Or at least reexamine your technique.

Same issue here and same age. Had cortisone shot, Meloxicam, and have a tube of Voltaren right in front of me. Nothing has really helped. They all relieve the pain a bit, but not enough to justify taking or applying them on a daily basis. Dr. recommended surgery if it gets to the point where I can't take it anymore, but I'm not at that point yet. Plus the recuperation time was way too long for me. I also play guitar and piano and it does get sore after a few minutes of playing. Especially the guitar.

Yeah, hold off on surgery until you get to the point where you absolutely can't stand it anymore. It's a 6-month recovery, give or take.

Re-invigorating this thread.

I'm 69 and have worn out the CMC joint on my right side from just using my hands a lot over the years.
Add to that a nice fall on the ice in the same general area and I'm not using that thumb much now. It's been a month already, swelling is down but I'm not grabbing or pinching with that thumb.

I've read up on the usual surgery options and I think they all stink with long recovery times.
They usually remove your trapezium bone which is a path you cannot go back on once that is gone.

There is a newer procedure where they put in a prosthetic component that looks much better and stable to me.
Plus your downtime is much shorter.
Google BioPro Thumb Modular Thumb implant.
I've already had both knees replaced (they are great now), so this kind of thing is right up my "sleeve" as they say.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1707460681.png

But before I go this route, I will give the PRP (platelet rich plasma) and/or stem cell injections a try.
I've done the stem cells with one of my knees through Regenexx and it bought me another 11 years before the knee had to be replaced.
Insurance doesn't cover the injections, so your checkbook must be in good health.
The PRP injections should be under a grand.
I've read good things about these injections really managing the pain for a lot of people, so I'm to give it a try here in the next month.
I'll report back my findings.

It's tough to play guitar, work on cars when you're missing a thumb let alone brushing/flossing your teeth, showering and getting dressed.
I've gotten pretty darn good at tying my shoes without using my thumb with my right hand.
Try it some time and just how hard that really is.
Or brush your teeth left-handed...tougher than it sounds.

No more hitch hiking for you Super.

I know what you mean. Two months ago I broke up a dog fight and my middle finger (flip the bird finger) was REALLY sore. A week ago I wrestled to get something awkward out of the back of the car and there was a loud pop. My finger is now feeling a whole lot better. But not 100%. I thought to myself "... welcome to getting old."

**** I'm only 51 and have arthritis in multiple joints. right thumb and wrist are the worst. just had review of MRI on shoulder yesterday and I have arthritis plus torn rotator cuff. Oh and one hip gets really stiff in cold weather.

Might sneak out and walk 9 today though!

Having the same affliction, I read somewhere that copper helps. So I bought a small copper bracelet and it seems to have at least stopped the progression. Simple easy cheap attempt at alleviating the pain. Give it a try

Ironic how these threads pop up just when I’m sitting here feeling sorry for myself. Splitting wood yesterday and I could hardly grab the smaller pieces one handed because of the pain in my thumbs. Oh well… more splitting today.. suffering at night.

Voltaren gel is your friend in this deal

lol I use a tube a day,

Or get some of those online ‘growth’ pills.

For folks with inflammation, try taking curcumin (recommended to me by a Dr years ago 400mg 4x/day with food), Vit C, and ginger. They are all anti-inflammatory.

Also, huge, is to try to reduce/limit your added sugar intake. Sugar (honey, corn syrup, sugar, etc...) causes inflammation by the bucket load.

I'm sure that's not going to eliminate your issues, but anything that can help.

I have had all of these problems. They all settle down when I quit aggravating them. You might go 2-3 days not using the thumb (or insert favorite joint here) and then aggravate it again. Start over.

Working through a knee problem now. The thing is, it is aggravated when I sleep on my side. I can walk and jog till my hips hurt and the knee is fine. Finding a way to wrap it only at night, and adjusting the bed and pillows (one between the knees), and I'm halfway there in 2 months. I'd be over this but I don't have total control when I'm asleep. Plus, I like to pull my leg up a bit when sleeping but the answer seems to be to keep it extended.

A year or so ago I wore a thumb brace. I don't even know where it is now. I had trouble for 20 years with both shoulders. Bone on bone. I had to work. At first I could get by with cortisone. 3 shots in each. They helped but still working made my right shoulder nearly unbearable. Couldn't sleep on that side.I was taking Norcos and using a Skilsaw. I finally went for a total replacement.

