Ok.. as far as the claw hand.. it is painful but the best thing to do is stretch it out. this is how I was treated with my carpal tunnel and pinched nerve. and now with the RSD I am glad I learned this before. as far as the foot
I have to stretch it out myself manually so it doesn't curl up. so I do know the pain of trying to stretch it. as far as guarding.. I keep my hand close when in crowded areas.Wich I rarely put myself in that position. my feet i guard with my cane. "always" the feet are never safe. as far as driving .. don't fear using just one hand.. my grandfather was only a righty as he was missing his left arm. and he drove standard shift. its possible just requires time and patience to learn. good luck

I realize this is an older thread, but for everyone that can relate to it, look up "qwi gloves". They're around 23$ online and work great.

Hypnosis with a pain therapist. Learning to take deep breaths as a response to pain escalation. Keeping pain at a lower level in the first place! By actively working on it, I only guard in the most extreme of flares when out in public now. By using a down pillow to protect against vibration when traveling, helps prevent alot of misery as well. I only drive very short distances (under 20 minutes one way is about my max.) it does mean giving up some independence, but by using trains, or having someone else drive, I'm still effected by vibrations, but am in less pain and safer to others as well.

Guarding a hand will cause a chain reaction leading to complications in your elbow, shoulder, trapesis (sp?), neck, down your shoulder blades, and the rest of your back. Then a combo of massage, stretching and warm water with Epsom Salts, etc. is needed to help those issues.