Arthritic thumb.

Ken Powrie

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I know this is an old age issue but I have recently developed the above in my right thumb. [I've been a 'picker for nearly 50 years so I suppose something had to give regarding wear and tear!]. Anyroad's can I ask colleagues/fellow players their advice regarding treatment , relief and or any tips in dealing with the above condition?
Cheers!
 

Cougar

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Get a thumb brace from your local pharmacy. Ibuprofen or Meloxicam helps. The next step is a steroid injection into the joint. As a last resort: surgery. Good luck!
 

killdeer43

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Consider trying one of the little squeeze balls as an exercise routine. That might not be an accurate description but I'm sure you'll know what I'm talking about. I have several that I keep stashed here and there and use them frequently. I have a couple in my truck, one in my office, etc.

I feel that joint stiffening comes more from lack of use than abuse. Sort of like the mantra of use it or lose it.
:smile-new:

Joe
 

gilded

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Ken, do a search here on the forum under the phrase or term: arthritis thumb

Lots of threads will come up. You will learn something.

My personal arthritic thumb problems are at the bottom (base) of my thumb. I believe the condition is called Basal Thumb Arthritis. If I understand it correctly, the cartilage between the base of my long thumb bone ('first metacarpal of the thumb') and the wrist bone (trapezium) is shot, so the bones grind on each other and become inflamed, etc.

I first noticed it about 15 years ago while driving on long trips. I would sometimes position my hand and thumb between the inside of the driver's side door and the steering wheel. At some point, I noticed that if I did that for a long time, something in my hand would start hurting. I finally figured out it was my thumb! [pretty dense, huh?]

A few years later, the bottom of my thumb would hurt when I played a couple of sets of songs on a steel string guitar. I began practicing with a nylon string, student-grade, short-scale classical guitar that I bought almost by accident about 8 years ago. The scale length was 24.75" instead of the more usual 25.5" scale, so there was less tension on the strings. As well the nut width was 1.75" instead of 2", so it was easier to play the Big Chords at the nut. I do almost all my practicing for gigs on the short scale classical. It has helped a lot.

One more thing. I don't practice a lot of repetitive motion licks and if my hand starts hurting, I stop playing. Might just be for a few minutes, but I stop.

I hope this helps, best of luck.
 
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Cougar

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My personal arthritic thumb problems are at the bottom (base) of my thumb. I believe the condition is called Basal Thumb Arthritis. If I understand it correctly, the cartilage between the base of my long thumb bone ('first metacarpal of the thumb') and the wrist bone (trapezium) is shot, so the bones grind on each other and become inflamed, etc.

Same here. As you say, the cartilage is worn out. It's kind of like a repetitive motion injury, and man, you use your thumb for almost everything! It seems like you sprain it a little every time you use it. I've found a thumb brace helps you from "re-spraining" it, so it's not always so sore. The doc also suggests wearing the brace at night.

With me, it's the left thumb, so chording can be painful. I can actually play guitar with the wrist brace on. [Edit: I mean thumb brace. It's quite light and non restrictive - just a little thumb support.]
 
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Quantum Strummer

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Consider trying one of the little squeeze balls as an exercise routine. That might not be an accurate description but I'm sure you'll know what I'm talking about. I have several that I keep stashed here and there and use them frequently. I have a couple in my truck, one in my office, etc.

I feel that joint stiffening comes more from lack of use than abuse. Sort of like the mantra of use it or lose it.
:smile-new:

Yeah. I've been squeezing rubber balls with both hands daily ever since carpal tunnel release surgery in 2010. (A consequence of being a coder (at the time, now retired) whose two main hobbies/pursuits are playing musical instruments and taking & editing photos. Lotsa repetitive micro-motion.) Gently, though, just to keep things loose & limber. I also give my hands a good soak in warm water every morning, and again before playing guitar or keys. The soaks are most important at this time of year due to the colder weather. I've also found it's important to sleep with my fingers loosely curled inward rather than stretched out. Not doing this tends to result in stiffness & soreness. I'm happy to say my hands are in pretty darn good shape these days. The only pill I pop is a 325mg aspirin every morning.

-Dave-
 

jim777

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I had bad arthritis in my right thumb for about 6 years before surgery. I couldn't strum or even turn a door knob. I sold almost all my guitars and bought basses, and just anchored the thumb and played with my fingers. Once I found out surgery was an option I went for that and life has been great since. They took a little chunk of bone (maybe pencil eraser sized?) out of my right arm radius bone, cut it in half, and put a piece between each of the the three bones that were grinding on each other, then put a bolt through the whole mess. I know people shy away from surgery but i was really gung ho about it because i really Really REALLY missed playing guitar.

