Hand care advice needed

2439 Views 15 Replies 12 Participants Last post by pastornator, May 22, 2013

Blackcat

Discussion Starter · May 20, 2013

As im getting older my hands are getting pretty bad. I try not to over use them or hurt them much. I rest them and light stretching. But they get sore and stiff and swollen. Ive already had carpal tunnel surgery. The doctors dont see anything wrong just the pain of aging they tell me. Is there anything that can be done ?

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punch

· #2 · May 20, 2013

Possibly check your diet. Some of my friends don't drink beer nowadays because it causes their gout to flare up so we keep O'douls non-alcoholic beer in the cooler. I'm not drinking so much now since I have my bulimia under control. True story...

punch

Reactions: 2

MrsInor

· #3 · May 20, 2013

I've had rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren's for years. My hands would swell depending on the humidity and temperature. My finger joints lock up especially when I hold my hand in one place for awhile. Sucks. Went through a couple years of depression off and on because of it. . Creams, hot wax treatments and copper bracelets give short relief - at times. Finally decided that I was just going to have to learn to live with it. It became more of a challenge then - learn to do what I can, when I can. So if I know I am going to be doing a task that will stress my hands, I "rest" them beforehand by soaking them in warm water or take frequent breaks from said task. And I learned to say - no, I can't do that - without feeling guilty. And to sometimes ask for help. Upping my potassium and iron intake helps a bit over the long run. Every arthritic prescription drug I had tried has either been recalled or the side effects are worse than the pain. God gave me this body - my job is to learn to live with it pain and all.

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rickkyw1720pf

· #4 · May 20, 2013

Youth is a great thing to bad it is wasted on the young.

Blackcat

Discussion Starter · #5 · May 20, 2013

MrsInor said:
I've had rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren's for years. My hands would swell depending on the humidity and temperature. My finger joints lock up especially when I hold my hand in one place for awhile. Sucks. Went through a couple years of depression off and on because of it. . Creams, hot wax treatments and copper bracelets give short relief - at times. Finally decided that I was just going to have to learn to live with it. It became more of a challenge then - learn to do what I can, when I can. So if I know I am going to be doing a task that will stress my hands, I "rest" them beforehand by soaking them in warm water or take frequent breaks from said task. And I learned to say - no, I can't do that - without feeling guilty. And to sometimes ask for help. Upping my potassium and iron intake helps a bit over the long run. Every arthritic prescription drug I had tried has either been recalled or the side effects are worse than the pain. God gave me this body - my job is to learn to live with it pain and all.

Thats interesting, sounds a lot like my situation. I use vitamins potassium and iron, rest my hands and keep them warm to alleviate the symptoms. Im 34 but my hands feel pretty useless these days. I was pretty hard on them in my earlier years. I have pretty much accted ill have to live with it but im trying to find some options for damage control and possibly improving their condition a little.

inceptor

· #6 · May 20, 2013

I don't know if this will work for the hands but I take Glucosamine daily and it keeps the knee pain away.

punch

· #7 · May 20, 2013

My mom takes joint juice and says it helps and your hands are just a mess of joints. Do try to stay active and exercise daily. Nothing strenuous or jarring, ballistic movements but keep active. Those hands are gonna have to last you. I have my good days and bad as we all do. Good luck to you and take care.

punch

Ripon

· #8 · May 20, 2013

1). I would at least look at accupuncture. My dad, at one point, literally fed us by winning bets on the golf course. Me maintained 3 country club memberships and made $300-$500 a week in good weather beating others by betting on himself to win. Arthritis hit him before he managed to get over the financial hurdles in life, and someone said accupuncture to him, and it cured whatever ailed him. We always ate well.

2). May sound silly but constant use of a rubber ball might build rough strength in the hand too help,

I feel for you. I switched to 9mms because the 45 got to be too much for me, money wise too. Stuck with 1911s though.

PrepperDogs

· #9 · May 20, 2013

Ibuprofen and glucosamine may help. Also stay away from foods high in iodine and urea.

Verteidiger

· #10 · May 20, 2013

I suggest you either get a hot tub, or soak your hands and arms for awhile in very warm water in a bathtub.

Doctor recommended remedy for musculoskeletal pain and discomfort. Works great. You'll feel much better.

Just soaking your hands one at a time in very warm water in a shallow pan will also help.

Kidzthinkimahoarder

· #11 · May 21, 2013

Yep...Glucosamine and Ibuprofen as they mentioned, and I like the idea of a stress ball. There's not much you can do for arthritic hands, much less joints, except learn to deal with it as much as it stinks. I have to deal with that in my feet, hips and shoulders due to trauma. I also was pretty rough on my body up until about 5 years ago and I figured out the hard way that I've hurt myself all those years, nowadays I have had to do things a whole new way. Which means asking for help at times, which I hate, or sitting down and just resting.

Try to take care of them the best you can...

Lucky Jim

· #12 · May 22, 2013 (Edited)

Blackcat said:
As im getting older my hands are getting pretty bad...

We call it 'Sixtyitis' over here because all sorts of maladies hit us when we reach 60 onwards.
With me it's my shoulders, i'm 65 and can't stretch to reach anything off top shelves because my arm muscles have lost their suppleness.
My left knee went a couple of years ago (cartilage trouble), I get an ache behind one of my eyes, and this past week i've had shooting pains down my left leg probably caused by my sciatic nerve playing up.
I've also had -ahem- certain dysfunction in other parts of my anatomy too, but i'll spare you the embarrassing details..
My thyroids been borderline underactive for a few years making me cold and sluggish like a cold-blooded reptile and I'm looking forward to summer when I can bask on warm rocks along the seafront.
PS- Thank gosh for the internet because it lets us research whatever we've got and we end up knowing more about it than the doctors and can keep tabs on them to make sure they're giving us the right treatment..

Leon

· #13 · May 22, 2013

I have seen my physical therapist having people pick up marbles with just the thumb and an alternating finger. I had to do this with my toes, which was really hard

MrsInor

· #14 · May 22, 2013

Leon - can we get a picture of the toe thing?

Leon

· #15 · May 22, 2013

MrsInor said:
Leon - can we get a picture of the toe thing?

No, I never took any pictures the foot was UGLY, still is pretty ugly it doesn't even look the right shape anymore. What he would have me do is sit in a chair and he'd put two towels down on the floor and then a bag or marbles. I would pick them up with my toes and move them into another pile, then move them all back. He was doing almost the same thing with elderly patients with hand problems. He'd sit them at a table and have them use just the thumb and a single finger to do it, then start on another finger when they moved them back.

pastornator

· #16 · May 22, 2013

My hands are really beat up and muscle bound from hard physical work most of my life. So far no real arthritis in the hands (feet!) but not much flexibility. No way any of my fingers are moving past center with an open hand and I can barely make a fist without a lot of tension. Very difficult to find a wedding band that fits. Currently wearing a size 14.5. Most guys rings slip through the center of that one.

On the other hand (ha!), I can do things that most guys do with vice grip tools and can bend steel stuff... When I shot comp, I worked out to build hand and arm strength. A .45 just blips in my hand when double-tapping a target. Love it when I get that manly test of handshaking. Wanna hear bones crack?

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