Hand cramps and arthritis

[Rcd567]

A question to those of us who are a little older. What do you use to treat your hand cramps and arthritis in your hands. I've been using Advil but that doesn't seem to help much anymore.

When holding my tool to the project spinning on the lathe, my hands ache and I'll have to stop and shake them out and rest for a while. Doesn't really help much, but does allow me to return to my project after a short break.

When I was young and a fresh Police recruit, when someone would hit me, almost as a reflex action I would hit them back...really hard. Which usually resulted in some sort of dislocation or broken bones. Sometimes even in my hands. Anyway, I soon learned to use the impact tools that had been issued to me. However, decades later those injuries have returned to haunt me.

Any suggestions would be helpful.

 

[kenspens]

hi i am not dealing with arthritis but have some friends that were so i reccomended a product from a company i became involved with they swear by it!!
if you send me a pm i will tell you what it is and how to get it! also is the arthritus rheumatiod or not?

 

[Drstrangefart]

I know some of my friends with small bone injuries swear by lotion with advil mixed in. It's basically powdered ibuprofen mixed into the lotion at a respectable dosage. I'm waiting for the symptoms of living like my hearse was double-parked to catch up with me currently.

 

[Frank Nemke sr]

I keep a small can of WD40 in the shop. I just spray it on my hands and elbows. Then wait about 5 mins and wash my hands and go back to work. Works for me.

 

[Drstrangefart]

I keep a small can of WD40 in the shop. I just spray it on my hands and elbows. Then wait about 5 mins and wash my hands and go back to work. Works for me.

REALLY???? Mind:Blown.

 

[sumterdad]

I have tendinitis in my arms real bad and if I drive a distance or work any length over my head or twisting screw drivers my fingers go numb. I wish there was something for that. I know it is only gonna get worse with age

 

[Rcd567]

I keep a small can of WD40 in the shop. I just spray it on my hands and elbows. Then wait about 5 mins and wash my hands and go back to work. Works for me.

REALLY???? Mind:Blown.

Yeah, after they catch on fire, you quit worrying about the arthritis. Yuk, yuk, yuk...I'll be here all week.

 

[Drstrangefart]

I keep a small can of WD40 in the shop. I just spray it on my hands and elbows. Then wait about 5 mins and wash my hands and go back to work. Works for me.

REALLY???? Mind:Blown.

Yeah, after they catch on fire, you quit worrying about the arthritis. Yuk, yuk, yuk...I'll be here all week.

You probably don't wanna know exactly how I know, but WD-40 is harder to keep lit on fire than you'd think. The aerosol in the can is more flammable than the liquid.

 

[sumterdad]

I keep a small can of WD40 in the shop. I just spray it on my hands and elbows. Then wait about 5 mins and wash my hands and go back to work. Works for me.

REALLY???? Mind:Blown.

Yeah, after they catch on fire, you quit worrying about the arthritis. Yuk, yuk, yuk...I'll be here all week.

You probably don't wanna know exactly how I know, but WD-40 is harder to keep lit on fire than you'd think. The aerosol in the can is more flammable than the liquid.

You know dipping your finger in alcohol and lighting it illusion without the burns:biggrin:

 

[Drstrangefart]

I keep a small can of WD40 in the shop. I just spray it on my hands and elbows. Then wait about 5 mins and wash my hands and go back to work. Works for me.

REALLY???? Mind:Blown.

Yeah, after they catch on fire, you quit worrying about the arthritis. Yuk, yuk, yuk...I'll be here all week.

You probably don't wanna know exactly how I know, but WD-40 is harder to keep lit on fire than you'd think. The aerosol in the can is more flammable than the liquid.

You know dipping your finger in alcohol and lighting it illusion without the burns:biggrin:

We called it the French Sign-off when I was a kid. Hairspray worked, too with a much higher level of risk.

