Dealing with Arthritis in the Hands

11569 Views 49 Replies 27 Participants Last post by BCR, Sep 6, 2019

Flutemaker

Discussion Starter · Aug 18, 2019 (Edited)

I haven't been officially diagnosed with arthritis in my hands but my ortho dr feels pretty sure it is. I have overused my hands like a lot of us have for many yrs and I am feeling it.Im 63 and still work full time plus overtime....I just need to hang in there a little bit more.But the hands are really bothering me.It is my right hand at the thumb/grip area.Dr. says a lot of people have the same thing.I cant do no where near what I used to in the shop but am still trucking on along. All I use is Voltaren Gel on the painful area. Dont want to use celebrex ,advil,etc. because of liver and kidneys Voltaren helps some but still not good. I wonder about the future use being affected.What do some of you do that may have similar symptoms?

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JOAT

· #2 · Aug 19, 2019

Jogging In A Jug. A bunch of recipes for it on-line, each slightly different. The one I chose is 2 qts red grape juice, 2 gts apple juice, 1 cup of honey, 1 cup of apple cider vinegar. Took a week or so to start kicking in for me, but did help. Apparently won't work for everyone, but does for me. Just take a slug or two of it every day. Even if it doesn't help your arthritis, might help you be a bit more healthy.

VA said I had arthritis of the spine when I retired, but couldn't tell me what kind. So, asked them to check - said I didn't have rhumetoid or osteo arthritis. Being as there are over a hundred type, asked them to check for something else. I wound up going for check 9 times, and each time I was told I did not have rhumetoid or osteo arthritis. I gave up and haven't been to the VA since. Retired in '81.

Old_Tom

· #3 · Aug 19, 2019

Hi Mike. I am 63 also and have arthritis beginning to show itself in my hands and right knee. Wife said the hand trouble is because I was a "knuckle cracker"; you know crack the knuckles when they get stiff.
The knee was an injury when I was younger. After it healed for a while I would be walking along and it would just give way and I would be sprawled on the ground. Not a nice situation!! :surprise::no:

I take Voltaren capsules and try to keep my hands warm when they are hurting.

Reactions: 1

jj777746

· #4 · Aug 19, 2019

The trouble with all pain-killers I've found,is you can get to tolerate them & they don't seem to be as effective. About once or twice a week,try taking Epsom salts,but only a very small amount.I take just enough to cover a 10 cent piece. You will know how much you need & it wont have a laxative effect if done right.This reply will cause some people to laugh but they don't have arthritis.It's not a cure,it just lets the pain-killers keep working. James.

Reactions: 4

gmcromp

· #5 · Aug 19, 2019

I am 65 and have had both hands fixed including the ulnar nerve repair. My knuckles swell and arthritis medicine doesn't do much for me. I have heard that a shot of vinegar works for some folks. What works extremely well for me is applying essential oils to the top of my hands and knuckles. I use a blend of five different oils (deep blue, lemongrass, wintergreen, turmeric, and copaiba), it provides several hours of pain relief.
According to the Doctor I don't have RA, but he agrees that I have some form of arthritis. like it was mentioned already there are a lot of different types and not many remedies short of serious drugs. Good luck, it is a hard road getting old.

Reactions: 2

MYB506

· #6 · Aug 19, 2019

The absolute best home remedy that my wife and I use on almost a daily basis is St. John's Wort Oil. I have found it to be the best thing for any kind of pain, arthritis, inflammation and even wound healing.

The one we use has St. John's Wort flowers infused in olive oil. We go to the Mediterranean every year where it is sold in markets by the local women who make it. I have never bought a commercial brand but I'm sure a good health food store would have it.

The St. John's Wort works great on its own but for serious pain you can rub in a a few drops of DMSO on top of the St. John's Wort. DMSO on it's own is great for arthritis and other inflammation but a little on top of the St. Johns amplifies it's strength. DMSO is a carrier so it carries itself and whatever it is mixed with into the body. For this reason you want to have clean hands when using it.

DMSO was discovered by an organ transplant surgeon Dr. Stanley Jacob in 1961. He wrote a book about it and is well worth reading if you are interested in taking charge of your own health.

