I'm getting fumble fingers, I don't want them.

January 19, 2018 12:21 AM

I've been dropping more and more stuff lately. Utensils, plastic cups (I don't trust myself with glass) and car keys. I dropped them in a parking lot the other day, and miraculously they didn't fall into the sewer but balanced on the grate. Any thing to be done about this? I'm almost 60, been tested by a neurologist and he found nothing. It's not horrible (yet) but I can see bigger problems in the future.
posted by Marky to Health & Fitness (16 answers total)

do you exercise regularly?
are you getting enough sleep?
are you more stressed than usual?
i break/drop stuff all the time, its kind of a running joke* in our family and I've noticed it gets worse with a packed schedule.

things that help: when i actually stop, take stock. it can be something like noting three different textures or sounds or details in my surroundings, and just waiting for stuff to settle down a bit (breath, pulse, thoughts). sometimes i meditate (i use the headspace app)

- yoga (a lot of hatha yoga - the 'slow one,' paying a lot of attention to transitions, because those are the hardest for me) + just working out in general

- saying no to stuff, delegating the shit out o other stuff

- less coffee

sometimes none of these work and i go on knocking things over etc. lemme know if you find a silver bullet for this one

oh, maybe get a giant key chain? like a fluffy yeti or something. then like if you drop your keys, they wont be lost in the abyss?



*we even gave up on matching sets of dishware
posted by speakeasy at 1:24 AM on January 19, 2018

Get in the habit of reminding yourself when you pick something up, to grip it more tightly. Do something that requires manual dexterity -- Ribik's cube, playing cards, piano, modelmaking --anything that makes you use your fingers to hold or manipulate something. Hand-strengthening devices might help, either the spring-grip things weightlifters use, or -- probably better -- the individual-finger exercisers cello players use.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 3:29 AM on January 19, 2018 [2 favorites]

I think an occupational therapist might be able to help you with this. It might be worth a consultation.
posted by warriorqueen at 3:53 AM on January 19, 2018 [13 favorites]

Seconding speakeasy's idea that this may not be part of some inevitable decline. I get clumsy and start forgetting words when my sleep quality is off, which for me can be caused by having too much caffeine, stress, bad sleep hygiene, etc.
posted by duoshao at 4:05 AM on January 19, 2018 [3 favorites]

On top of sleep, start taking vitamins right now, especially b12(when I was vegan I got unfocused and jittery because b12 is goddamn important.). A lot of deficiencies can cause shaky limbs and poor muscle function. I know it's trendy to hate on supplements at the moment, but most people are deficient in something. A good place to start is making sure you get enough iron, iodine, b12 , and magnesium.

Also, have you been ill recently(as in the last few months, allergies count)? Because congested sinuses and inner ears can translate into poor coordination. We think of inner ear problems causing balance issues but that's not always the case, it can definitely be more subtle. My brother had a low grade ear infection that he ignored for months because it only manifested as a headache and a lack of hand-eye coordination.
posted by InkDrinker at 4:35 AM on January 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

Sleep here, too. I'm 20 years younger than you, and I notice a definite clumsiness gap between days when I'm tired and days when I'm well-rested. It's like my brain's fine-motor calculations all come out just a little bit wrong, and things get dropped and bumped and fumbled.
posted by clawsoon at 4:39 AM on January 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

As warriorqueen has already said - occupational therapy. Helping people deal with things like this is what they're all about.
posted by Vortisaur at 5:35 AM on January 19, 2018

Just to jump on the occupational therapy bandwagon, they test things like grip strength and can give you a better idea of what this is about. My grip strength showed measurable improvement after working with one.
posted by FencingGal at 5:40 AM on January 19, 2018

I know women who dropped more stuff when pregnant, seemingly related to swelling in the wrists making the hands not close and grip as tightly. Similarly, if you have any little arthritic stiffness in your hands and fingers, that could mechanically weaken your grip. On the other hand, you could be gripping fine, but have more shakiness in your arms or rocking in your gait. (My knees are stiff and I walk funny if I've been sitting awhile.)

After I had one arm in a cast, the physical therapist had me do lots of finger strengthening exercises with modeling clay, first fairly soft stuff, and then quite stiff. This is how you get buff fingers.
posted by puddledork at 7:14 AM on January 19, 2018

Have you had your eyes checked? Cataracts can sneak up on you and make you clumsy because you're not seeing things clearly anymore.

nthing occupational therapist for grip strength
posted by jointhedance at 7:21 AM on January 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

Are there ways you can make things easier to grip (does your keychain have something that is large and easy to grasp on it, or something you can loop your fingers through) and harder to drop (put your keychain on a leash)? For dishes, are there shapes that would be easier to hold on to, perhaps with a ridge around the outer edge?
posted by BrashTech at 7:28 AM on January 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

Are you taking Lyrica (pregabalin)?

That can definitely cause clumsiness and dropping things...
posted by Murderbot at 9:32 AM on January 19, 2018

Are you unintentionally multitasking? Like, you're leaving work, putting your coat on as you walk, digging in pocket for keys and talking to your sweetie all at once? And the keys flip out of your hand because your briefcase slipped just as you got to your car? I watch a coworker have episodes like this every single day. Maybe try using intentional mindfulness for a while. Get yourself organized, one task at a time, and be aware of your surroundings, so you can be responsive, rather than reactive. I catch myself trying to do multiple physical actions frequently; not wanting to make two trips to clear the table, hence dropping the cups. Sigh. Or loading too much laundry into the basket, and having to stop, put basket down, retrieve items that fell out, rinse and repeat...sigh again. I am going to be 60 this year too, and it's been a wake up for me. I've certainly lost some hand/arm strength. I'm very lucky to have two friends that are decades older than I am, who pointed out that there's a physical evolution to aging. That you can still do what you want, but maybe not the same way. I really notice when I get in a hurry, or am stressed, I become very clumsy. I am learning to stop, take a breath, center myself, and then continue in a more thoughtful, methodical way. Put coat on, arrange baggage, extract keys before starting to walk, yadda yadda. A funny perk is I am remembering things better. I used to have to leave myself a string of post-its as reminders for everything. I think just taking the time to do the routine tasks in my life mindfully, organizes my brain. There are books about mindfulness that can be helpful. Good luck!
posted by LaBellaStella at 10:24 AM on January 19, 2018 [2 favorites]

Just to throw out more things to consider, any sort hormonal changes? I literally walk into walls and trip over my own feet for a couple days every month right before my period starts.
posted by yeahlikethat at 10:44 AM on January 19, 2018 [2 favorites]

Any ear changes? I am noticeably more clumsy if I am wearing headphones or earplugs. I would assume advancing hearing loss or new hearing aids might cause a similar effect.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 11:12 AM on January 19, 2018

Get a lanyard for your keys, one of those coil bracelet things. I can't solve a medical problem, and possibly doctors can't, but you can adapt the stuff you hold for your new, inferior grip. You should continue to address this with doctors, but in the meantime you should address your risk of Acute Keys In The Sewer, which can really ruin your day or week.
posted by Sunburnt at 12:11 PM on January 19, 2018 [4 favorites]