Hi bbszwa, I hope you get better soon! But your post makes me wonder if, more generally, we should be avoiding certain types of physical activity altogether if we want to play the guitar for the rest of our lives. It doesn't take much to damage your hands - for example I suffer from some arthritis which was worsened by playing for years as a goalkeeper in a local football team. I'm gutted because it now restricts my ability to play some barre chords. Anyway, just wondered what people think - and obviously it's difficult when you have to earn a living ......Steve