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roxanne562001

· #7 · Aug 19, 2019

Hi Mike
I have the same issue. I take glucosamine every day and I wear a magnetic bracelet on both wrists. I swear that the magnets help some. If I take them off I can hardly move my hands after a few days. I also take Ibuprofen when I am having a very bad day.

Reactions: 1

chessnut2

· #8 · Aug 19, 2019

roxanne562001 said:
Hi Mike
I have the same issue. I take glucosamine every day and I wear a magnetic bracelet on both wrists. I swear that the magnets help some. If I take them off I can hardly move my hands after a few days. I also take Ibuprofen when I am having a very bad day.

I'm thinking about the magnet route. My 95 year old Mom started wearing them, and she swears that she not only doesn't have as much pain, but that they relieved a lot of the shakiness she has in her hands. Now she can sign a check!

Reactions: 2

apla53

· #9 · Aug 19, 2019

Got the same complaints ... is painfull ! You cannot repairr the damage, painkillers is 1 solution ... I tried ( since 2 months ) CBD - cannabisoil - and have good result : NO PAIN anymore.
Hands still stiff when i wake up, but after a few minutes of ' exercise' I can use my hands again and WITHOUT pain !

Reactions: 1

Herb Stoops

· #10 · Aug 19, 2019

EMU oil ,https://www.threefeathersemus.com/products/extreme-cryo-gel-pain-rub

CBD oil drops 2X day

Reactions: 1

TWheels

· #11 · Aug 19, 2019

I'm 69 and have been in a wheelchair full time since Jan. 2001. In 2005 I became one of the 20% for whom Medicare approves power wheelchairs. I had developed, quoting the hand specialist I saw, "severe osteoarthritis" in both hands, especially in the base of my thumbs. The diagnosis was based in part on an ultrasound scan of my hands. Even the administering tech remarked on how my thumbs "lit up" I was told manual wheelchair users tend to develop after about 12 years or so, and my symptoms first became noticeable in about 2013. Last summer I got into phone games and my left hand (non dominant) became very painful. Physical therapy sessions with iontophoresis of something and ultrasound relieved the pain. I now take 500 mg acetaminophen daily. The pain is greatly reduced. What I have noticed is a bit of loss of strength and perhaps fine motor control. But I don't feel seriously impaired.

in 2012, when I was 62, after 6 hours in an MRI (for unrelated issues) "arthritic changes" were diagnosed in my lower back. I was prescribed a high dose of gabapentin, but I question its effectiveness. It may well be that because I have no feeling below the rib cage, except along the lumbar vertebrae, that the gabapentin makes no difference.

I have learned that spinal arthritis is almost a normal condition of aging caused by deterioration of the spinal discs.

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Tagwatts

· #12 · Aug 19, 2019

Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO)WAS DISCOVERED IN THE 19TH CENTURY. It was used long before 1961. As a kid growing up we used DMSO on horses legs daily. It has been used on athletes as long as I can remember. If you use too much, your body will reak of it. Terrible smell. You can taste it after it has been used. It is great to help swelling, strains, and sprains.

Reactions: 1

FlyingSawdust

· #13 · Aug 19, 2019

Flutemaker said:
I haven't been officially diagnosed with arthritis in my hands but my ortho dr feels pretty sure it is. I have overused my hands like a lot of us have for many yrs and I am feeling it.Im 63 and still work full time plus overtime....I just need to hang in there a little bit more.But the hands are really bothering me.It is my right hand at the thumb/grip area.Dr. says a lot of people have the same thing.I cant do no where near what I used to in the shop but am still trucking on along. All I use is Voltaren Gel on the painful area. Dont want to use celebrex ,advil,etc. because of liver and kidneys Voltaren helps some but still not good. I wonder about the future use being affected.What do some of you do that may have similar symptoms?

Try curcumin, a major ingredient of turmeric. It's an anti-inflammatory without the NSAIDs effects on the organs. You can buy it at the pharmacy, health food stores, or online. It works just as well, if not better than ibuprofen and similar drugs that damage our organs.

