Riding with arthritis

[Deer Slayer]

I have hand pain at 72 years. Life long mechanics using my hands to force things in place. Duh! Now. Look it up on the net . Drunken Raisins. I take about ten or so every morning.

[spyderjo333]

Deer Slayer, not sure I can take that with my prescriptions.

[TuckMiddle]

Well, I had to go to three wheels due to my right hip with "spastic" arthritis. Out of nowhere the darn thing will go balistic and my handy dandy right hand brake I paid $1400 for years ago from the great guys in Montgomery, saves the day!! Normally, i just have arthritis that hurts "everywhere" and use what ever my fellow rider and Pain Dr says is the best thing going that month. But at 78, life is good, just bend over a little to walk, use Voltaren gel in the big tube and press on. The hand brake is superb, but it took months of right hand exercises and thpusands of brake applications before i became reqally comfortable with it - it has a very long throw and they finally produced an adjustable lever that helps a lot. I had heated and bent some levers, probably not a good idea, but ya do what ya have to do sometimes! I ride with a bunch of HD guys still and seldom have a problen keeping up. I still ride my Helix locally and it is still superb, 3rd one I've had. Neck is a problem, but electric jacket liner does pretty well in cold wx, use a hoodie sometimes and most always a neck and head thingy, have 5 or 6 of varying weight. My back has been a problem, with 2 big ops and 2 small. The answer is a back rest with a recessed part in the middle so the "bump" where the welded stuff in my back ends and the top "original" vertebrae begin fits right in the recess. Ride all day and then have a problem with the chairs in restaurants all the time. Use heated everything when temp is low enough. I love the colder wx days here in the South, Mr Gerbing has done a heck of a service to our hobby with great stuff, as have several others. I do not wear the electric socks. only have one toe that curls up, but with ankle problems, I'll bet they would help.
Time to finish more Turbo Tax. Todays hint: "DON'T LOSE ANY 1099'S FROM THE MILITARY or SOCIAL SECURITY.
Tuck from N. GA with 2011 RTSM5 with 62,000. Runs better than ever, but I'm too sleepy to get into that

[View from behind]

I now think I have peripheral neuropathy. I have swelling in my toes and still have pain in my fingertips. We've changed doctors because ours moved
to another city. I will have questions for my new doctor later this month. I'm still on naporsyn and probably will be for life. I am going out walking every day
which seems to help my feet a little. I'm starting to watch what I eat more so I hope that helps too. I'll let all of you know how it goes.

Good luck with your new doctor, maybe he or she will have some new thoughts on what might help you enjoy your riding more.

[ingramwc]

Spyderjo333, one of my Doctors prescribed MetaNX for my peripheral neuropathy, I had it in my feet, legs and hands. It is a vitamin compound specifically for healing the nerves in the extremities affected by neuropathy, it is only available by Rx. I have been taking it for several years and the pain and swelling are just about non existent. I will occasionally still get an electric shock feeling in a foot or leg, but this is not an everyday all the time issue. The feeling is mostly back in my hands and off and on in my feet. Oh, it will take maybe a month for the medicine to start showing results, could be sooner though.
Good luck.

[spyderjo333]

Update on me. I saw my new doctor who prescribed Gabapentin for my PAD. I have had about 40-50% improvement in my feet. Sadly, my hands are the same.

[TuckMiddle]

I have hand pain at 72 years. Life long mechanics using my hands to force things in place. Duh! Now. Look it up on the net . Drunken Raisins. I take about ten or so every morning.

Tried the raisins in whatever they were marinated, no joy here. Arthritis wvweywhere, 2 big back ops. Ibuprofen, Voltaren Gel for the back, hips and neck and knees, shots once a month and ride like nothin hurts. Works pretty well for 250 0r 300 a day. My Utopia back rest has a dished out pad and my "universal joint" in the middle of the back fits in the indentation perfectly - it is a good 1/2 inch bump where the metal on the bottom meets the bone in the top of the back. Can't walf a lot or jog like I did for 40 years, but it works. Did the Rock City walking tour last Sat and it hurt, but nothin too bad. Experiment and see what works. I love to ride in the N. GA cool wx due to Mr Gerbing's jacket liner keeping the back warm and hurts a lot less than in summer. Yea, figure that one out. The heated grips keep the hands from hurting. A pair of those fishing gloves many like keeps my hand from cramping up in heavy rain, regardless of the temp, wind chill brings that on quickly.
i ride some with my pain DR, so far no shots enroute anywhere. He does understand the occasional unannounced stop for stretching and cursing. Have the hand brake kit due to right hip going ape now and then. Other than that minor stuff, almost everything is perfect. Big 80 looms as my next target, Lord willing. Don't forget to VOTE.

Tuck

[TicketBait]

I am in my 50s and have arthritis. I have carpal tunnel and I've had 3 surgeries. So far, this hasn't been an issue with my hands because they
are held straight when I ride as a passenger. I don't drive the bike. I have noticed achy knees and had my husband move the foot rests. It has helped some.
I have arthritis in my toes and doubt that much can be done to the bike or me to change that. My question is how do you deal with it if you have those or other
issues? Thanks. We will be doing an overnight trip soon so I will be on the bike for several hours.

I use to play a racquet sport for 6-8 hours a day. I kept making the grips larger so I would not have to squeeze as hard with my hands. Went to see the doctor and he said change sports.

That was when I was 35yrs old, No problem after giving up sport.

Then I became addicted to computer games and got carpel tunnel before that was a known ailment. Stopped playing games

Then I started playing a lot of xbox with the controller causing me arthritis in the hands again after hours of playing. The next morning when I would wake up, it was like my hands were painful to open up. I gave up playing

Then I watched a movie called "May I be Frank" 5 years ago, and it changed my life. Without going into all the details, I became vegetarian out of choice in eating healthier. I also drank 2 oz of wheat grass every morning. Then about 4 years ago I started playing Xbox and Xbox1 Call of duty games, I was addicted and afraid that the pain would come back, and guess what. It did not, checked with my doctor and he said that the red meat has acidic acid that worsens arthritis, So now I can play 1-2 hours a day without any problem. Hope this info helps, but for some they won't want to give up meat. For myself I don't miss it ,but still love the smell of barbecues.

[Buckeye Bleau]

Arthritis, carpal tunnel, AND diabetic neuropathy here...
Take some pills, and grit your way through it!
Don't EVER give up!

Bob, you never fail to amaze me with your imagination or entertain me with the same. You must drive your wife crazy.

Joe

[Butterbutz]

Hi everyone,
I am a brand new rider with scoliosis and arthritis. I have been on opiates for some years. We bought the RTL touring bike because my husband wanted me to be as comfortable as possible. ( I am a passenger) . So far,I have found the bike to be very comfortable! Surprisingly comfortable! We also have floorboards instead of pegs. I don't think I could stand to ride if I just had pegs. Have not been on a long trip yet but am excited to plan one. Just checking in here! Happy Trails!