And HOW do you do it? The arthritis in my hands is ridiculous now. The index finger of my right (pick) hand is so bad that the main knuckle at the fist is painful all the time and the middle knuckle locks when it gets to 90 degrees. I really can't even hold a guitar pick anymore. Do any of you deal with that, and what do you do? I have tried taking Aleve a half hour before I try to play, and rubbing capsaicin onto the middle knuckle to try and make it stop locking, but nothing really helps much. Well, Rog helps. When I need any guitar work I send him a scratch track of piano playing the guitar part my mind's ear hears and he comes really close to replicating it. Such a drag that I have all those guitars and can't play them anymore. And the new to me Line 6 modeling amp....

My Dad had that in his hands so changed his diet and it went.
I think he went onto mainly fresh fruit and vegetables also cut out wheat products.
If you do a search you should find info, here's one I found with a quick search
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/can-a-raw-food-diet-heal-arthritis-and-heart-issues-1.829510

I had arthritis in my left pinky finger from a basketball accident and I inherited bursitis in my right hip from my dad. The finger was so bad I avoided G#s on the sax and substituted the ring finger on the guitar whenever I could. The hip was so bad I couldn't walk 2 blocks without resting and I needed a 'blue ice' pack behind my hip to drive.

The finger is completely healed, and I walk 3-4 miles a day and can drive 8 hours with no pain.

Two things.

1) PEMFT (Pulsed ElectroMagnetic Field Therapy). This gets calcium deposits out of the joints. PM me if you want to learn more. I researched the best home unit with the help of someone who manufactures clinical devices.

2) The Arthritis/Bursitis diet. A doctor recommended this and it's worked for me, my wife, my neighbor and everyone else that has tried it that I know of. Results in less than a month.

The diet is restrictive, but it's better than being in constant pain. As a side effect, I lost a lot of weight.

For both arthritis and bursitis, treatment is similar:

Try the dietary approach first, and if that doesn't work, take stronger action.

Foods that may contribute to chronic inflammation are foods with a high glycemic index (foods that convert to sugar quickly), such as fruit juices, sugars, simple starches, or rice cakes, foods heavy in polyunsaturated or saturated fats, and foods high in arachidonic acid. Some specific foods to avoid are:

* Fatty cuts of red meat (high in saturated fats) lean is good
* Organ meats: liver, kidney, and so forth (very high in arachidonic acid)
* Egg yolks (very high in arachidonic acid)
* Poultry - chicken, duck, turkey (very high in arachidonic acid)
* Pasta (high glycemic index)
* Juices (high glycemic index)
* Rice, especially rice cakes (high glycemic index)
* White bread (substitute whole grain breads such as rye)
* Nightshade Plants bother many people (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, peppers, paprika)

Glycemic index charts can be found on the Internet.

Better choices are foods with a low glycemic index and foods that are heavy in monounsaturated fats. Some specific good foods are:

* Salmon and other fish
* Oatmeal
* Low glycemic fresh fruits and vegetables
* Olives and olive oil
* Peanuts and other nuts
* Whey proteins
* Lean beef is good, 100% grass fed is better

I'm not a doctor and am not qualified to give medical advice. This is what worked for me. Do your own research if interested.

I'd try the diet first, but I listed PEFMT first because it's shorter. The diet is free and IMO if you can cure yourself with diet, it's the best way.

Insights and incites by Notes

Notes, that diet is only a tiny bit restrictive in my eyes, as the bottom half makes up 65% of what I currently eat. I have a few things to eliminate from the top section and we'll be in sync. I'll miss chicken breast (always been a breast man!) but if I can have the full use of my ring finger back at some point it will be worth it. Give my body some time to purge after I make the changes and go from there. I DID find myself eating some food that wasn't as good for me as wiser choices while stores were having supply issues early in Covid World, but that has leveled off pretty well. For a while you'd place an order and they had 60% of it. So you had to go to another store and order the other 40%. And they only had 60% of THAT 40%, so the dollar level stores filled in but with cans and boxes.

This all gives me hope. This locking index finger thing is really annoying because I can't hold a pick.

Thanks to all who answered so far and gave me some sources to look into.

Like you Eddie I had RA that is mostly in my right hand. I can barely bend my little finger. Also like you around 60% of my diet is in the bottom half.

Note that there is conflicting information about arachidonic acid and RA. I was taking Omega 3-6-9 but I'm going to stop it and see what happens.

Here are a few items that may help you play again:

http://www.thepickshoppe.com/store/flatpicks/pykmax/pykmax

http://www.arrowguitarpicks.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Pykmax-Universal-...15099&psc=1

I assume most people like me who are over seventy have some health issues. I have carpal tunnel in my left wrist which has caused me to stop playing guitar for about one year. I just started back a few days ago. I no longer have any pain. I also am trying to not be so aggressive in my playing. I continued to play piano which never caused any issue.

I have some hip pain which is relieved by working out at the gym. Problem is with Covid-19 I have stayed away from the gym. I really want to go back but I am unsure if I can work out with a real respirator mask with P 100 filters on. I have Hazmat suits and mask I use at the farm to mix and spray chemicals with the tractor. I am OK to drive the tractor with an air condition cab, but working out...I'm not so sure.