 

[jallan]

Bob, send me a PM I am also a retired Police officer and have pain and arthritis in my knees and hands. This stuff really works. After about two weeks I feel great.
Jallan

 

[TellicoTurning]

I keep a small can of WD40 in the shop. I just spray it on my hands and elbows. Then wait about 5 mins and wash my hands and go back to work. Works for me.

I don't use the WD40 for my aching hands, just as a hand cleaner after I've been in the acetone or naptha... but does work like a lotion....

I don't have a severe case of arthritis, but my left hand will cramp after a few hours at the lathe... so far, only thing I've ever used is Tylenol or the wallyworld equivalent... I do have to keep a tight fitting golf glove on the left hand to kind of pad the hand from the shavings and tools... works pretty good for me. Only time I have problems with the right hand is when I'm holding a piece of sand paper... if I find myself gripping it too tight, my and will cramp...

Driving is worse for me than the turning... about 15 minutes into any trip, my left hand goes numb and tingles... doctor said to wear a carpal tunnel brace on the left wrist, but it doesn't help much... usually just drop my hand off the top of the steering wheel to the 7 o'clock position and hold it there a while.... I cannot for the life of me drive with just my right hand... I don't feel any control of the vehicle.

 

[steeler fan1]

My wife uses some stuff called Osteo bi-flex(sp) that seems to work for her. I have no experience with it. She has also used a product called joint-lube? that worked as well. Good luck on your search.

Carl

 

[NewLondon88]

I know some of my friends with small bone injuries swear by lotion with advil mixed in. It's basically powdered ibuprofen mixed into the lotion at a respectable dosage.

If that lotion was DMSO I'll bet it would work even better

 

[Displaced Canadian]

My wife's uncle has arthritis in his hands and when he chose a pen he chose the fattest one I had because it was the easiest one to hold for long periods of time. Would larger tool handles help? My woodchuck has a handle that is twice as round as my other tools and I find it a lot more comfortable to use.

As for lighting things on fire, hairspray makes the best potato gun propellant.

 

[bitshird]

I know some of my friends with small bone injuries swear by lotion with advil mixed in. It's basically powdered ibuprofen mixed into the lotion at a respectable dosage.

If that lotion was DMSO I'll bet it would work even better

Charlie, I used to use it back in the late 70s then the took it off the market for human use, I think you can still find it at some farm and agg supply stores, but after a while your breath get really foul, like you just ate bunch raw garlic cloves,
Now I just take 30 MG of oxy codone a day and no hand problems, but they don't do much for my back, hip and leg.

 

[rskelly]

I am dealing with this problem, for those of you who thoght this was funny, hope you don't have to deal with this in your future. any way I use aspercream . last 2-3 hours. good luck

 

[Rcd567]

I am dealing with this problem, for those of you who thoght this was funny, hope you don't have to deal with this in your future. any way I use aspercream . last 2-3 hours. good luck

Is this over the counter or do I need a script?

 

[NewLondon88]

Charlie, I used to use it back in the late 70s then the took it off the market for human use, I think you can still find it at some farm and agg supply stores, but after a while your breath get really foul, like you just ate bunch raw garlic cloves,
Now I just take 30 MG of oxy codone a day and no hand problems, but they don't do much for my back, hip and leg.

Well I don't have access to oxy unless I go to the local high school. :tongue:
DMSO is still used by humans for certain conditions, but the FDA refuses
to allow any new clinical trials. (I may be a conspiracy nut, but it is widely
used in Europe, Russia, Asia etc. and it is so effective for so many
conditions that it might compete with other more expensive drugs from
the big drug companies) You can buy it as a solvent and it's cheap. But
it works for arthritis. (and yeah, the smell sucks!) and it is less toxic than
some other arthritis medications.. and it's not a steroid.

 

[Jgrden]

My uneducated guess is that you have a traumatic arthritic condition. The only method I would try, if I were (and are) in your shoes, is to keep them very warm. For a long time I purposely washed the kitchen dishes in the morning to get my hands and wrist into hot water. That helped loosen them up, relieve the pain and on I would go. Now days it is acetaminophen 500 mg rapid release capsules.

