Great memories from The Searchers.....
You really are the one to add some fun to a serious thread
BTW anyone have the lyrics this old tune...I could never make them out, except the "needles and pinzer"!!!
Thanks Tony

http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/the_searchers/needles_and_pins.html


"Needles and Pins"

I saw her today, I saw her face
It was the face I loved and I knew
I had to run away and get down on my knees and pray
That they'd go away

But still they begin
Needles and pins
Because of all my pride
The tears I gotta hide

Hey, I thought I was smart, I wanted her
Didn't think I'd do, but now I see
She's worse to him than me
Let her go ahead, take his love instead
And one day she will see

Just how to say please
And get down on her knees
Yeah, that's how it begins
She'll feel those needles and pins
a-hurtin her, a-hurtin her

Why can't I stop and tell myself I'm wrong, I'm wrong, so wrong
Why can't I stand up and tell myself I'm strong

Because I saw her today, I saw her face
It was the face I loved and I knew
I had to run away and get down on my knees and pray
That they'd go away

But still they begin
Needles and pins
Because of all my pride
The tears I gotta hide
Ah, needles and pins
Needles and pins
Needles and pins

Always loved the Searchers

ye old ship mate Tony,
I'm experiencing no needles and pins,
just some annoying clicks and pops
That said, I'm searching (searchers ) for a cure.

Doc Gary,
Thanks for the helpful background and tips.
So far, the trigger thumb clicking I'm experiencing is
relatively mild and (not yet) very painful. I'm taking
your advice and going to try to lay off using it as much as a possible. Thankfully, when playing in arr. mode, and merely using my LH to trigger chords (full-fingered)
it doesn't really necessitate bending my LH upper thumb joint much, so I'm still able to play & perform on the arranger without irritating the LH thumb joint. If it were in my right thumb, it would have been another story.


I've found soaking my hand in warm water helps and even made the trigger thumb click go away, albeit temporarily. Thanks for your recommendation about adding epson salts to the water. I plan to pick up a box of that (along with a thumb stabilizer) today at my local Walgreens/CVS pharmacy. Hopefully doing all this will tide me over till I see my doc next Tuesday.

Scott... I can relate, as a couple of years ago, I had the EXACT same issue... left hand thumb, 'locking' into place and couldn't move itself out of lock without the other hand straightening it, there was some considerable pain playing. I guess mine got more severe than yours has so far. Hopefully, we can catch it before it gets worse.

I went to see a physician about it, and basically got three options. Firstly, immobilize it as much as possible with a full hand thumb stabilizer, and try anti-inflammatories off the shelf. The next step was cortisone injections in the hand. Mind you, when asked about effectiveness, my doctor didn't say he guaranteed they would work, and spoke of the next step, which would be surgery on the hand to shave away at the tendon that was getting stuck in the tunnel. It didn't sound very promising.

Being a cheap (and cautious!) SOB, I opted for Plan A... But saw no improvement over a couple of weeks, possibly it got worse.

Then I talked to a guitarist friend of mine, and he said he also had had joint and tendon problems, and had used a homeopathic remedy called Turmeric Pills (yes, the yellow spice used in much Indian and Asian cuisine). You can get these down at most health food stores, and he said the best ones were paired with a activator called Bromalain and Boswellia. He swore blind by them, so I went and got me some (probably about $25 for a week or so's supply) and started taking them. I didn't see any improvement for a few days (the inflammation had got pretty bad, being aggravated by playing 5 nights a week and some days!) but he told me to hang in there...

And what do you know, after about a month or so, the clicking stopped, the joint worked normally again, and I haven't had a recurrence (even though I stopped about a month after the problem went away) since.

I encourage you to do some internet searching for the effectiveness of turmeric, and hopefully, you can avoid the pain and expense of the doctor, and try healing it without injections and steroids, or god forbid, surgery.

It worked for me, and mine had got much worse than you are describing...

Scott, on the bad technique and ergonomics thing that kbrkr alluded to, I think there is something to it. I probably have lousy technique, I have no idea, but I remember my first teacher (I must have been six or seven) telling me to play 'wrist high' (sorta' like legs hanging over the end of a pier), in other words keep the wrists level with or higher than the hands. I probably play as often as anyone and as hard, and I've never, ever had a pain in my hands or wrists related to playing. In fact, practically everything else hurts EXCEPT my hands/wrists (arthritis). Bad knees, hip replacements, all, but the hands stay 'golden'. Hope you resolve it soon. Playing through pain is no fun.

chas

Scott,
I forgot something that goes along with Diki's comments. Back in '95 when I was still very active in brickwork, I couldn't get up a ladder with my left knee.

I was explaining to my son in a restaurant the next morning that my doctor told me we'd have to do surgery on that knee in a couple of years.

An old farmer boy in bibbed overalls leans back in is chair from the next table with a straw in his mouth and says, Boo go get some Glucosamine chondroitin and MSM, take it for 8 weeks and let me know how you are doing.

To the day 8 weeks later the pain went away and I've been climbing the ladder ever since and no knee surgery.

Scott, do not do like some friend of mind and tell me it doesn't work. When I asked them about it, they said that they took one pill every day. People don't listen. I told them that I take 3 pills every morning and 2 every night. It absolutely works and is much cheaper and less painful then knee surgery.

It doesn't work if you don't take 5 pills a day. If you try Diki's recommendation for a while and it doesn't work give the Glucosamine a try. You've got nothing to lose but a few bucks.

Ask my wife I've been taking this stuff religiously now for 15 years and I'm just a little bit crazier then when I started with the treatment.

Hi Diki, wow, your trigger thumb condition got far worse than I'm experiencing (so far), so fully sympathize what you
must have had to endure, so thanks for coming forward to share the treatment cure that worked for you.
I don't see my doctor till Tuesday but have located a local vitamin shop that carrys this 'Solaray brand' Turmeric Special formula of which includes both Bromalain and Boswellia as well.




Ingredients (per capsule):

200 mg: Turmeric (Curcuma longa) (root extract) (Guaranteed 190 mg [95%] curcumins)
325 mg: Bromelain (from pineapple stem) (Supplying 2500 GDU/ g)
50 mg: Boswellia ( Boswellia serrata) (gum extract) (Guaranteed 32.5 mg [65%] boswellic acid)

dosage: take 1 capsule 1-3x/day with meals or a glass of water.



Ok, I gather from that then that you took the Turmeric with Bromelain & Boswellia every day for an entire month before the problem went away and then continued taking it every day for another month after, so will need to plan to purchase a 2 months supply?
Also, What 'dosage strength' of Turmeric, Bromelain, and Boswellia did you take of each, and and 'how many' times a day did you take it? Thanks again for your advice.



hi Chas thanks for the support.
I really envy that you never had any hand or wrists injuries from playing, because I initially experienced tendonitis problems playing keyboard in a band in college. Luckily, til now, I've been able to dodge that bullet for 20 years.



Interestingly enough Boo, at my local vitamin store, I saw Glucosamine sitting on the shelf right next to the Turmeric. If the Turmeric formula doesn't work, I'll probably give Glucosamine a try as I honestly don't relish the idea of surgery and having to be 2-3 weeks out of gig commision post operation.

Scott the Glucosamine will do noting if you don't get the triple treatment of Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM. I use to have to buy all three separately, now it comes all together in one pill.
Flex-a-min is what I use mostly but there is another brand also that I use.

That one will not help, Boo. It's used to help joint problems - not tendon inflammation.

Gary