Question
hi rusty
 i'm only 17 and i have a serious problem where i continually wash my hands for long periods of time, many, many times a day.  this has been going on for a couple of years.  i was told that at this rate i could get some serious arthritis, is this true?  is there anyway to prevent it, because i've been thinking about taking up martial arts and that needs strong bones all the time.  also, i see martial artists punch wood and whatever to strengthen their hands.  this can't be good for the hands can it?  i've tried and i was really sore the next day.  is there a way to toughen the hands without risking arthritis?  i heard that chinese medicinal wine's great for the hands, it's what the kung fu guys use, but does it really work?  and also, i sometimes see pro wretlers falling all over the place, would their large muscles help decrease the risk for arthritis?  does having a lot of muscle covering the bones help? especially in the forearm and back area?  if it does, then i might want to look into bodybuilding before i take up martial arts.  thanks

Answer
John,

Osteoarthritis is caused by wear and tear on joints over a long period of time and by trauma to a joint. Washing your hand for long periods of time many times a day should not cause arthritis because the action does not put that much stress on the hands or wrists. But this is a classic sign of obsessive compulsive disorder.

I spent many years in martial arts and the only time I ever hit a board was to break it. We did push ups with closed fists on our knuckles to make our hands tougher.

Strong muscles around joints helps to take the stress off of joints and reduces the risk of arthritis. You need to strengthen all our muscles not just the forearm and back. You can strengthen your muscles and take martial arts at the same time.

I have read no studies that show that wine helps your hands in any way.  

Rusty

Here is a couple of links that may help.

arthritis

http://arthritis-symptom.com/

OBC
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/index.sh...