy Packard's Avatar
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    Default Re: arthritis

    Nashville, this is very interesting information. I checked out the link and will get to the youtube. Specifically what did you do/not do with your eating habits?

    Billy
    Billy Packard
    Gilchrist A3, 1993
    Stiver Fern, 1990
    Weber Fern, 2007
    Gibson F4 Hybrid #1, D. Harvey 2009
    Gibson 1923 A2
    Numerous wonderful guitars

  30. #24
    Lurkist dhergert's Avatar
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    Default Re: arthritis

    I've got RA in both hands, as do other members of my blood-relative family. I play mandolin, a number of various types of banjos, double bass and Dobro. I don't think the geometry of any specific instrument necks has anything to do with my RA situation...

    The most help I get every day is washing dishes by hand a couple of times a day. Really. It's basically a form of hydrotherapy, hot/warm/cold water emersion and functional movement combine to provide daily relief and more fluid movement. It's clean, easy and inexpensive to try.
    -- Don

    "Music: A minor auditory irritation occasionally characterized as pleasant."
    "It is a lot more fun to make music than it is to argue about it."


    2002 Gibson F-9
    2016 MK LFSTB
    1975 Suzuki taterbug (plus many other noisemakers)
    [About how I tune my mandolins]
    [Our recent arrival]

  31. #25
    Rush Burkhardt Rush Burkhardt's Avatar
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    Default Re: arthritis

    Beginning my 9th decade, my 8th playing stringed instruments; these are my observations.
    1. Old age is not for sissies!
    2. One pays for one's earlier indiscretions!
    3. Bad hips, bad knees, lower back MRI looks like a coal pile!
    4. Regularly exercised my hands for 30+/- years!
    5. Plagued with trigger-finger and cortisone shots to treat it!
    6. For a year, age 78-79 I was unable to use my left-hand for playing! (Makes mandolin, etc. sorta' tough.)
    7. Started and stopped using turmeric in various forms. (noticed no particular change)
    6. About 4 months ago I began using CBD gummies...pain reduced dramatically, playing the mandolin daily!!!!
    7. Still can't play like Hull, Thile or Compton (insert most of the names you know)...never could! BUT I CAN PLAY!!!
    Last edited by Rush Burkhardt; Mar-23-2023 at 9:03am. Reason: accuracy
    Rush Burkhardt
    Towson, MD


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