An ointment that is supposed to work wonders is Flexcin as it contains Cetyl Myristoleate. I saw a TV program where a research MD from a New York university was interviewed, and he was recommending it for joint issues.

Hope these suggestions help, but I sincerely recommend you research these ideas before you try them. They won't harm you, but they won't work miracles....miracles seem to have evaporated with the times, my friend.

Adios

Reactions: 2

TWheels

· #14 · Aug 19, 2019

Tagwatts1 said:
Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO)WAS DISCOVERED IN THE 19TH CENTURY. It was used long before 1961. As a kid growing up we used DMSO on horses legs daily. It has been used on athletes as long as I can remember. If you use too much, your body will reak of it. Terrible smell. You can taste it after it has been used. It is great to help swelling, strains, and sprains.

I used DMSO as a laboratory solvent for years. It rapidly penetrates plastic gloves and skin. About 60 years ago it was thought it might replace the syringe for injections (who likes shots?)(I do not mean the type found in bars

) but things like insulin do not penetrate the skin along with it. On the other hand, the effects of LSD were discovered when it was dissolved in DMSO.

When it penetrates skin within about 20 seconds a garlic-onion like flavor appears.

Reactions: 1

DaninVan

· #15 · Aug 19, 2019

jj777746 said:
The trouble with all pain-killers I've found,is you can get to tolerate them & they don't seem to be as effective. About once or twice a week,try taking Epsom salts,but only a very small amount.I take just enough to cover a 10 cent piece. You will know how much you need & it wont have a laxative effect if done right.This reply will cause some people to laugh but they don't have arthritis.It's not a cure,it just lets the pain-killers keep working. James.

It's probably the Magnesium, James. There are topical Mg. sprays available...basically lotions that absorb into the skin. Another option is MSM capsules; in that case it's supposedly the organic Sulphur compound (as opposed to the mineral form).

"However, there is evidence that MSM may help a bit with the pain and swelling of knee osteoarthritis. Also, early animal research shows some promise for decreasing joint degeneration."
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/msm-methylsulfonylmethane-uses-and-risks#1
I can say for a certainty that it helped my wife's excruciating arthritis in her jaw; hugely in fact!

Reactions: 1

thomas1389

· #16 · Aug 19, 2019

chessnut2 said:
I'm thinking about the magnet route. My 95 year old Mom started wearing them, and she swears that she not only doesn't have as much pain, but that they relieved a lot of the shakiness she has in her hands. Now she can sign a check!

Not to scare anyone or make light of the magnetic idea but just be very careful. My dad (died in 2011 at 100) was a very healthy individual but had pain at times in his wrists and tried the wrist magnets route. He went for a short walk one time and was gone for three days. We had a mob of people looking for him and finally got a call from the railway people. He was found hanging from the side of the old iron bridge that crosses the creek. Apparently the train drivers had seen him from day one but thought he was waving as they passed over the bridge. He had actually slipped over reaching for his hat he'd dropped and the magnets saved him from a disastrous fall as they held him to the girders. So you see, magnets can do a powerful lot of good but, in this instance, not in the way originally intended. We took him home for a warm dinner.

Reactions: 3

DaninVan

· #17 · Aug 19, 2019

My magnetic personality ain't helpin' at all!

Tom; a whole new meaning to 'getting railroaded'.
He probably claimed that he'd simply lost track(?).

Reactions: 2

Old_Tom

· #18 · Aug 20, 2019

DaninVan said:
My magnetic personality ain't helpin' at all!

Tom; a whole new meaning to 'getting railroaded'.
He probably claimed that he'd simply lost track(?).

Stop it :lol::lol::lol:

Reactions: 1

DaninVan

· #19 · Aug 20, 2019

Heh...
On the MSM remedy thing, I should have mentioned that if you're on blood thinners it's not recommended!

MYB506

· #20 · Aug 20, 2019

MSM, is a product that is derived from DMSO. MSM has many of the properties of DMSO, but is generally regarded as a food supplement. It has not been subject to the medical studies of DMSO and is not considered to be as effective as DMSO in treating most ailments.

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