Osteoarthritis and Uke playing- your stories

Lori

Lori

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I know we have a great forum here, and figure there are a lot of you out there that have personal experience dealing with Osteoarthritis and uke playing. I am not having too much pain at the moment, but I'm more concerned with Range of Motion and a left pinky finger that doesn't bend anymore due to inflammation. Stiffness and difficulty closing my fingers into a tight fist are other signs of changes I do not like. My mother had a hand deformity that had her fingers all slanted sideways, but I think that didn't start to happen until she was much older than I am.

So, what is your story? I know Osteoarthritis is very common, and I would be interested in hearing what you have learned. It may affect which kind of doctor I might choose, since I think some kind of specialist is a good idea. I would prefer non-surgical solutions.

–Lori
 
Bump! I'm curious about this as I get older, will I still be able to play. I would assume that since it has relatively low tension and softer strings, the uke would be great for seniors, right? As compared to other instruments, right?
 
I'm a physical therapist, and I work with this issue routinely. Of course every situation is different and I'm not giving medical advice and you should talk to your doctor and blah blah blah. A lot depends on how you are playing the ukulele, strumming versus fingerpicking et al. To answer the question about generally playing when older, yes we should be fine, I usually recommend making sure you do some exercises to strengthen your finger extensors. Rubber band wrapped around your fingers which you practice spreading apart is a good way to do this. I'm also a big fan of using putty for general and strengthening.

As for the OA/ difficulty closing the fingers, are you having difficulty with any other joints or is it just your hand? Pain in your knees, pain in your big toe? Does your finger ever get stuck in a closed position? Do you, or did you have a job where you work with your hands a lot? Feel free to private message me for follow-up.
 
I am so glad to find this thread here! This winter I experienced pain in my left thumb joint for the first time. Too much shovelling? Too much knitting? Too much ukulele? I was terrified at the thought of giving up the ukulele! Stopped knitting, shoveled with a different motion and became far more aware of how I was positioning my thumb.
Biofreeze and Australian Dream were applied topically and they helped. I think this pain might be arthritic; my thumb pain increased when my ankle pain increased.

I'm pain free at the moment, but would love to hear about what others with left thumb pain have done.
 
Lori said:
I know we have a great forum here, and figure there are a lot of you out there that have personal experience dealing with Osteoarthritis and uke playing. I am not having too much pain at the moment, but I'm more concerned with Range of Motion and a left pinky finger that doesn't bend anymore due to inflammation. Stiffness and difficulty closing my fingers into a tight fist are other signs of changes I do not like. My mother had a hand deformity that had her fingers all slanted sideways, but I think that didn't start to happen until she was much older than I am.

So, what is your story? I know Osteoarthritis is very common, and I would be interested in hearing what you have learned. It may affect which kind of doctor I might choose, since I think some kind of specialist is a good idea. I would prefer non-surgical solutions.

–Lori
Click to expand...

A visit to a rheumatologist would be helpful. It sounds like your mom may have had rheumatoid arthritis, which can cause deformities and a lot of pain. A doctor like a rheumatologist can do a blood test to confirm the type of arthritis you have, for sure. It's important to know, because the treatments are different.

I also wonder if a massage therapist could help your hands. I went to one when I had carpal tunnel. It was the best thing I could do and it helped me avoid surgery. Physical therapy may be something to consider. A rheumatologist would offer good suggestions, I think.
 
Piecomics said:
I'm a physical therapist, and I work with this issue routinely. Of course every situation is different and I'm not giving medical advice and you should talk to your doctor and blah blah blah. A lot depends on how you are playing the ukulele, strumming versus fingerpicking et al. To answer the question about generally playing when older, yes we should be fine, I usually recommend making sure you do some exercises to strengthen your finger extensors. Rubber band wrapped around your fingers which you practice spreading apart is a good way to do this. I'm also a big fan of using putty for general and strengthening.

As for the OA/ difficulty closing the fingers, are you having difficulty with any other joints or is it just your hand? Pain in your knees, pain in your big toe? Does your finger ever get stuck in a closed position? Do you, or did you have a job where you work with your hands a lot? Feel free to private message me for follow-up.
Click to expand...

My feet have issues too (no sharp pains in the big toe though), but knees are good. No stuck fingers, and I used to have some shoulder issues that seem to be better now (overuse problem that now seems healed). I have worked with my hands a lot over the years. Lots of time at a computer with a Wacom stylus too. I fingerpick mostly, and the worst finger is the left hand pinky. That kind of points to overuse in the uke playing department, since I am mainly right handed for most other activities. My concern is if overuse caused the problem, how much practicing is safe to do? I have had episodes when I had a sharp pain in a finger while playing (fretting hand), and I would stop at that point. Now, I seem to be able to play in a class or a rehearsal for a couple of hours and be OK. I have a hot paraffin tank that I can dip my hand in and that seems to feel good. When I peel the wax off, I spend some time squeezing it while it hardens for a bit of exercise. I will try the rubber band exercise.
 
