Rowing with Arthritis

Question
I am a very active 50 year old. I've recently started indoor rowing using the concept II and absolutely love it. My problem is I have RA (rheumatoid arthritis) in my finger joints and rowing for 30 to 45 minutes results in days of discomfort. I've tried using weightlifting hooks to take the pressure off my fingers but they are pretty uncomfortable and don't work very well.  Are you aware of any product that would keep the majority of the pull on the arms with a measure of comfort?  I looked at gymnastic ring dowel grips but have not tried them as you still need tokeep the fingers tight around the grip.  I really don't want to give up rowing so I'd appreciate any recommendation.

Answer
Hi Paul: Tough question.  I can't imagine that adding the apparatus you described to the oar handle would be very efficient.  I didn't see any accessories on the CII website to adapt the oar handles.

I'll give you 2 suggestions.  

1) Reduce the length of your workout from 45 minuts to shorter intervals with a higher stroke rate.  A great workout is to do 5-8 500 meter pieces and rest for a couple minutes in between.  Or do a 2000 meter piece for best time.

2) Contact the Concept II directly and see what they suggest.  Here's the web site:

http://www2.concept2.com/

Good Luck/AP