• Hi all and welcome to TheWoodHaven2 brought into the 21st Century, kicking and screaming! We all have Alasdair to thank for the vast bulk of the heavy lifting to get us here, no more so than me because he's taken away a huge burden of responsibility from my shoulders and brought us to this new shiny home, with all your previous content (hopefully) still intact! Please peruse and feed back. There is still plenty to do, like changing the colour scheme, adding the banner graphic, tweaking the odd setting here and there so I have added a new thread in the 'Technical Issues, Bugs and Feature Requests' forum for you to add any issues you find, any missing settings or just anything you'd like to see added/removed from the feature set that Xenforo offers. We will get to everything over the coming weeks so please be patient, but add anything at all to the thread I mention above and we promise to get to them over the next few days/weeks/months. In the meantime, please enjoy!

'Carpentry helped me recover the use of my hands' -

Be nice if it could work for me! Both thumbs are pretty done in, difficult to open jars etc.
I’m told it’s Osteoarthritis but to me it seems to be tendons, some days are better than others.
Lucky that’s the only place I have problems I suppose, but I’m determined that it won’t stop me doing things particularly woodwork.
 
2024 I had to have a 'finger fusion' operation to my first finger, left hand - middle joint. Now held together with a ss screw at something between 30°~45°... Sometimes proofs to be awkward in many things.

I hope yours gets sorted Ian 🙂
 
Cabinetman said:
Be nice if it could work for me! Both thumbs are pretty done in, difficult to open jars etc.
I’m told it’s Osteoarthritis but to me it seems to be tendons, some days are better than others.
Lucky that’s the only place I have problems I suppose, but I’m determined that it won’t stop me doing things particularly woodwork.
Click to expand...
You and me both Ian. I’ve seen the X-rays. There isn’t any space to get a needle in to inject.
 
How do you wear out thumbs Ian? Seems odd. I've been playing piano among other things all of my life and that involves a lot of finger and thumb movement. Are you sure you don't have carpal tunnel - it often goes undiagnosed.
 
AJB Temple said:
How do you wear out thumbs Ian? Seems odd. I've been playing piano among other things all of my life and that involves a lot of finger and thumb movement. Are you sure you don't have carpal tunnel - it often goes undiagnosed.
Click to expand...
It's a fair question. In my case you do it by using a computer mouse.

If you watch yourself clicking with one, you tense your thumb every time, so that the index finger doesn't move the mouse around.

In my case, intensive HTML and database work in the early days of the web (1993-5), mostly hand-coding web pages, coincided with an arthritis flare-up (it's better controlled nowadays). Both my thumbs are bent, but my left is far worse than the right one and has less movement (I'm a leftie).

The left one went about five years before the right one. Aside: there's also different damage to the pinkie and ring finger on the left, as they oppose the thumb when using a mouse. Wrap my left hand round a mouse, and the damage it did is obvious.

I hate mice and touchpads (both thumbs now point down when I'm typing, and one always catches the pad sooner or later). I think mice in particular are actually dangerous for anyone susceptible to arthritic damage.

At the tiime, I was working for a great employer, who considered this stuff: they had a physio, who had also trained as an ergonomist, on the site nursing team. She found me all sorts of interesting alternative pointing devices to try, one was experimental and (I think) borrowed from one of the local hospital physiotherapy departments.

The two standout favourites were a large trackball (Kensington Expert "mouse"!), and a Wacom graphics tablet with a stylus. Both have programmable buttons (the Wacom had a strip at the top of the pad instead). When I was made redundant I was allowed to keep them.

I still use the trackball today, on my desktop, but I replaced the Wacom tablet with a modern one when I moved to Linux (there was, initially, no driver for Wacom serial tablets).

I now have a Wacom Intuos Pro, with an A5 sized stylus area (as well as the trackball), and it's really superb. For general tasks, I reckon I'm probably about 50% faster with the stylus than anyone using a mouse. I hardly ever use the trackball, although it's handy for very precise clicking.