D3B7 said:
A visit to a rheumatologist would be helpful. It sounds like your mom may have had rheumatoid arthritis, which can cause deformities and a lot of pain. A doctor like a rheumatologist can do a blood test to confirm the type of arthritis you have, for sure. It's important to know, because the treatments are different.

I also wonder if a massage therapist could help your hands. I went to one when I had carpal tunnel. It was the best thing I could do and it helped me avoid surgery. Physical therapy may be something to consider. A rheumatologist would offer good suggestions, I think.
Click to expand...

Mom didn't have any pain with her hand condition, so I don't think she had Rheumatoid Arthritis. She was 91 when she passed, and she had a bit of knee and ankle inflammation in addition to the hand thing. But she was still walking around without a walker, so it must have been fairly minor. Her doctor said it was Osteoarthritis.

The cost of health care is through the roof, and even with a health insurance plan it gets very costly to visit a specialist. I hesitate to spend what will become hundreds and most likely thousands of dollars to get a diagnosis of Osteoarthritis, and minimal treatment advice. I can do exercises and take Advil without the heavy price tag and headache of insurance paperwork. My interest is if there are treatments that will slow down the progression of the damage. Perhaps a shot in the frozen pinky will free it up so it can bend again, but other than that, I haven't found any information that encourages me. Massage and PT sound like good ideas.
 
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Glad to find this thread! I have osteoarthritis in my hands (and other parts). My biggest problem is fretting (strumming and finger picking are still OK) - I can no longer fret my soprano and there are "difficulties with my guitar playing, too (steel strings). Physical therapy helps, along with prescribed medication, but one of the easiest pain relievers is washing dishes - I use the water as hot as I can tolerate. Apparently the heat and motion combine to do the job. And SWMBO is Very Happy about it.

Anyway, I'm sticking with my tenors, but I don't know what to do about the guitar . . .

bobinde
 
Lori said:
Mom didn't have any pain with her hand condition, so I don't think she had Rheumatoid Arthritis. She was 91 when she passed, and she had a bit of knee and ankle inflammation in addition to the hand thing. But she was still walking around without a walker, so it must have been fairly minor. Her doctor said it was Osteoarthritis.

The cost of health care is through the roof, and even with a health insurance plan it gets very costly to visit a specialist. I hesitate to spend what will become hundreds and most likely thousands of dollars to get a diagnosis of Osteoarthritis, and minimal treatment advice. I can do exercises and take Advil without the heavy price tag and headache of insurance paperwork. My interest is if there are treatments that will slow down the progression of the damage. Perhaps a shot in the frozen pinky will free it up so it can bend again, but other than that, I haven't found any information that encourages me. Massage and PT sound like good ideas.
Click to expand...

The cost for that type of blood work isn't as bad as you are assuming. Especially if you have insurance. It's not a full blood panel. But I'm like you, I have to watch expenses and I try not to rack up medical bills. From what I understand, osteoarthritis isn't indicated on a blood test. My rheumatologist could see it on my MRI, though. She did the blood work to rule out rheumatoid arthritis and Lupus. It doesn't sound like you have the other symptoms I had, on top of joint inflammation.
 
Giving this thread a weekend bump, in case people were on spring vacation and missed it. Thanks to all who have responded so far. Started trying the rubber band exercise, will try an find a specialist next week.

–Lori
 
One reason I picked up a ukulele is that I had very little movement in my left forefinger and could not grasp items. After 18 months of playing, my left hand often has as much freedom of movement as my right hand.

I found that on days I have issues, if I go through the five pages of the Bootcamp chord sheets (four times, three times, two times, one time strums for each page), then that is a great warm up for my hands and I can properly fret.
 
Hi,

If you see a physical therapist, you might want to look for these certifications: MTC (manual therapy certification) & OCS (orthopedic clinical specialist).

A massage therapist might also help, but it will be harder to find one that is qualified, kind of luck and word of mouth I think - maybe someone that does deep tissue or neuromuscular therapy.

If you can find one of the above who ALSO plays ukulele or a similar instrument, all the better...

I think if you are careful about overuse and posture, and do strengthening exercises as mentioned, as well as stretching, playing the ukulele could be good for OA, as someone mentioned. Interested to hear more about this from others' personal experiences.

Myofascial release might also help.

Eta: I know there are PTs who specialize in treating dancers or athletes. You might be able to find one that specializes in treating musicians, perhaps ask professional players or a music school.
 
