The Anglo and Arthritis

[mike_s]

I’m 76 and am currently concertina-less.  I’m having issues with both hands playing stringed instruments. Not just joint pain but painful cramps too.That includes guitar, mandolin, and dobro.  I suspect I could play the ukulele some, but have had fretting hand cramping with it too.  I played Anglo for a few years but for some reason don’t anymore.  For anyone with hand issues how are they affected by concertina playing?   All answers or advice appreciated. 
 

Thanks, Mike

[gcoover]

Hi Mike,

 

Sorry to hear the fingers are having problems - but the good news is the Anglo might be the perfect instrument for you since it involves very little finger flexing, the movements are very arthritis-friendly, and they certainly don't involve any of the contorted formations or tight clasping needed to fret stringed instruments.

 

Due to osteoarthritis I can't play stringed instruments anymore (not that I ever could very well), but the Anglo presents very little problem, and I've only had to modify a few of the chord shapes.

 

Gary

[Don Taylor]

I have developing basal thumb arthritis in both hands which makes it quite painful to grip a concertina with handstraps.  I have put my concertina aside for a few weeks and the pain in the base of my thumb joints is a lot easier.  I am not sure what to do next, maybe try EC or a Striso.

 

There is an orthopaedic surgical operation for basal thumb joint arthritis which is well-established and quite succesful, but the recovery time is many months without the full use of the hand so I am still contemplating if, and when, I should have this done.

 

Getting old sucks, but the only alternative on offer is worse.

[SIMON GABRIELOW]

Have you thought about keeping your hands supple by using some kind of doh or clay work even?

Sounds a bit odd maybe, but give your hands another option for keeping them moving; a lump of clay or modelling material in the hands will help exercise the whole hand, and tendons.  Sometimes musical devices can, I feel, force the fingers and hands into very mechanical, rigid positions for extended periods, which could be relieved [ maybe] by other alternative ways.

[d.elliott]

There is a contemporaneous 'fix' that was used on air release  keys on Anglos, it involves fitting a small broad-ish lever hinged off the palm rest under the thumb platform and resting on the top of the air release button. In play the  thumb rests on the lever and is just activated by a slight flex of the thumb. The lever is made of ebony/ rosewood/ mahogany to suit the instrument. There is a depression under the lever where the button top contacts the lever lower surface. I line the depression with a scrap of bushing felt. Whilst I have a standard for the hinge plate, most of the woodwork, their angles etc. are bespoke to the instrument. By reversing the hinge plate a second lever van be fitted to the L.H. drone key. 

 

I have fitted about two dozen of these over the years, some players have had their 'fleet' of instruments all modified in this way. Of course the device can be unscrewed for removal, and all is returned to the original build standard.

[Alex West]

4 hours ago, SIMON GABRIELOW said:

keeping your hands supple

Do you have arthritis or experience of it or treatment of it?  In my experience, with similar issues to Don, any exercise either of concertina playing or other activities which mobilise the joint are painful, do not increase suppleness or mobility and can increase the deterioration of the joint.

 

Certain exercise can help with certain types and locations of arthritis, in building and strengthening muscle to support the joint, but exercise would need to be targetted towards specific muscle groups in order to help finger and thumb joints with arthritis, rather than general suppleness

 

Alex West

[CrP]

Having played guitar and mandolin for many decades, concertina for 45-odd years (some of them very odd), I've been dealing with gradually worsening osteoarthritis for at leaast the past 20-some years. Some solutions I've tried, with varying success:

1) A topical, externally applied cream called Voltarol (or Voltaren), which offers some pain relief and possibly minimizes inflammation. In the USA, one may buy only the 1% solution (1% strength diclofenac). In Europe one may get the stronger 2%, called variously Voltaren Emulgel or Voltaren Emulgelex or Voltaren Dolo, which I buy over there and bring back ino the US. It's an over-the-counter medication. Used to be quite (unreasonably, IMHO) expensive in the USA (2-3X as expensive as in Europe). Price has come way down lately, now that there's at least one generic equivalent available.

2) Install lighter-gauge strings on the fretted instruments;

3) Find yourself a massage therapist who knows how to work on hands, especially to relax the muscle tension that can contribute pressure on the finger joints, thereby aggravating the arthritis. My person uses Trager method, which brings fairly quick relief that can last for a couple of days.

4) Some people find a 'hot wax" bath brings relief -- one lets the hands soak in the heat of warm wax (paraffin wax or candle wax) for 10-15 mins. Somewhat messy.

5) Vibrating electric massager -- good for other joints besides fingers, e.g. neck, shoulders, knees, etc.

6) Consult with a rheumatologist

7) Most important of all, I think, is to keep moving the fingers.

I wish you well.

[Richard Mellish]

17 hours ago, d.elliott said:

There is a contemporaneous 'fix' that was used on air release  keys on Anglos, it involves fitting a small broad-ish lever hinged off the palm rest under the thumb platform and resting on the top of the air release button. In play the  thumb rests on the lever and is just activated by a slight flex of the thumb. The lever is made of ebony/ rosewood/ mahogany to suit the instrument. There is a depression under the lever where the button top contacts the lever lower surface. I line the depression with a scrap of bushing felt. Whilst I have a standard for the hinge plate, most of the woodwork, their angles etc. are bespoke to the instrument. By reversing the hinge plate a second lever van be fitted to the L.H. drone key. 

 

I have fitted about two dozen of these over the years, some players have had their 'fleet' of instruments all modified in this way. Of course the device can be unscrewed for removal, and all is returned to the original build standard.

Could you post a picture please?

[Anglo-Irishman]

Like @mike_s I'm 76, and play several stringed instruments. Fortunately, I have no issues with arthritis, but I do notice that, in recent years, my left hand tires more quickly than it used to. Most noticeable on the guitar, with its wide neck - the base joint of my left thumb gets sore after a few minutes. But fortunately, my main fretted instrument is the banjo, which has a slim neck. Same goes for the mandolin. I can play both of them as long as I like. The Waldzither is slightly less hard on my thumb than the guitar is, but harder than the other two, because of the widish neck and 9 steel strings. I never play the ukulele lomg enough to notice any effect!

I must say that the concertinas - Anglo and Crane Duet - cause me no discomfort at all.

 

My wife does suffer from arthritis, and she recommends doing the washing-up by hand! Moving your fingers in warm water for as long as it takes to clean the dishes seems to help.

 

Cheers,

John

[mike_s]

Thanks for all the advice and ideas.  I am now on the hunt for an Anglo.  Would ideally like one to borrow, rent or buy one with a return policy just in case I have an issue.

[Richard Mellish]

Where are you located?

[mike_s]

Oregon, USA

[mike_s]

A brief update……. I was able to obtain a used Morse Ceili from Bruce McCaskey.  It arrived today.  I was surprised I remembered as much as I did, but I played (badly) for about an hour and a half without the pain I was getting from guitar and mandolin.  So, I’m hopeful this will continue.  Time will tell…….

[Little John]

I, too, have osteoarthritis including my thumbs. I play stringed instruments as well as concertina. Funnily enough, some 15 or 20 years ago I though of changing from Crane to Anglo for the reasons mentioned by others - relatively little finger movement - and also generally lighter than other concertinas.

 

But then I came across a better solution - oily fish. I eat it two or three times a week, mostly smoked mackerel. It doesn't cure the arthritis but it almost eliminates the symptoms. Last night I spent two hours playing fretless bass with no trouble. The fish solution allowed me to drop the Anglo idea and continue with the Crane.