If anyone's interested Wacom (Japanese) has had a longstanding partnership with Samsung. Samsung's tablets use Wacom's proprietary tech, which is why their stylii don't need charging*.

I was told that Apple didn't want to pay royalties to Wacom, which is why their 'Apple Pencil' was developed separately and does have a battery (and, IMHO, is total pants in comparison to Wacom).

E.

*Recent Samsung stylii have other functions built-in too, for which they do have a battery and charge inductively. It isn't needed for actual stylus use, and I hardly ever charge the one on my Galaxy Tab tablet, as I don't need the additional features. Fun fact: really old Samsung stylii will work fine on much later tablets - I've kept mine as spares.
 
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AJB Temple said:
How do you wear out thumbs Ian? Seems odd. I've been playing piano among other things all of my life and that involves a lot of finger and thumb movement. Are you sure you don't have carpal tunnel - it often goes undiagnosed.
Click to expand...
The joint at the base of the thumb (I don't remember what it's full name is but it's short name is the CMC), is particularly prone to osteoarthritis. As we get older instability in the thumb muscles is thought to lead to the condition developing.

I wonder if there is something in playing the piano that exercises the muscles (in a good way) whereas heavier manual tasks such as woodworking or repetitive movements as Eric describes accumulate more stress, strain and injury on them? I'd guess (as with quite a lot of these things) hereditary factors also play their part.

@RogerS - that is a positive story - one of our neighbours had a stroke a few years ago and he puts getting into painting as a major contributory factor in his recovery.

Edit - it's the carpometacarpal joint
 
Left thumb started with pains and loss of use. Joint fusion mid 2004 (winter, bad time requires lots of clothes).
Move on a couple of months, more pain, so back to fusion in Feb 2005 (good time, lot less clothes). First op not successful.
Second op worked and today thumb is very mobile. Bear in mind that every time the hand is out of action for nearly 8 weeks in bandages, plaster and again plaster, also 2 pins inserted. When the first cast is on I can drive and manage my way on planes with luggage. People are very quick to help.
Right thumb arthritis in wrist joint, disfigured joint but can grip. Index finger and thumb cold not make a circle. Other fingers also not bendy.
But move on in time - With kidneys issues came a change in diet from eat anything (junk food) to now healthy. Also I eat a red pepper everyday (not the burnie ones) which has anti-flam properties. Can now make a circle with thumb and index finger and the other are also more flexible.
Can get good grip when working in workshop.
 
AJB Temple said:
How do you wear out thumbs Ian? .....
Click to expand...

My best friend's wife wore hers out on a walking stick after a hip operation that went wrong. It only took two years. My own wife (you'll note I never name her on line...she has a right to anonymity) "wore hers out" just by allowing arthritis to reduce the amount she does with it. The less she moves it, the weaker it gets....and it's a complex joint without any bone holding it in place. That means that if the soft tissue (muscles and tendons) gets weak, the joint can be pulled mildly out of it's correct alignment, which means awful pain. The more pain, the less movement. The less movement, the weaker the joint gets. The weaker the joint gets, the more pain. It's an unvirtuous circle which can lead to severe problems.

We had a visit from a hand specialist physio, who measured her grip strength at 8 somethings (Newtons, Kg, lbs.....not sure). For a giggle, we measured mine.....62. There's a good reason she can't get the lids off jars.
 
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I read an article that was talking about the long term impact on the thumbs of mobile phone users, it seems that the thumbs were intended to perform a gripping motion and not such a regular dance on a phone screen so resulting in potential later life health issues. Cannot find the original article but another one mentions cubital tunnel and carpal tunnel syndrome as a result of thumb abuse. So if you put the phone away and get involved in woodworking or some other activity it might well improve hand movement and dexterity.
 
I always used to open jars for the DC. Roles presently reversed (embarrassingly).

Thankfully, it's the nerves not behaving, and my grip is getting stronger again, slowly. But she bought a different marmalade recently, that came in a wide, shorter jar:

6AM, me up first, creeping about so as not to disturb her, I realised I was facing toast WITHOUT!

It took two lots of boiling water to get the lid off.