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I know health care costs are going up the roof, however it might be worth it to have at least one orthopedist consult. I don't have osteoarthritis yet (I'm in my 40's), but I used to work in medical field. Instinctively, when we feel discomfort, we resort to less movement, however it's actually counterintuitive (you probably already know that). When we feel stiffness, the solution is actually to move more to keep the joints lubricated with the synovial fluid that's surrounding it. In case of stiffness, a simple therapeutic home intervention prior to playing uke might help alleviate some discomfort. This might involve wet warm compresses applied to soak your fingers. A previous OP had given another good suggestion - washing dishes in hot/warm water (be careful though if you have diabetes with hot water). Follow it up with some finger warm up exercises. Now, those are the external factors that you can do. The internal factors that are beyond your control is the inflammatory process. This is obviously when the specialist comes in to give his medical advice. All in all, I'd say keep those synovial joints moving, and keep ukeing!
 
Guitar player stitching to Uke because of carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Typo: Switching to Uke from Guitar
This is directed to the physical therapist who said; Feel free to private message me for follow-up.[/QUOTE]. Now at 62, I find there are many things I can no long do with my hands, bowling, using a manual can opener, scrubbing stuff and playing my guitars. It's the pressing down on the neck that is the most difficult. I'm using my friends very cheep Uke to see if I can make the transition from guitar to Uke but I still have to press hard to get a clear cord sound. Using the rubber band method only produces pain for me. I'm wondering if there are is a Uke with very low action and extremely light gauge strings that I can play using less gripping strength on the neck? Any suggestions?
 
I wanted to add that I had been having some issues with my left hand again, so I started paying attention to my non-ukulele way of life.

I found that carrying in heavy grocery sacks from the car was putting stress on my left forefinger as well as straining my thumb so it was hard to tripod it under the neck. I was having LindieLee's issue of not being able to press to get a clear chord. So, no more carrying in all the groceries in one trip :)

I have a memory foam mattress with a tall height compared to all other mattresses I have owned. I bought sheets with deeper pockets, but changing the bottom sheet on my bed mattress was contributing to straining my fingers. There just is less excess fabric for getting the fitted sheet around the mattress and it has to be tugged onto the corners. I use a spatula to help change the fitted sheet.

LindieLee - The Opio is the easiest of my ukes to play as it has low action and light gauge strings.
 
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actadh: Yes, the sheets are a difficult activity for me too. Grocery carrying is also a danger. I have some reusable bags that have shoulder straps, and that helps save the hands.

LindieLee: As far as easiest ukes to play, I would say a soprano size, with low action (a good music store can adjust this) and maybe some light tension strings (Southcoast ukes has some) http://www.southcoastukes.com/stringuide.htm
You might even try tuning down a half step or two if the strings don't get too floppy.
An amplified uke, so you don't have to try so hard to get volume, might be a consideration. Neck shape is also a strong factor for me, and that is just something you will have to test out for yourself. Some people say a radius fretboard is easier to play. I need to have a bit of extra room between frets, so I play a concert size. The Blackbird Clara is especially comfortable for me (and loud) and is the one I play the most. It is a bit expensive, but if it means the difference between playing, and not playing, it might be worth it. It is best if you can try these different options in person, and take your time. A strap will help as well.

–Lori
 
Count me in on this thread...I have OA in the left hand , mainly the thumb and palm but the other fingers are not working very well either. I've had OA for 30 years starting with the low back and the the right knee and now the neck and hands. I wish I could offer some treatments to help. I have taken Vioxx before it was removed from the list of meds and now take Nambumetone which is a non-steroidal med. The Vioxx was great stuff and I tolerated it well. Haven't tried injections in the hand but have had many PT sessions with infrared and electric stimulation all of which did very little. I played banjo for 30 years and the left hand is too painful for chord making so I thought the ukulele might be a better alternative. looks like the end of the line for me in playing a fretted instrument.

Phil
 
I made a lengthy reply to this thread and when I tried to add it to the conversation I received a message that it had to be reviewed by a moderator before it would be posted. That was 3-4 days ago. What's up with that?
 
[/QUOTE]I'm wondering if there are is a Uke with very low action and extremely light gauge strings that I can play using less gripping strength on the neck? Any suggestions?[/QUOTE]
an electric steel string; the action can be set very low and it requires very little pressure to get a clean sound, at least on my baritone.
 
LindieLee said:
Typo: Switching to Uke from Guitar
This is directed to the physical therapist who said; Feel free to private message me for follow-up.
Click to expand...
. Now at 62, I find there are many things I can no long do with my hands, bowling, using a manual can opener, scrubbing stuff and playing my guitars. It's the pressing down on the neck that is the most difficult. I'm using my friends very cheep Uke to see if I can make the transition from guitar to Uke but I still have to press hard to get a clear cord sound. Using the rubber band method only produces pain for me. I'm wondering if there are is a Uke with very low action and extremely light gauge strings that I can play using less gripping strength on the neck? Any suggestions?[/QUOTE]
an electric steel string; the action can be set very low and it requires very little pressure to get a clean sound, at least on my baritone.
 
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