At times I get fed up with the pain and take oxicodone but then about the only thing I can do is sleep or watch TV....sucks NSIADS use to work but no longer.

Steve Morse the lead guitar player for Deep Purple may not be able to finish the tour due to arthritis and Joe Satriani will take his place. Steve is 66 but has always been a really aggressive player, even with the Dixie Dregs. Steve and I met in a past life flying airplanes.

Exercise, diet, and being more mindful of how you are playing will address most issues. When that is ineffective drugs can be used but there are always unwanted side effect. Being in pain all the time is no way to live.


Best wishes to all you old people....lol


Billy

Eddie, here are a couple of things that help me:

Glucosamine & Chondroitin = 1500mg/1200mg per day - I buy mine at the local grocery store

Hand strengtheners - https://www.wayfair.com/home/pdp/mind-reader-hand-strengthener-forearm-gripper-ndkm1947.html

I hope they will help you also.

Mario, I just recently asked my doctor about glucosamine, because for years we were told as diabetic that we were not to take it, because I mean glucose is right there in the name. However, more recent research has shown that it will NOT elevate blood sugars, so I will grab a bottle and see how it goes after 30 days or so.

I have one of this type hand strengthener.



But the rubber type that act by you stretching outward would be good to have too to flex against tension in both directions.

I searched for "fountain of youth" but I only got a picture of an old guy and a link to a movie called Cocoon.....

My doctor prescribed a weekly mega dose of Vitamin D-25 and monthly B-12 injection to reduce my joint inflammation. Before the prescriptions, lab tests indicated both were on the low side of normal. Now both are about mid level and my joints are more flexible.

I hear you loud and clear my friend!

Let me know how that works for you.

I love chicken and egg yolks, but they are the things that bother me the most. I don't eat them anymore I can eat some of the nighshades with no problem, but Leilani cannot.

The low glycemic part didn't bother me because I'm a very low-carb eater anyway (<20/day). I do miss macaroni and bread but I enjoy being pain free. I don't eat Oatmeal or any bread as they push my carb limit. I'd rather use my carb ration for something healthier.

My neighbor was walking her dog and hobbling with a cane. Arthritis in her knees was her answer when I asked. I gave her the diet. In less than a month she was walking the dog without the cane and with a lively step.

A few months later she started walking with the cane again, when I asked her if the diet quit working, she said she quit the diet because she just couldn't give up gator-aid, apples, pasta and a few other high-carb foods. Oh well, to each their own.

My wife has had spectacular results with the diet, as well as a few others I shared it on-line with.

I know everybody's different, and if one diet was best for everyone, there would only need to be one diet book.

I suggest people try this strictly for a month and see if they improve. Of course if you have compromised health or are unsure, check with your doctor first. I don't think this will hurt anyone who is healthy, but I'm not a doctor so I don't know your situation nor am I qualified to give a professional opinion.

If that doesn't work, and if calcium deposits are the problem the PEMFT loosens the calcium since it is paramagnetic, and if you follow it with copious amounts of water it washes the calcium away. The devices are expensive (about $500). I bought one for my mother-in-law who had Parkinson's (it helps that too) and inherited it decades later when she died.

Notes

Bob, do you have a link to research these devices? I didn't fare well trying to find them. I have arthritis in a few fingers enough to have to sell my Mark V tenor.

I go to a pain management specialist once a month and take a number of prescription drugs. Additionally, my wife bought me several pair of Thermoskin Arthritic Gloves for Christmas a couple of years ago and they have been surprisingly helpful.

I don;t have arthritis but my hands get very sore well the left, I'm a lefty but play right.
I'm a fencer by trade and can spend all day cutting wire with pliers so very jarring.
Over the years I have found a few things to ease the pain in my hands.
I stopped playing steel string and just played nylon which sucked. I found out about "Thomastik Classic S " guitar strings they have a wire core with nylon covering and flat wound bottoms, also very low tension.
There are 2 sizes , the smaller are just wire on the top strings but very low tension.
I used these string on my neglected steel string acoustic and electric and never have looked back...
They are fairly expensive though but worth a try.
The other thing I use when my hand gets really sore is a "You Rock Guitar" It's a midi guitar with touch sensors instead of strings on the fret board and strings to strum if you want..
Unfortunately they went broke but you can still buy them on EBay from china.. Not only do they have the worse name for a guitar they look like a toy... Don't let that fool you they are a amazing bit of engineering..

It's great fun to plug into BIAB and jam along with any instrument sound you like... I keep going to Rhodes piano's..
I also started using my right hand on the MIDI guitar to do lead and unsuccessfully using my left at the same time to do base...

When I was 22 I started to develop bad arthritis in both hands, which is worrying when you're a guitarist. At the same time in my other job, I happened to be doing statistical research into medical conditions for the insurance industry - if they're going to insure your life they want to have an idea how long you're going to live! One of the things we stumbled on was that the most common link between food and arthritis was dairy products. This was based entirely on empirical data available at the time.

