View Full Version : What useful tools do you have for gardening with arthritis?
Just curious if any of you with arthritis (especially of the hands) have any special tools that you like working with.
I need to start looking for some. I think its probably important to have grips that don't close your fist too tight. Good gloves are helpful too.
I wish they would invent a little cheap motorized rolling stool that could go on grass, so I wouldn't have to lean over or get up and down so much.
I have several of those reacher tools for in the house, but they aren't very strong for picking up branches. Maybe I should invent one?
Any ideas for tools?
I just can't stand to use gloves. I wish I didn't, because my hands are pretty weathered, but inevitably I end up taking them off. Only when pruning do I like to use gloves.
I guess a steel toothed rake, not a leaf rake, thought that too. Handshovel and hand claw.
My right knee is so bad I can't even sit on a stool anymore. Mostly just bending over the old way. It does get tiring.
My right knee is so bad I can't even sit on a stool anymore. Mostly just bending over the old way. It does get tiring.
I just got a cortisone shot in my left knee, third time in 3 years. My mobility & range of motion is back to normal, and pain gone. Of course, I have no idea what your knee pain is from, mine is osteoarthritis. I highly recommend talking to an orthopedist about this.
Redfox, supposedly getting repeated cortisone shots isn't a good thing. It actually causes more damage. What did your orthopod say about that?
I was told I needed a knee replacement, but I don't want one.........and he's a professional knee-replacer, so I'm hesitant to totally believe him.
They did offer the synthetic rooster comb injections, which might help for a couple months. But.....I really believe my problem is a torn meniscus, which is wedged in the wrong place.....but he didn't want to deal with that, saying what I needed was a replacement.
So....I do exercises, icing but mostly I limit what I do.
We bought a souped-up golf cart so I can get around our property (I call it my gimpmobile) Its like having wings and I love it.
My hands seem to be my other bad problem. I have several crooked fingers and general pain all over them and my wrists.
This weekend I did alot of cooking and it really bothered my knees and hands. So now I need to take a couple days of rest. (Although I just came in from planting several more perennials. :) )
Is there some level of use that improves the arthritis pain? Or does all activity make it worse.
It seems like everything makes it worse. I am extremely stiff when I first get up, and it improves a bit once I get going. But with my hands and knees, the more I use them, the more they hurt. They do improve if I don't use them too much. I think all my joints have just worn out and are working in a way that makes them hurt. I'm not sure why its affected me so much (age 61). My brother is a little older and he rides a bike and hikes all the time, with no joint problems. Neither my parents nor my relatives had much arthritis either. I guess I'm just special. :)
I'm sorry about your joints. :(
I don't know if it would help, but a couple weeks ago I purchased a child's small beach or gardening shovel with the 'blade' made out of sturdy plastic. It's much larger than a trowel and I planned to use it to shovel mix into pots, etc. What surprised me when I started to move mix was how incredibly light-weight the tool was - and it's large enough to be functional, yet small enough to move and lift if seated while working.
teejet (http://www.spraysmarter.com/public/buy/category/default.aspx?ID=30)
Just curious if any of you with arthritis (especially of the hands) have any special tools that you like working with.
I need to start looking for some. I think its probably important to have grips that don't close your fist too tight. Good gloves are helpful too.
I wish they would invent a little cheap motorized rolling stool that could go on grass, so I wouldn't have to lean over or get up and down so much.
I have several of those reacher tools for in the house, but they aren't very strong for picking up branches. Maybe I should invent one?
Any ideas for tools?
This is really a tough one to answer. I guess you could try different arthritis meds. Sometimes those work for people depending on the severity of your arthritis. That has to be tough to love gardening and have arthritis. I feel for ya. See what your Dr thinks. Maybe he/she can help.
Nible- Teejet is a spray nozzle that farmers use when spraying fields with poison. It has NOTHING to do with simple living or gardening with arthritis.
I think container gardening is great for people with arthritis. I placed my grandmothers pots at various heights so she could be in less pain and I wouldn't have to worry about her falling. I know this doesn't help someone that much with arthritis of the hands.
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