Arthritis and piano - PLEASE IGNORE

[georgey]

Hi guys.  It’s not summer yet but I’m wondering if anyone has issues with arthritis.  

I’m age 57. I developed a small Heberden’s node on my right index finger maybe as result of typing with only my index fingers for the past 30 years.  This is a sign of osteoarthritis.  My hands feel great and I have no problem playing piano.  My mother (who died at age 86 a few years ago) had these nodes and Bouchard’s nodes all over all her hand joints and there may be a genetic aspect to this disease.  Her hands were a mess.

I am doing osteoarthritis exercises for my hands (many of them are exactly the same as the away from keyboard exercises that Kawai_cs recommended).  I use a touch and press piano technique when the music allows. I am also fine tuning my diet.  My diet has been very good and follows the ideas of superfoods Rx book.  I am fine tuning by decreasing the omega 6 and increasing omega 3.  I take glucosamine and chondroitin, fish oil, Co-q10, EGCG, resveratrol and other supplements. I lead a very healthy life.  I walk 25 miles a week at 4 MPH pace and jog 3 miles a week at 7.5 MPH (three 1 mile jogs).  I blew my shoulder about 15 years ago bench pressing but I recovered with physical therapy and am now doing my old man exercises and do therapy for osteoarthritis in my spine.  I mostly walk to save me knees (edit: out of caution, my knees are fine).

I saw Ann Shein perform Rach 3 today with Harrisburg Symphony.  She must be close to 80 years old and played great.  I always thought that I would be able to play piano as much as I want until a very old age.  I practice 3 hours a day and was hoping to bump this up to 5 hours after I started taking lessons.  I plan to post some of my playing as bad as it is this summer.

[georgey]

I just found a thread on this topic dated in 2013.  This topic has already been discussed very well.  PLEASE IGNORE THIS THREAD.  Sorry!