Arthritis?

[Al Trujillo]

There are a bunch of us who are following your thread with similar problems and we know that with patience it can be done.

My first instructor had a degree in music/guitar and he was not a mandolin player (told me right away that he had never picked one up!)...but he helped me in so many other ways. I used my time with him (1 year) to get better and did finally found a mandolin instructor (a 1-hour drive) that has been filling in the blanks.

You'll be fine - we all are....and remember that you are playing for 'you' and no one else.

Good luck.

[Loubrava]

i'm 64 and i have been playing all my life. i used to have finger pain and tenosynovitis(the real name for tendonitis) is do daily hand stretching excercises and the hand movement from tai chi, and reiki on occasion. i have not had serious problems since, of course good diet and vitamin e and d(both help conective tissue).

if you have special kind of accupuncture it;s good. high powered electro-magnets, instead of needles, this does wonders with back and leg pain. would help hand pain as well if you need it.

otherwise playing musical instruments keeps you young

I'm looking for some hand/finger stretches is there a book or a web site you could recommend ?
Thanks
Lou

[Dan O'Sullivan]

I've used Grigory Gourylev's book when my hands are bothering me, or when I'm traveling and feel I need to do something useful.My daughter is an OT and she wisely avoids giving me advice, but she looked at it and said it's pretty good.

[Br1ck]

I have a friend who was told ten years ago that his playing days and golfing days were soon to be behind him due to arthritis, but he researched and found a recommendation to use one of those grip excercisers with springs. He exercised his hands everyday, and a decade later, he plays golf and guitar.

You may have started playing too late to be any good, but not too late to have a bunch of fun. Been at it for a year and a half now and I'm 66.

[pops1]

Eating nightshade plants can cause pain in arthritis sufferers with potatoes being the worst. I am considering eliminating the nightshade family of plants from my diet. Sweet potatoes are ok so thinking of substituting those for regular potatoes. And the garden is just now producing tomatoes, it will be hard to not eat those. Anyone with an inflammation type of disease should think of doing this. Hope this wasn't covered, I haven't read all of these posts, but I know I said something about eliminating gluten previously, that is another inflammatory substance. Good luck to all with this as it is hard to keep doing normal, fun things without pain.