After a lengthily rehab, both shoulders were fine. The other one settled down due to the rehab and not working as a carpenter. Today the one shoulder is still theoretically bone one bone but it gives me no problems. I have a lifetime 20 lb weight limit on the new shoulder so I lift with the other one. Still no problems.

I would never resort to any kind of surgery again unless I'm dying. Even in this age surgery is barbaric. I don't want to tell you what the prostate cancer radiation treatments are like or what you face down the road. Surgeons are barbarians and orthopods have the reputation of being the worst animals in the biz.

Eat right, exercise naturally by working cleaning, gardening, working on the car and doing home improvements. Stay on your feet and do something and take several breaks to snack or hydrate, the latter being more important. Due programmed exercises if you must, but the non variation seems to have a lesser benefit than doing many different things. I hate exercise equipment and I hate phys therapy. Same ol' grind each session. Knowing something about what they are trying to do and doing this on your own plus stretching is much better.

Yeah. Stretching out a new shoulder is tough siht. You gonna hurt a lot at the time. But the pain doesn't last like a bum shoulder or bad joint.

I know there are some great doctors. I know there are some great mechanics too. But they call it the top of the class for a reason. At best, a doctor is somewhere on the Bell curve. The Bell curve is real, folks. Chances are way in favor that your doctor is somewhere in the fat part of the curve hump.

Not good enough when something really serious or technical comes up. I know, I take my wife or stepdaughter to an average of 2 doc appt's/week. That's 8 per month spread out over nearly 8 docs. I don't have a good word for 7 out of the 8 and the 8th is just coming out of his earlier days as a dolt. 20 years being a doc and now head of a staff at the hospital helps.

Sorry for the rant. But if I need a new doc and he hasn't done a fellowship at Mayo or equivalent, I cross that doc off the list. You will never find these docs at a HMO.

When the local docs can't get down into it and get some results, I head to UCLA or UC Irvine. Or Hoag in Orange County. There are some good people around Cedars Sinai, but the hospital itself is a real hole. If you have your name on a wing, say like Streisand or Burns, I think you get a nice room. The rest make Motel 6 look like the Ritz Carlton. And it's as noisy 24 hours a day as a Compton street.

So that's the other thing. Where does your doc work out of? Very important part of the equation.

I did some "online" analysis: What have been your experiences with the "side-effects" every website mentions.

Just curious.

I am interested.

I used Voltaren on my thumb for months. It lasts a few hours but the NSAID aspect of it seems to linger, as it should. I think personally Voltaren gel is not for deep joint pain. But on the hands it is a good treatment. Therefore, depending on the diagnosis, it might be good for feet as well. Hips and
shoulders are tough to reach with a topical.

This is all, everything I say, empirical opinion. I'm not a doc and don't know JS about anatomy.

One thing I didn't mention is ultrasound. We are not supposed to be able to buy those over the counter. Order one from a foreign country if you can find a recommendation. You never know about what you can't see or measure. Small units capable of treating a hand joint are not the big block 454cc models the chiropractor uses.

extra strength voltaren is available via prescription here - in Canuckistan.
perhaps that is an option?
skiing injury did my thumb in. and? thumb subject matter? ...... always reminds me of Tom Robbins. :)

Prescription is all you should confider. Otherwise take a Tylenol.

Worst thing it is likely to do is irritate your skin, may not work, unlikely to cause systemic problems.

See also anti-inflammatory diet

Surgery has down sides, but sometimes is your best option.

I use the 1% “active ingredient” Voltaren on my hands and the best I can say is it doesn’t irritate my skin. Any pain mitigation is marginal.

My doc recommended a brace, which just restricted movement of my thumb. My goal was to be able to function without pain, but the brace just kept me from using my thumb. It helped mitigate pain but didn’t get me to my goal. Nothing does.
It’s the same story with my back, knee, and hip pain. If I sit on my ass and do nothing, nothing hurts. All the braces and narcotics do is encourage me to sit on my ass and do nothing. I don’t need drugs and gadgets for that, I can do that on my own.
In searching for something that will let me get up and function without so much pain NSAIDs seem to help the most. I can’t take them right now because my back is still healing.

Tell me about it. SmileWavy