Being largely vegetarian, I tended to eat a lot of cheese, so for a month I gave up cheese, cream, butter and used skimmed milk in my tea. Coffee I drink black anyway. Miraculously, the arthritis disappeared completely. As a control, over the next year I went back onto dairy several times and on each occasion the problem returned. Fifty years on and I'm still pretty much arthritis free, except when I indulge in too much ice cream. OK so I didn't say I have that much will power. Anyway, it means I can still continue to do Eddie's session work!

From the NIH

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3791961/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20329696/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15887257/

And others at the National Institute of Health's PubMed site

Plus these

https://www.biomag-medical.com/rheumatoid-arthritis-ra-and-the-analgesic-effects-of-low-frequency-electromagnetic-field-pemf-on-hand-joints/

https://earthpulse.net/magnetic-therapy-for-arthritis/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0753332219320086

https://www.drpawluk.com/blog/pemfs-osteoarthritis-development/

And plenty more. They even use PEMFT on race horses because it keeps their joints healthy and lets them race extra years and still win.

From what I learned PEMFT works with Parkinson's (where I discovered it), Arthritis and a couple of other diseases. My Mother-in-law who had Parkinson's Disease went to a clinic and it helped. We talked to the owner a lot and he relayed a lot of info.

The drive was about an hour each way and it became a problem so Ernie at the clinic told us what to look for in home devices: the strongest square wave, north polarity, low frequency device I could find. He said for arthritis, put the magnet near the joint for at least a half hour, flex the joint if possible, and then drink a lot of water to flush the calcium out.

I ended up get her an EarthPulse.

Now once you buy an EarthPulse they make you an affiliate and give you about $100 reward for selling one. I have no intention of selling these devices so if anyone wants one, I can get you in on the "friends and family" plan, I make nothing and you get the commission in the form of a discount.

I think they give you a 90 day trial (they did when I bought one for Mother In Law) and if you don't like it, you deal with them, not me. I'm just passing on the offer as a favor.

The device I bought is marketed as a sleep aid, to get around FDA testing which pumps the price up, so this is about half the price of devices that aren't that strong. But a magnetic square wave at the same power and frequency is no different - Ernie at the PEMFT clinic approved my choice.

I have Version 4, still working. If I were to try this for arthritis only I'd get the Version 6 lite but with the more expensive magnet or the V6 Basic. Your discount comes to about $100.00

https://earthpulse.net/earthpulse-pemf-devices-for-sale-2/

I'd try the diet first, because it's free. I'd be strict with the diet, half-stepping does no good (doctor's recommendation to me).

Of course you could do both.

Remember, I'm no doctor (and I don't even play one on TV), I don't know your current state of health, and even if I did, I'm not qualified to give an expert medical opinion. I'm just offering lay-person advice. Do your own research or check with your doc.

Notes

Wow, Bob. Many thanks. Lots of reading to do tonight.

I just got a new mattress three days ago. A memory foam Tempur=Pedic. Kind of pricey but after sleeping on it for three nights my back and shoulder pain has been reduced by 80%. I can sleep for a longer period of time. It has been a big deal for me.

Thanks for the info. I've always wondered if those were worth the extra money.

After suffering for a number of years with a sore shoulder and hip we purchased a Therapedic mattress. They are one step down from Tempurpedic mattresses but still very expensive. Now I can sleep very long hours with no pain what so ever. I hope you will have the same experience as I did.

I found that I was able to sleep longer and more restfully after consulting a divorce lawyer and removing the main cause of my unrestful sleep....

You have a reggae song somehow going on there Eddie,

No woman no pain,
Now I can really sleep again,
Sleep so sound through the night,
Wake up so fresh and bright!

LOL...You guy's are off the chain with your divorcee, key of C, reggae stuff, enough, enough....lol

I still miss my ex-wife but my aim is getting better!?

I have a memory foam Tempurpedic competitor, I forget the brand.

It's a generic Bb variety, a reggae cover version to be sure.

I went into a mattress store, tried both, and liked the competitor better. They were both expensive but worth it. They support my weight more evenly than a conventional mattress.

Notes

Obligatory "I don't have arthritis myself" (yet at least) post, but my uncle who I'm very close with does, and he's been a guitarist and pianist his whole life.

He's told me playing in the morning helps, although ya that is not always possible. Joints will be at their most stiff in the morning, but they'll also be less inflamed, which means you'll be causing less damage by playing. Soaking your hands in hot water to relax your joints first can help a lot too allegedly.

I dunno how much of it is quackery but he swears that omega 3 fish oil is a miracle.

When my uncle started getting it really really bad, he took steroid shots though honestly that should be a last resort probably.

Using your joints isn't necessarily causing damage. You want to stay away from high-impact activities. Maybe its the same for guitar; using lighter gauge strings or down-tuning might help.

Don't push yourself too hard - you've been dealt an unfortunate hand and the last thing you need is to make it worse. My uncle perhaps wasn't so wise, against doctor's orders he played shows well into his late 60's and now he really can't play at all or even hold a pen properly. I hope your case isn't as bad as his.

Good thing there's Band-in-a-Box for when it flares up bad