Trolling through past postings I see various discussion about the efficacy of copper bracelets, glucosamin & chondroitin, magnets, and Jamesons, but beyond that -- are there any players out there with osteoarthritis in their fingers (the wear and tear type, not the autoimmune type that hits early on) with advice based on personal experience?
At the front edge of the baby-boom generation-- yes I am old, indeed! -- I never gave a thought to not "using up" my fingers so i carried heavy things, opened big jars, did repetitive finger-stressing detail craft work, etc. and am now paying the price., osteoarthritios - not pain per se, but very stiff, slow to warm up fingers.
I have a paraffin wax gizmo, but I think running hands under warm water for a while is probably just as effective... and a lot cleaner! What other options are there?
Although I'll never get back those baby-fingers, what should I do to keep my fingers in the best shape possible for as long as possible?
Jen, to warm up right before playing I like do wash the dishes in extremely hot water, with heavy gauge rubber gloves on. The combination of moving my hands and the heat from the water really does the trick. I've even developed a Pavlovian response to doing the dishes--it makes me want to play fiddle. LOL.
The other thing I use is some homemade cloth bags, filled with rice. Stick them in the microwave for a minute or two and the rice releases the heat for an hour. Each bag is like a thumbless mitten with a hand pocket, so the warm rice surrounds my entire hand. During really cold weather, or if my hands are really bothering me, I sometimes take these to the session with me for a quick re-warm between tunes.
I also frequently ice my hands after playing, to minimize inflammation.
In addition to the good tips above (heat in the morning, ice packs after playing--I have a bag of frozen peas reserved for that), I found that getting some regular, moderate, nonstressful exercise (swimming in my case) has helped reduce tension and promote circulation in general. Really does seem to help, honest.
Also, remembering to relax my bow hand, and not hammer unnecessarily hard with the left hand...
And remember to take breaks, when you're practicing at home.
But probably the biggest difference for me was quitting office work--too much typing, mouse-clicking, note-scribbling, etc. was a big part of the problem. Not much help, I suppose, if you need to do that sort of thing to make a living....
Don't laugh...but I get an arthritic finger or two over every winter, painful, but not enough to stop playing, I ignore it once I get going. Every spring, I end up with a bee or yellow jacket sting...I beg them to come to me. Next morning, marked improvement, day after that almost gone if not totally gone, certainly by third day.
It's really not that much worse than getting a shot, and I hear it helps lots of people. They go to bee keepers for stings, has to be a live bee though.
Check out if you have an allergy first of course and you may object to the bee dying......but...it does work for many people.
Some recent studies published in medical journals (I do this for a living and try to keep up) have shown that heat applied for 8 hours at a time every day for up to a week provides more than just immediate relief. Obviously, this is much easier to do with knees (the most commonly afflicted joint) than with fingers, and there are several devices for sale that can be easily applied to the knee.
This is NOT a medical recommendation, but I've found that MSM (1000 mg taken twice daily) almost immediately relieved joint stiffness in my fingers. They say that it only works as long as you take it, but I haven't stopped to find out!
I, too, had arthritis pains in my hands, especially in the winter (as I play flute, this was quite annoying). I started practicing yoga just over a year ago, the so-called "hot yoga," and I realized a couple of weeks ago that I haven't had any of those pains this year. The continuous stretching in the poses seems to have cured me...for good, one hopes!
Topically, castor oil, the "cold-pressed" and "cold-processed" is by far the best, applied to the joints or areas affected, rubbed in a bit. Often this works best at night. Put it on the joints and then wear white cotton gloves to keep it from being rubbed off on the bedclothes.
Raw apple cider vinegar added to one's diet has helped some friends with chronic arthritis. Only truly -raw- and unpasteurized cider is the thing. We've found the Bragg's brand to be very, very good. It can be used in foods any way you'd use a vinegar, salad dressings, etc., as long as it's not cooked.
It must be taken with or after food, one or two tablespoons a day. As it completes digestion, we've heard from friends that long-term integration of raw apple cider vinegar into their diets has lowered cholesterol figures and in a couple of diabetic folks, their blood-sugar counts.
arthritis relief revisited...
arthritis relief revisited...
Trolling through past postings I see various discussion about the efficacy of copper bracelets, glucosamin & chondroitin, magnets, and Jamesons, but beyond that -- are there any players out there with osteoarthritis in their fingers (the wear and tear type, not the autoimmune type that hits early on) with advice based on personal experience?
At the front edge of the baby-boom generation-- yes I am old, indeed! -- I never gave a thought to not "using up" my fingers so i carried heavy things, opened big jars, did repetitive finger-stressing detail craft work, etc. and am now paying the price., osteoarthritios - not pain per se, but very stiff, slow to warm up fingers.
