My left hand has been getting steadily worse, middle and ring finger locking in cocked position, loss of strength and mobility, so stretch and tight chords getting harder, even simple ones like G7 and D. And now I can feel bumps on the palm of my hand.

Finally gathered $$ and courage together and went to an orthopedic surgeon for a cortisone shot. But his take was that the palm area is a chancy one, and even with proper placement, cortisone injection runs the risk of blowing a tendon (eek). Especially as this is a chronic condition he suggested instead surgery, which, typically, involves splitting the "ring" the tendon slides through. But even with "successful" surgery, he could not guarantee I would still be able to play guitar, just do "normal" things.

I asked if there was anything I could do to increase strength and range of motion but at least from an allopathic viewpoint, there is nothing, aside from "not using it." Which isn't much help, especially as I'm left-handed in everything but guitar playing.

I am very reluctant to have surgery (and can't afford it anyway, but will be 65 in 6 months, at which time Medicare (US) would be a big help)...would much rather approach this in a less invasive way, but so far it continues to get worse.

If anybody else has had experience with this sort of thing I would be grateful for advice or just hearing about how you dealt with it.

Thanks for any input...