So, now I have a bunch of different guitars, am a really decent bass player (lol) and the only downside is I have to do pushups on my fists instead of with my hands spread out. But it was such a relief to be able to strum again, and be pain free. Having to lean over the steering wheel in my car to turn the key (with my left hand) was a real PITA and I did that for years too. I would say go to your doctor, and ask what your options are for a) not getting worse, b) getting a bit better, and c) fixing it like new and see what he says. I really only had option c or continuing to get worse so went for the surgery. Would do it again in a heartbeat.
 
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gilded

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Thanks for the input, Jim.

But guys, tell me, why is squeezing rubber balls a good idea? I would think you'd be exacerbating the problem, but if you guys do it, please tell me why!
 

gilded

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Wow. I just gained a newfound appreciation for my pain-free hands.

Pain-free hands? Neal, would you please send me a pic of yourself for the VooDoo doll I am making up for you? :)
 
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It's really expensive ranging anywhere from $2000 to $5000ish and is not 100% proven science yet but stem cell therapy is another option. I myself am considering doing it to help with arthritic hands and swollen knuckles. The way I understand it, if it's osteoarthritis (wear and tear over time) then your own stem cells can be extracted and used, and with rheumatoid arthritis you'll need an outside source of stem cells as your own cells are compromised and not viable. For the people who have success going this route it's just as life changing as surgery, but I think it's safe to say there are plenty of chop shops taking advantage of the early stages of it. You have to be careful and research who you're going with that's for sure.
 

Westerly Wood

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I know this is an old age issue but I have recently developed the above in my right thumb. [I've been a 'picker for nearly 50 years so I suppose something had to give regarding wear and tear!]. Anyroad's can I ask colleagues/fellow players their advice regarding treatment , relief and or any tips in dealing with the above condition?
Cheers!

Essential oils. I know it might sound silly, but they in fact totally work and we oft use them for long term recovery with lasting impact. For your scenario, I would buy frankincense and lemongrass. Also Deep Pain releif is a good one. Doterra is the brand to seek out, can buy them at vitacost website. also, i would suggest strumming for a while vs flatpicking or fingerpicking. holding the pick and strumming will take pressure off the thumb and even it across other digits. should help in healing.
 

Quantum Strummer

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But guys, tell me, why is squeezing rubber balls a good idea? I would think you'd be exacerbating the problem, but if you guys do it, please tell me why!

In my case micro-motion was the problem. Broader motor movement, like squeezing a rubber ball, made (and still makes) my hands feel better. Helps keep my fingers in shape (for more guitar playing!) too. Sometimes the way to deal with injury or wear & tear isn't to move less but to move differently.

-Dave-
 

Neal

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Pain-free hands? Neal, would you please send me a pic of yourself for the VooDoo doll I am making up for you? :)

Only pain-free, i might add, because of surgery on two fingers on my right hand, and one on my left. Otherwise, a whole different ballgame.

Couldn't even squeeze a sponge without intense pain before the surgeries. I am an orthopedic poster boy.
 
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Cougar

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I couldn't strum or even turn a door knob.

Yeah, the silliest little things can really hurt. Forget about getting the lid off a jar. Great to hear you had great results from surgery, Jim! That's not always the case.
 

Ron from Texas

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I know this is an old age issue but I have recently developed the above in my right thumb. [I've been a 'picker for nearly 50 years so I suppose something had to give regarding wear and tear!]. Anyroad's can I ask colleagues/fellow players their advice regarding treatment , relief and or any tips in dealing with the above condition?
Cheers!

I suggest BioFreeze for temporary help . I use it all the time for anything that hurts like my ankles or knees or hands . You can buy it locally just about anywhere or get it on Amazon triple pack . Little expensive but I use the roll on and it goes a long ways !

http://www.biofreeze.com/how-biofreeze-works
 

rampside

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Cindy keeps a basketful of essential oils on the kitchen counter and we use them regularly for the odds and ends that pop up. They work as well as anything else and we don't need a prescription.
Our naturopath has us on a good track....and his name is Joe. How could we lose? :peaceful:

Joe

Right there in the kitchen no less? Oh My! I've only seen that in the movies. :shocked:
 

Quantum Strummer

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This was NOT recommended by my doc.

If you're dealing with arthritis or other genuine inflammation then squeezing a rubber ball isn't the way to go. My root problem was a compresssed nerve in my neck, with the shoulder/arm/hand stiffness & pain just a symptom of that. Squeezing rubber balls and other exercise helped override the bogus pain signals coming from the affected nerves. Ultimately spinal surgery fixed me up.

-Dave-
 
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