Phew.
 
I really don’t know how I’ve done it, certainly not a mouse problem as I’ve never used one, but I am hopeful after talking to a Doctor a few days ago I shall be using red light therapy and a Bio belt alternatively plus some different pills and rubbing oil. Obviously I shall tell you re any success.
 
Eric the Viking said:
I always used to open jars for the DC. Roles presently reversed (embarrassingly).

Thankfully, it's the nerves not behaving, and my grip is getting stronger again, slowly. But she bought a different marmalade recently, that came in a wide, shorter jar:

6AM, me up first, creeping about so as not to disturb her, I realised I was facing toast WITHOUT!

It took two lots of boiling water to get the lid off.

Phew.
Click to expand...
have you not got an oil filter wrench, comme ça,
 
Eric the Viking said:
I always used to open jars for the DC. Roles presently reversed (embarrassingly).

Thankfully, it's the nerves not behaving, and my grip is getting stronger again, slowly. But she bought a different marmalade recently, that came in a wide, shorter jar:

6AM, me up first, creeping about so as not to disturb her, I realised I was facing toast WITHOUT!

It took two lots of boiling water to get the lid off.

Phew.
Click to expand...
You may already be aware of this - and trued/used it in the past? Tapping around the edge of the lid rim 'can/may' loosen the vacuum and make it easier for removal.

I've had operations to both of my thumbs due to accidents in the workplace. Not nice to have to undergo... Trapeziectomy ops - long recovery time.
 
AndyP said:
have you not got an oil filter wrench, comme ça,
Click to expand...
A couple (chain wrenches) In the garage, outside, but that was me in jammies at 6AM... and not allowed to ferret about presently.
I also did have the type you linked-to, but I either threw it out or repurposed part of it (or it's in a toolbox I can't presently get at). I suspect it wouldn't open far enough in this case, either)

I was in deep do-dos, trust me!
 
Eric the Viking said:
I always used to open jars for the DC. Roles presently reversed (embarrassingly).

Thankfully, it's the nerves not behaving, and my grip is getting stronger again, slowly. But she bought a different marmalade recently, that came in a wide, shorter jar:

6AM, me up first, creeping about so as not to disturb her, I realised I was facing toast WITHOUT!

It took two lots of boiling water to get the lid off.

Phew.
Click to expand...
I find the Fein Mulitimaster a bit quicker 😂
 
I have a wee bit of arthritis in the index finger of my right hand, went to the doc about it and was seen by a 'learner' doc who had to consult Google to find out more about it. She, after some deliberation, said it was rheumatoid arthritis and wanted me to go for a series of tests etc at the hospital. She then trotted off somewhere and came back with a proper doctor to have a look, who after about 20 seconds said it was a mild touch of the osteo variety. Ever so slightly relieved - Rob
 
EtV? Put "Jam jar lid opener" in as a search string; you'll get a link to.a variety of efficient helpers. My nonagenarian MiL used one as her hands were all shapes with distorted knuckles. They work. Enjoy your toast.
S.
 
Seems to be a trend on here - I have similar in both thumbs- one slightly worse than the other other, have had steroid injections which were painful to have but did work for c. 3 months. Apparently the future options are a fused joint or even a replacement joint (like a mini hip replacement!) I am lucky to be married to a top hand consultant, so have pretty good personal care, but the simple reality is that they are generally ignorable for now, so will do something when it becomes more critical…
 
Mike G said:
..................My own wife (you'll note I never name her on line...she has a right to anonymity) "wore hers out" just by allowing arthritis to reduce the amount she does with it. The less she moves it, the weaker it gets....and it's a complex joint without any bone holding it in place. That means that if the soft tissue (muscles and tendons) gets weak, the joint can be pulled mildly out of it's correct alignment, which means awful pain. The more pain, the less movement. The less movement, the weaker the joint gets. The weaker the joint gets, the more pain. It's an unvirtuous circle which can lead to severe problems..................
Click to expand...

