Deirdre, when I saw "scar tissue" in your post, I thought of Serrapeptase.

Well Deirdre,

I hate not to be my usual, up-beat, relentlessly positive self on this one but the news on your thumb is not too good I reckon. You have my sympathy for what it's worth.

You are correct that one takes the working of the thumb for granted until it starts to play up. Older people with thumb joint problems are at a real disadvantage.

First the obligitory story:-

Whilst I was working overseas back in 2008 or so, my boss decided to build his million dollar carpark (not kidding) but ringed the whole building site with just one cheap and nasty wire that was about waist high.

Arriving at work one day (after safely negotiating this pesky wire for a week or more), I caught my trailing foot/shoe on it one day and came a cropper, hard down on my left thumb. It still pains me at times, on and off, till this day! After a few years the right one starts to play up in sympathy with its mate so I can relate to that phenomenon of yours. It certainly happens as you say!

If I overuse the thumbs during the daytime with hard and aggressive yard work, I can loose sleep with the pain through the night. It is a very nasty pain especially if you have two of them going hammer and tongs. Time to take the pill then or you don't sleep at all.

I will think some more on this for you but as you can imagine, if I had found a cure by now I might have made a full recovery I suppose. No such luck but hey, I am long past my "Best Before" date these days and am somewhat reconciled to not healing like I used to. Depressing I know but what to do?

You might have to troll through this Site in search for a few Arthritis, Sore Joint, Cartilage AND Tendonitis treatments (maybe not "cures" as such! ) to see if anything seems promising. Too many to list here!

However, the thumb is a good candidate for soaking in Epsom Salts, coating & wraping with Castor Oil and warming with a hot-water bottle, as well as rubbing on some "Soothe Cream" from "Bronsons". These latter two could help overnight too.

My Guru from Thailand recommended that I do more flexing of my hand- you know- clenching of the fist- release and then stretch out the whole hand to the extended position, fingers wide apart and hold then repeat. I found that helpful if done gently over a period of time. I scoffed at first but not later on!!

Not all people get relief from homeopathy (I heard that 70% do though) but you might find something if you let a practitioner listen to your condition and personality make up.

They can then "hone in" on what might seem appropriate and beneficial.

All the best to you from:-

Michael Down Under

Hi Deirdre,

See if icing offers any relief. I suggest that you try the collagen caps that I previously suggested in an earlier post, those specific ones. Take 2 grams of vitamin C. Try Rhus Tox 30x.

https://www.amazon.com/Multi-Collagen-Pills-Types-III/dp/B07PYQJBH3/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=collagen&qid=1600020775&sr=8-3-spons&psc=1&smid=A1TK860KZRN8XL&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyNDJaQUFOSDFLNFFEJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODI2MTczUkpZMkxVVVZPNUxZJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA0OTEzNzhTQTVPTlcxVFhaRzkmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

https://www.amazon.com/Hylands-Tablets-Natural-Arthritis-Backache/dp/B0001VKVFM/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=rhus+tox&qid=1600020237&sr=8-5

If you can immobilize the joints as much as possible and keep them wrapped for added support. Take a break from karate, its too rough on the joints when you are trying to heal them.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Art

Hi Deirdre,

There are a couple of questions I forgot to ask you. Is the pain just in the thumb joint or is it also in your wrists?

Is the pain more prominent when the hand is at rest or when in motion.

This device may be helpful to help support the thumb for healing.

Art

PS Like yours, my trigger thumb started due to a risky, dangerous move in an exercise class! Not systemic but mechanical...

Thank you so much for the suggestion, Msmg! I ordered both Serrapeptase and Nattokinase yesterday. Interestingly, Whole Foods in my area recently stopped selling both of these supplements. The supplement aisle "helper" couldn't tell me why. I thought that was interesting, given how potent they are!

Hi Sue,

Thank you so much for your replies. So glad to hear that surgery fixed your issues years ago. Nope, I won't rule out surgery in the future if I can't fix it. But, arrrgh and rarrrrr, I'd really like to figure it out!

Myofascial stretches seem to help for about an hour, then it starts getting stuck again.

Yes, thank you, I will get a Lyme test to rule that out. And have you heard about Borrelia Miyamotoi Disease? There was an article in the NYT July in the Mystery Diagnosis section. You also get this from ticks, but they don't need to be on your body for a few days, like Lyme. One of the symptoms is arthritis in the hands.

Here's the NYTimes link: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/15/magazine/borrelia-miyamotoi-diagnosis.html

and here is another article about it: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4662080/

Thank you again!