I have a paraffin wax gizmo, but I think running hands under warm water for a while is probably just as effective... and a lot cleaner! What other options are there?
Although I'll never get back those baby-fingers, what should I do to keep my fingers in the best shape possible for as long as possible?
# Posted on January 28th 2006 by ratbiscuit
Re: arthritis relief revisited...
Jen, to warm up right before playing I like do wash the dishes in extremely hot water, with heavy gauge rubber gloves on. The combination of moving my hands and the heat from the water really does the trick. I've even developed a Pavlovian response to doing the dishes--it makes me want to play fiddle. LOL.
The other thing I use is some homemade cloth bags, filled with rice. Stick them in the microwave for a minute or two and the rice releases the heat for an hour. Each bag is like a thumbless mitten with a hand pocket, so the warm rice surrounds my entire hand. During really cold weather, or if my hands are really bothering me, I sometimes take these to the session with me for a quick re-warm between tunes.
I also frequently ice my hands after playing, to minimize inflammation.
Hope this helps.
# Posted on January 28th 2006 by Will CPT
Re: arthritis relief revisited...
In addition to the good tips above (heat in the morning, ice packs after playing--I have a bag of frozen peas reserved for that), I found that getting some regular, moderate, nonstressful exercise (swimming in my case) has helped reduce tension and promote circulation in general. Really does seem to help, honest.
Also, remembering to relax my bow hand, and not hammer unnecessarily hard with the left hand...
And remember to take breaks, when you're practicing at home.
But probably the biggest difference for me was quitting office work--too much typing, mouse-clicking, note-scribbling, etc. was a big part of the problem. Not much help, I suppose, if you need to do that sort of thing to make a living....
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by mickray
Re: arthritis relief revisited...
thanks all for the kind advice.
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by ratbiscuit
Re: arthritis relief revisited...
One leaf, no more, of swamp pennywort (centella cordifolia) as a tea, per day, to help ease arthritis.
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by Clear Drops
Re: arthritis relief revisited...
Don't laugh...but I get an arthritic finger or two over every winter, painful, but not enough to stop playing, I ignore it once I get going. Every spring, I end up with a bee or yellow jacket sting...I beg them to come to me. Next morning, marked improvement, day after that almost gone if not totally gone, certainly by third day.
It's really not that much worse than getting a shot, and I hear it helps lots of people. They go to bee keepers for stings, has to be a live bee though.
Check out if you have an allergy first of course and you may object to the bee dying......but...it does work for many people.
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by irisnevins
Re: arthritis relief revisited...
Some recent studies published in medical journals (I do this for a living and try to keep up) have shown that heat applied for 8 hours at a time every day for up to a week provides more than just immediate relief. Obviously, this is much easier to do with knees (the most commonly afflicted joint) than with fingers, and there are several devices for sale that can be easily applied to the knee.
This is NOT a medical recommendation, but I've found that MSM (1000 mg taken twice daily) almost immediately relieved joint stiffness in my fingers. They say that it only works as long as you take it, but I haven't stopped to find out!
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by lindag
Re: arthritis relief revisited...
Tendinitus problems are almost always due to bad technique. An ounce of prevention....
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by Moylan
Re: arthritis relief revisited...
I, too, had arthritis pains in my hands, especially in the winter (as I play flute, this was quite annoying). I started practicing yoga just over a year ago, the so-called "hot yoga," and I realized a couple of weeks ago that I haven't had any of those pains this year. The continuous stretching in the poses seems to have cured me...for good, one hopes!
# Posted on January 30th 2006 by knockwool
Re: arthritis relief revisited...
We've found a couple of things that help...
Topically, castor oil, the "cold-pressed" and "cold-processed" is by far the best, applied to the joints or areas affected, rubbed in a bit. Often this works best at night. Put it on the joints and then wear white cotton gloves to keep it from being rubbed off on the bedclothes.
Raw apple cider vinegar added to one's diet has helped some friends with chronic arthritis. Only truly -raw- and unpasteurized cider is the thing. We've found the Bragg's brand to be very, very good. It can be used in foods any way you'd use a vinegar, salad dressings, etc., as long as it's not cooked.
It must be taken with or after food, one or two tablespoons a day. As it completes digestion, we've heard from friends that long-term integration of raw apple cider vinegar into their diets has lowered cholesterol figures and in a couple of diabetic folks, their blood-sugar counts.
Be well,
stv
http://cdbaby.com/Culchies
# Posted on January 31st 2006 by stv culchie