[blaine hoopes]

Not sure where to post this. Is there a better forum area or this an OK spot?

I'm an old geezer and spent a lot of years throwing my tenor around (ala Lester Young) while playing and lots of other abuse to my hands. My left hand thumb got so bad that I had to give up sax completely several years ago. In the past 20 years I might pick it up for a quick solo and put it back down (playing keyboards mostly) but impossible to practice or play for more than a minute or two. So I gave it up and lost all my chops from lack of use.

Recently I got creative and built a brace (right on my hand while wearing a nitrile glove - fun trying to do the work with only my right hand free). That brace has really helped the basal thumb joint --- but I still have this pain (only on tenor, not so much on alto or curved sop) where my thumb joint bends backwards and hurts in the middle of my thumb rather than the basal joint. So I made a second carbon brace that allows my thumb joint to bend forward (to press the octave key) but won't allow it to bend backwards. It looks pretty goofy (we are Borg, resistance is futile) but I think it's going to allow me to play tenor again.

Just thought I'd post pictures for your amusement and so I can receive ridicule from a worldwide audience Curious if any other old geezers like me are experiencing this thumb issue. My hand doctor says the surgery takes months before you get full use back so I've been resisting. I haven't tried the cortisone shots either - I don't know if the relief from that would last more than a week or two or if it's worth doing.

Here's how my thumb bends backwards on tenor (not quite accurate as I'm hold the camera with right hand and sax with left only):

And here is the little brace I made today (with a shaped piece of wine cork for comfort) that prevents the thumb from bending backwards NOTE: I also have a wedge shaped wine cork on my octave key so I don't have to move my thumb much to activate it. Wine corks come in handy and drinking the wine is fun too:

 

[BH9]

I have the thumb pain, but the only horn that really bothers me is my Martin tenor. Stringed instruments irritate it, and I'm working through some position changes to see if I can improve.

I haven't had cortisone injections in my thumb yet, but for my knees and shoulders they definitely helped, but only for a few days. For me, not worth the risks. But I know other people who got a lot of benefit from a series of injections, so It really varies.

Do you have a better picture of your brace?

 

[blaine hoopes]

Do you have a better picture of your brace?

Do a google search for "Push Metagrip" -- I bought a medium and it was too small so I bought a large and it is better fit for me. If you can use a medium left hand brace, I'd make you a good deal on mine that is new and only tried on a couple times to realize it was too small for my large hands.

Playing bass hurts my thumb only if I place my thumb on back of neck underneath my fingers (where you are supposed to so you pivot on the thumb to shift positions). I have to just shift without pivoting on my thumb unless I want to wince in pain. With Guitar, I let my thumb do whatever it wants (comes over top to mute E) and it's not a problem. Curved soprano and alto are not bad but Tenor is the problem.

Here is the one I fabricated:

Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18

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[mark_m]

Same for me both thumbs. I have all the same splints as well, and have had a number of injections. I would be on arthritis meds but another med I take is incompatible. I did see a certified hand therapist for a while - she ordered/adjusted/made the splints for me. Worth it if you can find one and get your insurance to pay for it. My whole life is built around my hands so it's scary to see them becoming less and less usable.

I read recently they've done animal testing on reactivating stem cells that they've found on the bones of those joints so that they grow new cartiledge. Given it's still research, might well be too late for me. I've not been wearing my splints for a good while but it's getting back to that point. Argh. Not that it helps but there's at least two of us in this boat

 

[mark_m]

p.s. I just sold my Martin Comm III bari substantially for this. Don't plan on selling my Comm III tenor but I do more of my playing now with a Super 20, I find it about 10% better in that regard.

 

[blaine hoopes]

Hey Mark,
You're in Petaluma? I used to live in Sebastopol but I'm in Alameda these days. You say you have all the same splints? Is there some commercial splint available like the little one I made to prevent my thumb bending backwards? I sort of thought I'd invented it this morning (haha - there's nothing new under the sun I guess)

 

[AddictedToSax]

Same for me both thumbs. I have all the same splints as well, and have had a number of injections. I would be on arthritis meds but another med I take is incompatible. I did see a certified hand therapist for a while - she ordered/adjusted/made the splints for me. Worth it if you can find one and get your insurance to pay for it. My whole life is built around my hands so it's scary to see them becoming less and less usable.

