Ow. owie. Ouch.
May 12, 2011 6:47 PM Subscribe
YANMD being a given, I could use some advice re my thumb, of all things. Maybe a week or so ago I started having difficulty with it....
...when I wake up first thing it is, for lack of a better term "locked" till I work it out. The knuckle part of it feels like it is popping a bit (I guess this would be a tendon or something popping) and the joint right below it hurts, especially when I touch it. I don't think this is arthritis-for one thing this is the only affected part, and the joint that seems most often arthritic in the thumb (the part that connects to the rest of the hand) is painfree.
My ability to use my hand to grasp things is more or less affected, depending on the time of day. Later in the day it's easier to use, but not painfree.
I can't afford a doc right now, have no insurance, so that's out at the moment. All I want from you folks is some ideas what this could be. As far as I know I haven't injured it, I don't THINK this is a dislocation problem, but...yeah, any thoughts on what this could be would be appreciated. It's hard to use this hand at the moment!
...when I wake up first thing it is, for lack of a better term "locked" till I work it out. The knuckle part of it feels like it is popping a bit (I guess this would be a tendon or something popping) and the joint right below it hurts, especially when I touch it. I don't think this is arthritis-for one thing this is the only affected part, and the joint that seems most often arthritic in the thumb (the part that connects to the rest of the hand) is painfree.
My ability to use my hand to grasp things is more or less affected, depending on the time of day. Later in the day it's easier to use, but not painfree.
I can't afford a doc right now, have no insurance, so that's out at the moment. All I want from you folks is some ideas what this could be. As far as I know I haven't injured it, I don't THINK this is a dislocation problem, but...yeah, any thoughts on what this could be would be appreciated. It's hard to use this hand at the moment!
Response by poster: A wee bit if that much. Hard to say.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 6:57 PM on May 12, 2011
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 6:57 PM on May 12, 2011
Best answer: It sounds like trigger finger. There are some things you could try on your own on the treatment page.
posted by hydropsyche at 6:58 PM on May 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by hydropsyche at 6:58 PM on May 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
That was my thought, as well. I developed something similar when I worked at Whole Foods and spent a lot of time gripping the handle of a wire cheese cutter. I didn't do anything about it, and it eventually cleared up, although I think it was mostly that I stopped working that job. Maybe try splinting it for a few days, as much as possible, and see if that helps?
(The reason I asked about swelling or heat is because I wondered if a small thorn or some other bit of pointy plant material had worked its way under your skin, and started an infection; the signs are usually pretty obvious in the hands, so if you can't tell, there's probably no infection. IANAD!)
posted by rtha at 7:12 PM on May 12, 2011
(The reason I asked about swelling or heat is because I wondered if a small thorn or some other bit of pointy plant material had worked its way under your skin, and started an infection; the signs are usually pretty obvious in the hands, so if you can't tell, there's probably no infection. IANAD!)
posted by rtha at 7:12 PM on May 12, 2011
Response by poster: Yup, that looks as likely as anything!
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 7:17 PM on May 12, 2011
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 7:17 PM on May 12, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by rtha at 6:50 PM on May 12, 2011