MHO

 

[Texatdurango]

I have arthritus in several joints especially the hands but my right hand is ten times worse than my left, and the pain is fairly constant, often to the point that I can't even pick up anything or even remove the lid from a jar of jam And that sucks!

Here's my routine........ I take "Flex-a-min" tablets a few times a day which seem to help with the inflammation. If the arthritus is flaring up, before heading for the shop I rub some Bengay Vanishing scent pain relieving Gel into my hands and being a gel, it absorbs right in without leaving a greasy feel AND the smell disipates very quickly. I find that this is usually sufficient.

If the pain gets really bad during the day I'll pop a couple Alieve tablets. I also have one of those hot wax baths that I can stick my hand into. The hot wax makes my hands feel brand new but sadly the fix is only temporary, an hour or so later it's back to the same ole pain!

 

[Dalecamino]

Maybe just a coincidence but, my hands hurt MUCH less since I got this metal lathe. Just sayin':wink:

 

[jhprice]

For me, it is two Aleve every morning.

John Price
www.pensnbowls.com

 

[Haynie]

A wrist injury and subsequent operation left me with arthritis in my wrist. Aside from the Advil if things get bad I put a bag of river rocks in some hot water to warm up and then stick my hand in them and move the rocks around. I have also used warmed oil with camphor. May not help but it smells good.

 

[KBs Pensnmore]

I know how you feel, I have Arthur Itis in the fingers of the left hand, but worse than that, I broke both legs just below the knees and just above the ankles in a MVA, every time there is a change in weather it aches like H*LL, and there is nothing I can take for it, according to the quacks.:frown:
Kryn

 

[markgum]

I keep a small can of WD40 in the shop. I just spray it on my hands and elbows. Then wait about 5 mins and wash my hands and go back to work. Works for me.

I have heard several people mention this before. Haven't tried it myself.

 

[sbwertz]

This requires a prescription, but it works really well. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and my Dr prescribed it. Ask your doctor for a prescription for it.

http://www.voltarengel.com/consumer/default.aspx

 

[sbwertz]

I keep a small can of WD40 in the shop. I just spray it on my hands and elbows. Then wait about 5 mins and wash my hands and go back to work. Works for me.

I have heard several people mention this before. Haven't tried it myself.

I don't know about the arthritis, but I do know that if you dab a little WD-40 on a mosquito bite it will never itch again.

 

[Leviblue]

There's a product called BioFreeze that is used to releave muscle aches and pains. It's cold when it goes on and then warms up. It doesn't leave a greasy film like the lotions and cream types. Good stuff.

 

[tomas]

I use Capsaisin HD creme. Just don't rub your eyes.

Tomas

 

[greenmtnguy]

A long time meat cutter said WD40 saved his life. He said the pain was so bad he was ready to end it. Tried WD40 and it worked. He sprayed his hands at night and wore mittens to bed to protect the sheets. It sounds crazy but if it works for you, who cares. I did a web search on using it and saw differing opinions.

 

[NewLondon88]

A long time meat cutter said WD40 saved his life. He said the pain was so bad he was ready to end it. Tried WD40 and it worked. He sprayed his hands at night and wore mittens to bed to protect the sheets. It sounds crazy but if it works for you, who cares. I did a web search on using it and saw differing opinions.

The WD40 will work for the same reason that the DMSO works..
WD40 contains DMSO as a solvent.
But the WD40 would make me nervous because it contains kerosene and
other petroleum distillates which could cause chemical pneumonitis and
skin damage.

ps .. the differing opinions are almost funny. I saw one long diatribe on how
wrong people were about whether or not it could be effective and she made up
all sorts of asinine reasons she thought people would believe it worked
and then made herself look good by shooting down each one. Nowhere did
it mention that she ever SPOKE to any arthritis sufferer who got relief by
using it, or even asked anyone why they thought it worked.