Can't say it... won't say it... but we all get there some sooner than others. :(

The alternative is less appealing. :)

I'll tell you if you'll tell me!

LOL! Yup! You guessed it! Next will be the Knees!

Are you using an American style shovel? Have you tried an English style spade, or better still an English style digging fork? You have a D or T handle and you don't have to grip it tightly at all. I have never used a shovel but I don't understood how you can use it without having to grip very tightly to stop it turning in your hands. The only issue with a spade or fork is possibly back ache, never hand ache.

Here is a link that might be useful: Spade and fork

The only issue with a spade or fork is possibly back ache, never hand ache.

Unless you have developed arthritis in your knuckles....in which case, gripping anything can cause pain. Heck, even holding my pencil for an extended period when drafting or using the computer for any length of time can trigger the aches.

You know you are getting old when you have a gardening chore ahead of you and you decide it's just too much trouble......or hire someone else to do it for you :-) There's a great deal to be said for limiting gardening activities primarily to containers. For anything significant in the ground I have a garden industry friend I share business with do all the heavy work.

And this winter's broken ankle is not helping out my motivation much.

I love my Radius border fork. Benjamin Button I am not.

OK gardengal48 - you're right - arthritis is clearly another kettle of fish. I was going on the info that the pain was mostly in the palms.

I would still recommend trying a fork or spade. As hostaholic says, a border fork aka 'lady's fork' would be even easier to handle.

Yes, the pain was mostly in the palms, with some in the finger joints.

I don't like D-handle shovels, I find them clunky and awkward to use. Good suggestion, though. :0)

Getting old is progressive, the best we can do is to slow the process. At my age, 83 I can still do almost all that needs doing, it just takes longer. Yesterday was a shovel day. I shoveled one yard of potting mix filling nine 32 gallon garbage cans. I also spread two 32 gallon cans of compost on my downtown garden, before today's rain. Last night I thought I might wake up stiff this morning, but feel fine. I give credit to doing daily back muscle exercises. Gardening does not make you old, it helps keep you young. Al

luckily ... i found my ten foot pole in the barn..

and with such.. refuse to poke this topic.. lol

ken

I'm fine. But, that guy in the mirror this morning sure looked wrinkled and saggy!

hey... what was i doing in harry's mirror ... lol

ken

You are NOT getting old. You're just not getting any younger. That's all.

Flora, I swear by my garden fork. I don't even own a spade anymore (borrow one if I have to) cuz that fork does just about anything in the soil I need it to do. If I was doing some serious quantity planting, I'd consider investing in a D-handle spade again but I think those days are long past :-)

As I've aged (and aged and aged!), similar pains have suddenly appeared while doing ordinary tasks that I have done many times in the past. . .when I
happened to ask my orthopedist about it, he had this somewhat comforting
explanation:

"When was the last time your gripped that particular shaped handle?
Probably four to six months ago (or longer) - so that very specific grip, with
it's very specific demands on hand muscles and ligaments, is suddenly new,
and more stressful as we age." Interesting way of looking at it; and
following that train of thought, using your hand with the pruners would
probably call into play a different set of muscles and ligaments. Actually,
almost every movement our bodies makes draws on a slightly different
array of muscles and ligaments, but we just don't distinguish between them;
my "trick" knee, for example, responds badly to only certain movements, but
not all of them

Physiology aside, I love all the suggestions for user-friendly tools above;
for example, just switching from Felco #2 pruners, the old standard I'd used for years, to Felco #7 pruners, has relieved all kinds of cramping.

And, yeah, we're ALL getting older. . .but at least we're doing it in tandem!

Carl

All this reminds me of the saying 'everyone wants to live a long time - but no one wants to get old!' :-)

I love my transplant spade from Lee Valley. It is my only spade, or anything with a short handle. When I bought it I wanted a long handle which they had in the catalog, but when I ordered it they said they stopped making it. Their stuff is guaranteed for ever and even with their strong fiberglass handle it was possible to break it, and so they were forced to discontinue it. In the ten years of using the D-handle spade I have gotten used to it, and use it a lot. Al

I'm 52, and have started that slow downhill slide, haha. Seriously I feel pretty good, but have been plagued with wrist/shoulder injuries the past few years. Every joint in my 2 arms has been injured except for the right elbow. I also broke my left foot about 15 years ago and it has gotten progressively more arthritic in recent years. So I've had to re-evaluate my activities and work more ergonomically and at a more moderate pace. Some things I do -

- Yoga 2-3x per week along with short OT/PT exercises almost daily. These are not negotiable if I want to stay very active.

- Use hand exercisers periodically while typing and mousing.

- Trained myself to sleep with wrists in a neutral position which takes a lot of strain off the carpal tunnel.

- Sometimes wrap wrists, hydrate well, stretch before, and sometimes ice after activity.

- Wear good supportive boots and usually orthotics!

Not there yet, but I'm sure I'll be using a stool, kneeling pad, ergonomic tools, etc. in a few short years.

I hope I am still gardening at 83, Calistoga. Very impressive! If there comes a day when I can't garden any more, then check me outta this place so I can go someplace new and garden! Seriously.

Sorry to hear about your broken ankle, Gardengal.

I just really don't want to have to start using arthritis cream while I still am using pimple cream....

LOL!!!! mxk3

If you still want to do these activities, then you're not getting old. you're getting old when you don't even want to do it.