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 wink

Last edited by Deryk - PG Music; 08/25/20 03:09 AM.
Cheers,
Deryk