Mandolins, Arthritis and Yours Truly

[sunburst]

I have osteoarthritis in both hands. I attribute it to years of working with my hands (especially sanding), and assume it is basically an accumulation of over-use injuries. I traded a guitar repair for and x-ray (from a chiropractor) of my left hand once when it was giving me more trouble than usual. He looked at the x-ray, said the wrist joints looked pretty good, but everything from there to the last joints of my fingers looked pretty bad. He recommended some exercises, and he recommended glucosamine chondroitin. I started to balk at the price of the stuff, but he said if I wanted to continue to work as a luthier to consider it a business expense.
I've been taking it ever since, drinking plenty of water, resting when possible, varying my routine in the shop so that I don't do the same repetitive things each day, and things are still OK. I can still do most things, but some are not as easy as they were, dexterity isn't what it used to be, but I always keep in mind part of an interview that I heard on the radio once:
Les Paul, as most people know, suffered from arthritis in his hands as he got older yet he continued to play well into old age. Also, as most people know, he played lots and lots of notes when he was younger. As he aged he said he couldn't play all of those notes so he said to himself, OK, which notes are the important notes(?) and started to play only those. As things got worse he said OK, which note is the important note(?) and he played that one.

(The point he was making was not really about playing through arthritis, but about his discovery that some musicians learn that early, in particular Charlie Christian. When he learned to narrowed it down to the important note, he said he realized Charlie Christian had that all along. I don't play music much anymore so I'm usually pretty rusty anyway, and generally I sound much better the less I play. I'm searching for that one important note!)

[Nbayrfr]

There is a prior thread about this subject in which Beanzy laid out the down sides of ingesting turmeric. One of which is that it thins your blood and if you are already on blood thinners.... Talk to your doctor. Or even if not.
I have arthritis in my left thumb. I do use a 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric with black pepper. And it does allow me to play.
I also have Dupuytren’s Contracture in my left little finger. As of 2011 they use an enzyme shot that desolves the nodules. It works for me

[Jim Imhoff]

[QUOTE=Doc Ivory;1668021]Hey Doc! My "Doc-torate" is in math LOL!!

Doctor (nod) ... Doctor (nod) ... {the traditional greeting}
One more thing, I found using a larger triangular pick with Wegen holes or something grainy is easier on the right hand. Also, especially on the mandocello, I do a lot more hand-shifting (positions) than long stretches. Might slow me down a bit, but I get a better tone, and less joint pain.
I should say my degree(s) had nothing to do with mandolin, mostly choral, theory, and research: but now I'm retired so I can do whatever my wife lets me do.

[Doc Ivory]

[QUOTE=Doc James;1668050
I should say my degree(s) had nothing to do with mandolin, mostly choral, theory, and research: but now I'm retired so I can do whatever my wife lets me do.[/QUOTE]

Retirement us a wonderful thing and I too allow myself the freedom to do anything I want until she who must be obeyed SEZ otherwise..

[hjforsh]

Turmeric has been a godsend for me since I can't use NSAIDS. I have to take it very consistently twice a day to reach a therapeutic effect. Both my ortho doc and physical therapist have approved of this. Also very helpful is a topical cream with cannabis and arnica, especially if I rub it in before I start to practice. I'm lucky to live in the Pacific Northwest where it is legal and readily available!

I've also tweaked my practice routine -- rather than going with my natural tendency to play through the pain, when something hurts I stop right away and figure it out. Usually I have had too much tension in my hand, or an awkward hand position as I'm stretching for a chord -- and often I can play that same passage without pain once I figure out what I did that caused it.