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For reference, I'll list the progression of symptoms I've had with my "trigger thumb" so far.
Many online sites mention the main symptom of trigger finger being that the finger gets stuck in a bent position, but so far, that has happened to me almost not at all.
It began like this:
The top joint of my left thumb feels bumpy or jerky (for lack of a better word) for a short period after waking/getting up in the morning. It feels like the bones are bumping against each other and slightly displacing each other as I bend the thumb. It is not painful, only disconcerting/worrisome. Usually the jerkiness only persists 10 or so minutes after getting up.
Note: Only the top joint of the thumb is affected. The bottom joint moves normally.
~30 days in:
The jerkiness began happening at other times during the day as well.
Then the thumb began feeling slightly jerky for most of the day.
The bone at the base of the thumb feels sore when I rub it.
The thumb feels achy when I bend it.
~37 days in:
The thumb is still jerky a lot of the day, and when it stops being jerky, the joint still feels sort of stiff, not flexible, and sore when I bend it.
Above I wrote, "It's not painful, only disconcerting/worrisome."
But for some days (or weeks?) now, it HAS been painful when I bend the thumb and it makes that bumpy feeling. It's bad enough to make me yelp when I unintentionally bend my thumb in the morning after waking up and then feel that pain.
~38 days in:
Thumb is stiff and hurts if I bend it.
~42 days in:
5:15pm Thumb has remained stiff since getting up.
The thumb-pad feels slightly numb or different, but I think that is only due to it being cold; my right hand fingers are cold too.
Around this time:
The hand felt weak. Holding any weight with the hand, even picking up a glass of water, made it ache. So I either used the other hand, or both hands, to pick things up. Turning door knobs with the left hand was also difficult and painful.
~61 days in:
I took two naproxen tablets a day, for about a week.
It reduced the soreness, though hasn't made my thumb any less stiff.
My left hand feels pretty normal except when I accidentally bend the thumb - then there's a strong short-lasting pain.
~67 days in:
By this time, the top thumb joint was stiff most of the time. When I attempt to bend the thumb, the tip of the thumb bends inwards only about 25 degrees. When I apply more force, the top joint begins to ache and I feel strongly disinclined to force it to bend any further. However, during the day while doing various activities, I occasionally bend the thumb all the way without thinking. When that happens, there is a sudden sharp pain in the top joint, and the thumb immediately jerks back to the unbent position.
Using my right hand, I can hold and bend the left thumb inwards a normal amount. When I do this, the left thumb feels sore, but it doesn't jerk.
..
I went to an orthopaedic doctor, was diagnosed with trigger thumb, and got a cortisone shot in the thumb.
My hand was first sprayed with a topical anesthetic. The shot contained betamethasone mixed with lidocaine. It was not painful; just a brief sting.
While driving home, my left hand started tingling; that must have been from the lidocaine. I believe the tingling went away over the next few hours.
The doctor had warned me that some people get severe pain after the shot, and that icing the joint helps prevent it. So I applied a cool (but not cold as I don't like getting cold hands) gel-pack to the thumb joint over the course of the rest of the day. I did not experience any unusual pain.
To be continued
Many online sites mention the main symptom of trigger finger being that the finger gets stuck in a bent position, but so far, that has happened to me almost not at all.
It began like this:
The top joint of my left thumb feels bumpy or jerky (for lack of a better word) for a short period after waking/getting up in the morning. It feels like the bones are bumping against each other and slightly displacing each other as I bend the thumb. It is not painful, only disconcerting/worrisome. Usually the jerkiness only persists 10 or so minutes after getting up.
Note: Only the top joint of the thumb is affected. The bottom joint moves normally.
~30 days in:
The jerkiness began happening at other times during the day as well.
Then the thumb began feeling slightly jerky for most of the day.
The bone at the base of the thumb feels sore when I rub it.
The thumb feels achy when I bend it.
~37 days in:
The thumb is still jerky a lot of the day, and when it stops being jerky, the joint still feels sort of stiff, not flexible, and sore when I bend it.
Above I wrote, "It's not painful, only disconcerting/worrisome."
But for some days (or weeks?) now, it HAS been painful when I bend the thumb and it makes that bumpy feeling. It's bad enough to make me yelp when I unintentionally bend my thumb in the morning after waking up and then feel that pain.
~38 days in:
Thumb is stiff and hurts if I bend it.
~42 days in:
5:15pm Thumb has remained stiff since getting up.
The thumb-pad feels slightly numb or different, but I think that is only due to it being cold; my right hand fingers are cold too.
Around this time:
The hand felt weak. Holding any weight with the hand, even picking up a glass of water, made it ache. So I either used the other hand, or both hands, to pick things up. Turning door knobs with the left hand was also difficult and painful.
~61 days in:
I took two naproxen tablets a day, for about a week.
It reduced the soreness, though hasn't made my thumb any less stiff.
My left hand feels pretty normal except when I accidentally bend the thumb - then there's a strong short-lasting pain.
~67 days in:
By this time, the top thumb joint was stiff most of the time. When I attempt to bend the thumb, the tip of the thumb bends inwards only about 25 degrees. When I apply more force, the top joint begins to ache and I feel strongly disinclined to force it to bend any further. However, during the day while doing various activities, I occasionally bend the thumb all the way without thinking. When that happens, there is a sudden sharp pain in the top joint, and the thumb immediately jerks back to the unbent position.
Using my right hand, I can hold and bend the left thumb inwards a normal amount. When I do this, the left thumb feels sore, but it doesn't jerk.
..
I went to an orthopaedic doctor, was diagnosed with trigger thumb, and got a cortisone shot in the thumb.
My hand was first sprayed with a topical anesthetic. The shot contained betamethasone mixed with lidocaine. It was not painful; just a brief sting.
While driving home, my left hand started tingling; that must have been from the lidocaine. I believe the tingling went away over the next few hours.
The doctor had warned me that some people get severe pain after the shot, and that icing the joint helps prevent it. So I applied a cool (but not cold as I don't like getting cold hands) gel-pack to the thumb joint over the course of the rest of the day. I did not experience any unusual pain.
To be continued