I read recently they've done animal testing on reactivating stem cells that they've found on the bones of those joints so that they grow new cartiledge. Given it's still research, might well be too late for me. I've not been wearing my splints for a good while but it's getting back to that point. Argh. Not that it helps but there's at least two of us in this boat

My back doc studied regenerative medicine. I was asking about my vertebrae and especially the facet joints but he told me the stem cells just don't take in the low back because of the lack of circulation. He says it's more effective in the knees. I didn't ask about fingers. I arthritis in my fingers, especially the smallest pinky joints but they aren't causing much trouble. I wish they would work more on rejuvenating the disks and facet joints of the back. I have arthritis from L5/S1 all the way up to the thoracic joints between my shoulder blades. It really sucks and puts a lot of limitations on what I can do. You have some great ideas to compensate for you and troubles, OP. I good hand therapist could make something like that for you and it would probably last a lot longer.

My wife had basal joint surgery a couple of years ago. They removed the trapezoid bone and let the scar tissue fill in the gap where the bone was. It's worked out pretty well for her. She doesn't have as much pain and her grip is better but the arthritis that was there is still there so it aches sometimes. And her hand is smaller than the one that wasn't operated on, weird but noticeable, and it's cold all the time.

 

[Keith Ridenhour]

Blaine here are a few thoughts. 1 If I want to and( I have students who can) play all over the horn and never have to use the octave key Many people do that for added grit in the tone. Thats all throat. 2. I've had tenors that felt good and ones I had to sell because they tear up my hands. So the Yamahas and selmer and yannis have much more comfortable left thumb rests than others Ive tried. (Just my experience ) 3. My back was an issue years ago and lightest tenor I ever bought was an Buescher Elkhart (I'll have to remember this better) something tenor. I sold it to the guy in Circe du solet that dances with a sax. It was a pound lighter than my Mk6. 4. I have padding under the octave key thumb key so it only goes down the bare minimum to activate the octave pip pad. I hope something works for you. I gave up tenor 5 years ago and just concentrated on alto. I can still do a texas tenor growl gig or scream if I want to . and they dont pay me anymore to carry the extra 6 lbs around my neck for 3 hours. (tenor vr alto) stay safe 111 outside today. K

 

[Keith Ridenhour]

lastly, there are compression gloves where your finger tips stick out. Those work for me if things hurt alot K

 

[mark_m]

Hey Mark,
You're in Petaluma? I used to live in Sebastopol but I'm in Alameda these days. You say you have all the same splints? Is there some commercial splint available like the little one I made to prevent my thumb bending backwards? I sort of thought I'd invented it this morning (haha - there's nothing new under the sun I guess)

I had the same problem and thought and asked my hand therapist to make me one. It all helps and as much as anything helps train you to hold your hands differently. I need to go back to them.

 

[mark_m]

I had a Buescher Truetone and a 156 tenor and both were very light.

 

[mark_m]

p.s. Blaine and Keith I hope it was cooler your way today than in Petaluma (106!) but I bet Sonoma was plenty toasty as well.

 

[blaine hoopes]

It stays a little cooler here as I'm just a few blocks from the Bay - but the air quality is so poor with all the smoke from wildfires that I have to keep the windows closed and no air conditioning so it's pretty awful - but better than doing long tones with a lungful of wildfire smoke.

 

[Keith Ridenhour]

110 Brother 110 miserable

 

[mark_m]

It stays a little cooler here as I'm just a few blocks from the Bay - but the air quality is so poor with all the smoke from wildfires that I have to keep the windows closed and no air conditioning so it's pretty awful - but better than doing long tones with a lungful of wildfire smoke.

Yeah Alameda has some of the best weather. I lived in east Oakland during grad school and it was great there too.

 

[lostcircuits]

110 Brother 110 miserable

90s here today, 20s tomorrow, everybody is digging out their tomatoes in a frenzy

That's Colorado

 

[mark_m]

110 Brother 110 miserable

Awful. We're lagging behind you at 100 degrees, air is 106 and climbing. I suppose the temp is too, not going out there to find out Stay safe all!

 

[mark_m]

90s here today, 20s tomorrow, everybody is digging out their tomatoes in a frenzy

That's Colorado

!!!!

 

[mark_m]

Apologies Blaine for turning this into a weather thread - I'll stop

 

[blaine hoopes]

I'm enjoying the weather thread much more than the damned arthritis topic - please continue