# What is up with Keith Richards' hands?



## mhammer

Take a good look at Keef's hands in this recent video interview. His fret hand index finger looks especially arthritic.


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## Guest

Time to take up the slide maybe.


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## gtrguy

Yeah, that first knuckle on the index finger is massive... a life of abuse and age taking it's toll. On the upside, probably pretty manageable with open tunings and mostly using it to barre chord. Keith's playing was never really about the guitar chops anyways.


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## Doug B

Nothing to do with 'a lifetime of abuse-those growths are from arthritis. I have the same thing on my right index finger and I've never touched drugs and seldom even drink.


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## Wardo

He might have mentioned in his book that he injured one of them and deformed it but the others are messed up too and looks like O/A.


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## gtrguy

Doug B said:


> Nothing to do with 'a lifetime of abuse-those growths are from arthritis. I have the same thing on my right index finger and I've never touched drugs and seldom even drink.


No question about the arthritis... A life of fistfights and abusing his body (physically and chemically) can't have helped is all I'm saying.


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## butterknucket

His fingers have looked like that for years.


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## greco

Doug B said:


> Nothing to do with 'a lifetime of abuse-those growths are from arthritis. I have the same thing on my right index finger ...


I agree with @Doug B and have seen these clinically many times. 
More info...
Heberden's node - Wikipedia


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## SaucyJack

As per the internet search machine. Seems very likely.

"Rheumatoid *Arthritis* causes a lot of pain and deformity. ...*Keith Richards* lead guitarist and songwriter for the Rolling Stones, has a form of *osteoarthritis* – also known as degenerative *arthritis* that is very common."


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## Chito

That was starting to happen to the fingers in my right hand. I actually have bumps on the first knuckle of my forefinger. But it has stopped getting worse since I started taking turmeric w/ pepper daily. I initially didn't really think there was anything to it but being that I take a glass of smoothie every morning,I thought why not, no sweat on my part. About a month later, my hands have stopped hurting. There was a point last year that I considered quitting guitar playing as the pain in my hands where beginning to become unbearable. But that has been gone too. It's not as stiff as it was before. When I told my physiotherapist about it, he said it does actually work. Since I started, I know of at least 3 people who swear by it.

And yes it's got nothing to do with drugs, alcohol, etc... My brother who never did drugs or alcohol all his life, has exactly the same issues that Keith has. My brother is 59. Considering Keith is in his 70s, its not unusual he has those issues with his hands.


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## Doug B

gtrguy said:


> No question about the arthritis... A life of fistfights and abusing his body (physically and chemically) can't have helped is all I'm saying.


Keith doesn't use his fists:






Tele's work just fine!


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## mhammer

When I was working, I would occasionally get swollen joints in my "mousing finger". My cure was to bind up my right index finger with a wad of masking tape and render it largely immobile, forcing me to do my mouse clicking with my middle finger for a couple of days. That would usually give the index finger enough of a rest to simmer back down. But clearly, Keith's hands are not going to be subject to that sort of remedy.


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## jb welder

mhammer said:


> clearly, Keith's hands are not going to be subject to that sort of remedy.


Perhaps they were. Maybe his fingers would have been a lot worse if he'd always used standard tuning.


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## greco

Chito said:


> I started taking turmeric w/ pepper daily.


Is that ground black pepper or cayenne or ground chili peppers ...or what kind of "pepper"? Curious. Several types of pepper for this application are mentioned online


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## bolero

I have heard good things about drinking tumeric & black pepper, making a tea out of them with some honey


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## Chito

@greco I should've been more specific, Black pepper.


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## Chitmo

Doug B said:


> I've never touched drugs and seldom even drink.


I don’t trust you now


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## polyslax

Chito said:


> That was starting to happen to the fingers in my right hand. I actually have bumps on the first knuckle of my forefinger. But it has stopped getting worse since I started taking turmeric w/ pepper daily. I initially didn't really think there was anything to it but being that I take a glass of smoothie every morning,I thought why not, no sweat on my part. About a month later, my hands have stopped hurting. There was a point last year that I considered quitting guitar playing as the pain in my hands where beginning to become unbearable. But that has been gone too. It's not as stiff as it was before. When I told my physiotherapist about it, he said it does actually work. Since I started, I know of at least 3 people who swear by it.
> 
> And yes it's got nothing to do with drugs, alcohol, etc... My brother who never did drugs or alcohol all his life, has exactly the same issues that Keith has. My brother is 59. Considering Keith is in his 70s, its not unusual he has those issues with his hands.


Would you mind sharing your recipe / preparation info?


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## Chito

polyslax said:


> Would you mind sharing your recipe / preparation info?


Not much of a recipe, a quarter teaspoon of turmeric and a dash of black pepper, maybe a little more. I just add it to my smoothie every morning.


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## Swervin55




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## JBFairthorne

....and he probably has the best healthcare available.