My wife has exactly the same problem and puts it down to all those years as a nurse, back issues as well from the days when they did a lot of lifting patients. Her hand is almost useless now, can't carry anything or even hold the dog lead.
My thumb issues are just stupid abuse over the years. I really shouldn't have used my hand as a hammer when one wasn't in easy reach. :rolleyes:
Other issues you just have to accept as normal wear and tear. Knees, elbows, ankles, shoulders, elbows etc can't go on forever.

On reliable advice we bought a gizmo to treat the shoulder issues our dog suffers from and we advised that the same machine can be used on humans. My wife uses it on her hand twice a day and swears it makes a distinct difference both in pain relief and better movement.

The appliance can be bought in several versions but they're the same apart from timer. i.e. ours is 30 seconds for the dog and doubled for my wife so you just click a second time. It's just a red light, no heat or vibration but was expensive at £300.

PHOTIZO

Photizo United Kingdom – Bringing healing into every home

www.photizo.net www.photizo.net
 
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For those with arthritis or other hand trouble, can I ask at what age you first started noticing problems? I’m still on the underside of 60 without hand trouble. Had you already seen issues before 60?
 
Spectric said:
I read an article that was talking about the long term impact on the thumbs of mobile phone users, it seems that the thumbs were intended to perform a gripping motion and not such a regular dance on a phone screen so resulting in potential later life health issues. Cannot find the original article but another one mentions cubital tunnel and carpal tunnel syndrome as a result of thumb abuse. So if you put the phone away and get involved in woodworking or some other activity it might well improve hand movement and dexterity.
Click to expand...

I'm safe then. I couldn't use my thumbs on the phone to save my life. Two finger typist, always was, always will be. :ROFLMAO:
 
Windows said:
For those with arthritis or other hand trouble, can I ask at what age you first started noticing problems? I’m still on the underside of 60 without hand trouble. Had you already seen issues before 60?
Click to expand...
Late 60s for both my wife and myself.
 
Mid to late 50's maybe? But initially due to a couple of accident injuries in my workplace I was employed at which, over time, leading to the two trapeziectomy operations. I'll be 75 next month.
 
Lons said:
I'm safe then. I couldn't use my thumbs on the phone to save my life. Two finger typist, always was, always will be. :ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
We employ a young woman as my chef's assistant. She can type on her phone faster with two thumbs, and with zero errors, faster than I can touch type with ten digits. It's amazing. She's 19. (only uses the phone in breaks - never had to say a word to her about phone use. Always washes her hands after touching her phone. Fantastic work ethic).

I can't use thumbs on an iPhone at all really, even though I am ambidextrous.
 
Windows said:
For those with arthritis or other hand trouble, can I ask at what age you first started noticing problems? I’m still on the underside of 60 without hand trouble. Had you already seen issues before 60?
Click to expand...
Yes definitely started pre60, mid 50’s? You’re doing well by the looks of the rest of us, and there was me thinking I was an outlier.
Mid50’s it was just an annoyance really but it’s definitely getting gradually worse.
Relief from the problems needs regular attention which I’m not good at doing, but my wife has declared that this is now a priority.
Things that help in no particular order, red light therapy and infra red light which I think is slightly better, Essential oils, supplements ( British supplements is a good co to use) and definitely not least lots of home made thick bone broth to replace lost collagen.
It’s a bit of mind shift to embrace naturopathic medicine but the alternative from the Doc didn’t help.
Taking broth and nutrients has definitely helped me, so why not?
Ian
 
Windows said:
For those with arthritis or other hand trouble, can I ask at what age you first started noticing problems? I’m still on the underside of 60 without hand trouble. Had you already seen issues before 60?
Click to expand...
I am 54 - early 50s
 
Thanks for sharing. Sounds like I shouldn’t completely relax hand-wise, but I’ll probably just look forward to further knee problems, rather than expecting trouble in my hands. I’ve done a lot of typing in my life without trouble, but otherwise the worst stresses I’ve put my hands through were boxing training which was pretty casual but I did a fair amount of speed bag (always wrapped). That only lasted a year or two, so hopefully I’ve got away with it.
 
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