Hi Art,

Thank you so much for your replies! The pain is just in my thumbs and only when I use them in certain motions like using a pair of scissors or bending them. Bending sends a shooting pain down the entire thumb and into the side of the palm where that tendon attaches (I guess).

Thanks for the links to the products. I already have the collagen and started back on that and also the vitamin C. Will get Rhus Tox.

I bought a similar molded thumb brace a couple of months ago but only wear it during training. Yes, I need to immobolize them for a while to let them heal!

I did stop the melatonin and zinc/copper yesterday to see if that has anything to do with it. Will stay off them for about a week. As you may recall from a previous post, right around the time this all started, I did a baking soda and lime alkalizing formula, had a serious detoxing reaction and promptly got nerve tooth sensitivity. Turns out the one dose of baking soda had pulled too much potassium out of my body. So perhaps it is related... OR just aging and decades of intense use.

Thanks again for all your suggestions. I will let you know how it goes!

Hi Michael!

Thank you for your always wonderful and witty posts & suggestions. I will definitely do some epsom salts soaking and castor oil packing!

Yes regarding the stretching. I watched a number of YouTube videos on Trigger Thumb from PTs and they all recommend extensive stretching of the hand. A rubber band stretch is one good one.

I learned a few years ago from my OT friend in LA who specializes in myofascial stretching that the key is to hold one position or point for at least 5 minutes so the fascia releases. I haven't done 5 minutes, but the few times I stretched it on a foam roller, I got it to work perfectly for an hour!

Never heard of the soothe cream from Bronson's. Will check that out pronto.

Thank you again for taking the time out to write your suggestions!

Hi Deirdre,

When you test icing on your thumb, can you also try icing your neck just to rule out that it is not originating there?

Art

Deirdre, I didn't know about this tick-borne disease but...yikes. Thanks for the info. Clearly we all need to be even more careful outdoors.

You are very welcome Deirdre,

You have done so much for people on this Site, that if I could wave my Magic Wand for you I would! Obviously there are lots of "posterers" out there who are concerned for your continuing well-being, not just me! Be a "Well Being"!

Yes, the Bronson's Soothe Cream is so good that I am not allowed to say just how good it is on this Site!! But for you, I am almost prepared to risk banishment - possibly you could exercise a bit of paternalistic nepotism for me by putting in a good word on my behalf?

CAUTION!!

Also, you MUST wash your hands very thoroughly after applying the cream, as getting any in your eyes is painful because of the Peppers etc! Get the picture? Bit complicated if it is your hands that you are treating! Better to wear a glove whilst applying it. As the American Indian Chief once famously said "That is all I have to say".

Best wishes,

Michael from Down Under

Hi Deirdre,

My story is I pulled tendons/muscles in my shoulder carrying a heavy basket at the grocery store, I never use the cart.I heard this noise in my shoulder and then the pain begin. I don't go to doctors much so I heal myself. When I took showers, I would exercise my shoulder by pulling my left arm with my right hand across the back of my back a few times and it didn't hurt and I would rise my arm above my head.

After two years of doing this, I could finally do up my bra in the back.I also took a 2-3 grams of vita C and cod liver oil every day. Now ten years later I have no pain no problems. If I were to hurt my thumbs like you did, I would soak them in hot water, exercise them in the hot water only. Take the Vit c and cod liver oil. I sprain my knee twice and took about six months to heal.. I feel if you feed the body with vitamins and organic food it will heal it self. Good luck. Thank you for this site. Milly

Thank you for the tips, Michael. I will look for the cream right after posting this and be very careful to wash my hands after application if I don't use gloves!

Will do Art, even though it sounds very chilly. What part of the neck should I apply it to, c1-7? What are you thinking here? A disc issue affecting the tendons?

Yes, on the neck for ice pack. Most ice packs will cover most of the neck, so nothing to figure out there other than if icing it gives any relief. If it doesn't, then that's that and you are back to the thumbs.

Art

I had severe trigger thumbs, both of them. I had both shot with steroids which works for a bit then they would both act up.

Someone thought it was do to being hypothyroid.

I work with my hands, and I would have to physically pull my thumbs out of locked position. So I had hands done and they have never bothered me anymore.

ORH here and I suggest you find an Ozone person an get a shot of ozone. I do all my own ozone, but the shots. I now think I can do the knee thing. Would not try a vertebra shot. Call me chicken S, but call me when dinner is ready.

====ORH====