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## zontar

I know people with arthritis, and their hands look very similar--although the amount of twistednes, etc may look better some days & worse others.


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## MarkM

Swervin55 said:


> View attachment 342401


His hands are an inspiration to me, his hands are way worse than mine and he keeps going! I actually find that regular practice helps my hands.


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## Swervin55

MarkM said:


> His hands are an inspiration to me, his hands are way worse than mine and he keeps going! I actually find that regular practice helps my hands.


Yes, same here.


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## Uselesss111

Hard to know from a picture, first noticed this years ago in one of the documentaries and thought it was classic clubbing of his fingers ->Clubbing of the fingers or toes Information | Mount Sinai - New York
But seeing how long he’s had this, it is probably arthritis


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## medchick25

Swervin55 said:


> View attachment 342401


Sorry to revive an old thread but he was used as an example in my pathophysiology class this week. This is classic osteoarthritis. OA is typically caused by overuse and he definitely delivered on that. The swelling at the joints closest to his ring are Bouchard nodes and the big bulging areas closest to his fingernails are Heberden nodes. Those are some of the sad things that come with age even if you are a legend.


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## Mutant_Guitar

He's either arthritic or he got gout, or both. 
Uric acid build up because his liver is a lot closer to end-of-life than he is. Drug abuse didn't help, alcohol didn't help, never learning to say "No, I won't snort that powder good sir!" probably didn't help. The man is literally micturating inside of his flesh. He probably smells like old soggy newspapers used to patch up the leaky plumbing of septic outtake pipes. More cabbage in his diet and less offal would help too.


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## greco

Mutant_Guitar said:


> he got gout, or both.


Gout is one of the (several) forms of Arthritis
Mr. Richards does not present with gouti tophi....IMHO 
Post #26 is correct


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## Mutant_Guitar

greco said:


> Gout is one of the (several) forms of Arthritis
> Mr. Richards does not present with gouti tophi....IMHO
> Post #26 is correct


Vaccines boost the risk of gout. I will bet he's a regular vax user.


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## Fred Gifford

Mutant_Guitar said:


> He's either arthritic or he got gout, or both.
> Uric acid build up because his liver is a lot closer to end-of-life than he is. Drug abuse didn't help, alcohol didn't help, never learning to say "No, I won't snort that powder good sir!" probably didn't help. The man is literally micturating inside of his flesh. He probably smells like old soggy newspapers used to patch up the leaky plumbing of septic outtake pipes. More cabbage in his diet and less offal would help too.


you seem to have a lot of hatred for Keith Richards


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## Mutant_Guitar

Fred Gifford said:


> you seem to have a lot of hatred for Keith Richards


How'd you come up with all that, good sir?


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## ol' 58

Mutant_Guitar said:
He's either arthritic or he got gout, or both.
Uric acid build up because his liver is a lot closer to end-of-life than he is. Drug abuse didn't help, alcohol didn't help, never learning to say "No, I won't snort that powder good sir!" probably didn't help. The man is literally micturating inside of his flesh. He probably smells like old soggy newspapers used to patch up the leaky plumbing of septic outtake pipes. More cabbage in his diet and less offal would help too.


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## Mutant_Guitar

ol' 58 said:


> Mutant_Guitar said:
> He's either arthritic or he got gout, or both.
> Uric acid build up because his liver is a lot closer to end-of-life than he is. Drug abuse didn't help, alcohol didn't help, never learning to say "No, I won't snort that powder good sir!" probably didn't help. The man is literally micturating inside of his flesh. He probably smells like old soggy newspapers used to patch up the leaky plumbing of septic outtake pipes. More cabbage in his diet and less offal would help too.
> View attachment 391296


Would you think it, he's only 25 years old here.


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## greco

Fred Gifford said:


> you seem to have a lot of hatred for Keith Richards


I have no hatred.

@medchick25 Please see post #8 
All the best with your career!


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## zontar

ol' 58 said:


> Mutant_Guitar said:
> He's either arthritic or he got gout, or both.
> Uric acid build up because his liver is a lot closer to end-of-life than he is. Drug abuse didn't help, alcohol didn't help, never learning to say "No, I won't snort that powder good sir!" probably didn't help. The man is literally micturating inside of his flesh. He probably smells like old soggy newspapers used to patch up the leaky plumbing of septic outtake pipes. More cabbage in his diet and less offal would help too.
> View attachment 391296


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## Paul Running

Mr. Richards is a cool dude. He's a lot smarter than what some people give him credit for.
The man never took drugs that were not medically certified...he made a point of that.
He has a deep feeling for musical sounds and knows that whatever you hear comes out in what you play.
As he mentioned, we're just like sponges soaking up others' conceptions...he became so conditioned that he eventually evolved to a visionary state...a great imagination.
Hell the man is still with us, after all he has experienced.


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