Steve.......I had the same problem last year...real bad. God, was I in panic! I did the whole circuit getting opinions, advice, medical profession consultations, possible cortisone or surgery, lots of Internet research. In the end, putting it all together, my instinct told me to "let it ride." I then watched my physical patterns closely to see what might be causing it. Yes, extreme repeated pressure on that left hand little finger. Both from the computer keyboard AND the piano keyboard. Computer keyboard...I made a conscious effort to lighten my pressure on the keys and change the finger "position" as it comes down on the key. With the piano, I spend a lot of time practicing my left hand with the little finger taking all the hits from playing bass notes, stride piano, etc.so I did the same thing...lightened the touch as much as I could and made sure the finger was coming down on the keys correctly. Also, what Gary said, take an anti-inflammatory. I took Voltaren or (generic) Diclofenac. Works wonders in bringing down the inflammation, but after 3-4 days I get an upset stomach. Voltaren now comes in a gel so you might want to try applying it 4x a day and see what happens. I think everyone would agree, surgery is the last step. Avoid it if you can....there's no turning back if it doesn't go well!



Mark