My girlfriend who has played for thirty years or more, has a problem with sore thumbs - we are pretty sure this is arthritus (though she is under fifty). I was wondering if any other pianists have encountered this problem. We ar considering acupucture and perhaps other therapies. We are a little concerned that some treatments will produce numbness

What does a painist with arthritus do?

thanks


Zero

My current teacher has arthritis, and she has to be careful about the kinds of pieces she plays. She knows what sort of passages present a problem and so she generally avoids pieces with them in there. Of course, taking ibuprofen can help reduce any swelling too. I would definitely avoid pieces that cause any pain for now and go see a doctor. There may be treatments available to help. I haven't heard if acupuncture has helped at all or not.

Thanks for the response. Thumbs are pretty essential for all peices, I was wondering if there are any treatments that might help, that people have found succesful without finding that their sensitivities have been dulled?

So she has pain no matter what she plays? Please, go to a doctor and stop playing until she gets to the bottom of this! Continuing might only make it worse in the long run for her.

She has been to a doctor but doctor has said she must simly live with it. It seems too drastic to ask her to stop playing (would you?) Surely there are some that have been down this road and found some relief?
thanks
Zero

I meant that if she hadn't seen someone about it, that she should stop until she does. You didn't mention she went to a doctor already, which is why I suggested that.

OK, I really know virtually nothing about this (disclaimer ) except that both my mother and my great-aunt ended up with quite severe and debilitating arthritis in the hands. I almost felt that I was inevitably going to go the same way, but now that I'm older than my mother was when she developed it, I feel more positive. Having had the odd "twinge", I began taking glucosamine and fish oil, and maybe it's the placebo effect, but I certainly have fewer twinges when I take them. For what it's worth. Best of luck to your girlfriend.

Sore wrists are a common repetitive motion problem. MSM supplements have been the most helpful remedy I have found in 20 years.

i would recommend an exclusion diet. John Cage was on a dozen or more pain killers a day until Yoko Ono got him to go macrobiotic. All his pain then went away.

ZeroZero,

What are the exact symptoms is your friend experiencing?

When does it happen?

A little more specific information may help.

Try another doctor- it may be Carpel Tunnel Syndrome which the doctor is not correctly diagnosing. Go to a Physical Medicine specialist, not a family practice or other generalist who may not recognize the problem.

thanks for the replies folks, all I know is that it is confined to the thumbs and is diagnosed as arthritus. Like most of us she uses a pc a lot and is a trained typist. She reports that she can hear a kind of crunching in both joint's so it appears to be mechanical - wear and tear.
We are trying acupuncture. Don't know what MSM is exclusion diet is a possibility.

Zero

ZeroZero, I'm following this thread with interest. I am glad you are trying acupuncture. It works best for conditions with inflammation and pain. I have found relief (using acupuncture)for my repetitive golf injuries--shoulder, hip, lower back, golf elbow, neck, and knee. I now am experiencing various hand problems including the fingers and the heel and thumb pad.

I am doing stretching and strengthening exercises and in the process of figuring out what works best for hand conditions. Here are some stretches from the Anderson stretching book:
http://www.shelterpub.com/_fitness/_office_fitness_clinic/hwf.pdf

I agree with keyboardklutz that diet has an impact on pain and inflammation. My acupuncturist recommends drinking hot liquids with all food, keeping your digestive system like a 100 degree vegetable soup. Here is a quote from "The Tao of Healthy Eating"
"...to sum up the traditional wisdom of Chinese dietary theory, humans should mostly eat vegetables and grains with small amounts of everything else. We should mostly eat cooked and warm food which is not too sweet, not too greasy or oily, and not too damp. In addition, we should eat moderately and chew well. It is healthful to drink a teacup of warm water or a warm beverage with meals. This facilitates the formation of that 100 degree soup. But it is unhealthy to drink or eat chilled, cold, or frozen drinks and foods with meals." p.19

X-rays identified my thumb problems as degeneration and arthritis.

The relief I get it through "muscle creme" applied (I use a Melaleuka product from Idaho)faithfully, and naproxim sodium ("Aleve"), and a little "gel heating pad" that gets warmed up in the microwave. Not all of these remedies happen at once. They are each selected by the intensity of the pain or limitation.

For really painful, can't move them days, I give a thorough lightly pressing massage to my inner arms between wrist and elbow (it could even go higher to the arm pit, but restricted to the inner arm). Lotion on the skin helps the 3 fingers (middle fingers) of the rubbing hand to move easily.

When I do this massage (just yesterday in the car while waiting for someone), I found pressure points that need depressing and holding and I concentrated on finding ALL of them and reducing the level of pain where they appeared. They magically responded to "treatment" and I was myself very shortly. Relief!

If you are not finding places to pressure point with a light touch, press more firmly. They are most likely there beneath the surface. You may be amazed at what you find out.

End by massage to the entire thumb by wrapping the other thumb around it, providing warmth and gentle comfort surrounding the injured thumb.

I have used finger gloves of expansive yarn and placed both the thumb and index finger into the thumb slot to keep the thumb from moving during sleeping.

Seeing a physician for referral to a physical therapist may be a necessary step.

Feel better soon!