Tendonitis in wrist along with thumb pain

by Jackie
(Chicago IL)

My problem started with thumb pain. I actually have it in both hands, but my right is worse. Its at the base of the thumb, gives me sharp pains occasionally, swells between thumb and finger and is achey.

So I think I compensated for that in my right hand and now my right wrist seems to have all the symptoms of tendonitis. It hurts on the top outside part of wrist and goes into hand and up forearm. I have several hot spots. It had been bothering me when typing or using a mouse and I had the brilliant idea of painting my kitchen.

Now my whole hand is just one big problem.

Between my thumb and my wrist/hand pain, the hand is not working too well. It cramps up, gives me pain and aching. It feels weak. I can't grip things well. It gets worse with use. I have a lot of difficulty writing. I switched my mouse to my left hand.

I plan to try your icing technique, but I am wondering about stretches or exercises. Should I be doing anything other than the icing? I have an appointment with a doctor in a few weeks, but I know he will either suggest shots or splints.

If everything tightens up, does icing it loosen it, or should I be stretching also?



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Joshua Answers:

Hi Jackie.

What you -should- be doing is in my Reversing Wrist Tendonitis ebook. :)

Should you be doing more than ice dipping as described on the How To Reduce Inflammation? Yes.

Icing (the RIGHT way) gets irritant out and new nutrition in. This is why it's so successful at reducing pain etc.

It doesn't directly loosen muscle. But part of why muscle gets tight is because of A. irritant in the tissue and B. the brain feeling pain in your forearm/hand/wrist.

Get rid of irritant, get muscle happier with fresh nutrition, and the nervous system can turn down the dial on the tightness.

Ice dipping is highly effective at what it's effective at, but it doesn't do everything. Like all tools, it's extremely good at doing what it's designed to do.

Any light stretching is good. You want to lengthen that too tight tissue.

It sounds like you have a huge Process of Inflammation in place, which explains your escalation of pain.

Pain doesn't necessarily mean that you are injured, but it does mean that something isn't working optimally.

For instance, if you're short on Magnesium (you are), then your muscles literally can't relax as much as they should be.

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See: Magnesium for Tendonitis
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That tightness is why you feel 'weakness'. It's not because your muscles are weak, it's (basically) that your muscles are mostly contracted and have very little contraction ability left.

Everything you've described so far is all part of the Tendonitis dynamic: increasing tightness and pain, that creates more tightness and pain.


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Joshua Tucker, B.A., C.M.T.
The Tendonitis Expert
www.TendonitisExpert.com