Has anyone here experienced, or familiar with the tendonitis condition referred to as Trigger Finger?
This condition commonly occurs with keyboard musicians.

It's been a busy summer of keyboard gigs, but just yesterday I began experiencing (for the first time) a popping/clicking sensation in my 'left' thumb (aka: trigger thumb) whenever I attempt to bend and/or straighten my 'left' thumb. It's not painful (yet) but as an pro active keyboard player, I'm concerned this may get worse and affect my keyboard playing gigs in the near future so calling my primary care doctor for a referal to see a orthopedic hand specialist. In the meantime, any experiences with this condition and treatment advice & recommendations by others here is greatly appreciated. Thanks - Scott.

Scott,

Sorry to hear about your issues. I am both a drummer and a keyboard player and my hands, wrists, and back take a beating. It's really all tendonitis. The #1 reason for hand and wrist pain is; Poor technique and bad ergonomics. Believe it or not.

I had a piano teacher examine my technique and found flaws which I have worked on and now find that I can play for hours pain free. With drumming, it was mostly ergonomics with a little technique thrown in for good measure. I realigned my setup and started playing correctly and the pain went away.

You will have to rest your tendons for a while until they heal and then start working on your technique.

Best of luck and feel better soon!

Scott, before I was cut in a robbery, I was experiencing severe pain in several of the fingers of my left hand. It was so bad that I didn't touch a stringed instrument for a year. Still, while I LOVE to play upright bass, I avoid lots of strenuous playing, fearing the return of a stretched tendon.

Hang in there. Be careful and examine the position and movement of the effected finger. And, If surgery is necessary, get it from a competent Dr.

Believe me:, if you saw my left hand after it was cut, you would never believe I'd play a stringed instrument again.

Thanks to a good DR., I'm back to making almost as many flubs and screwed up chords as I used to. LOL!

Be well, and let us know what's happening.


Russ

Scott,

Gary is the guy to ask about all this finger and thumbs stuff, he works down the hospital, pulls ropes on the boat, and gigs every day....

Scott,

I had tennis elbow twice (Tendonitis). One time I had it so bad in my wrist that when I moved it you could touch me and you'd swear that there was gravel grinding in there. Many bricklayers suffer this from the repetitive motions of laying brick. It is common.

I got a cortisone shot each time. The incidences were a few years apart and it was more then 20 or so years ago. Not one problem since then. When I got the shot for the first incident, I wanted to beat the doctor up. It does hurt, as they put the shot right into the affected area. The two next times I knew what to expect.

In detail, this is what I experienced. The shot actually made it hurt worst for some time. But, and this is a big BUT, all three times within 24 hours the pain was completely gone. I went right back laying brick each time with no problems what so ever.

As I said, it happened again in different areas a couple of years later… Keep in mind also that I laid brick for another 15+ years without any problems.

If I were you, I would go yesterday to my doctor and do this. Do not let it linger. It could get worst and the months of therapy if not years will not fix it in 24 hours.

I think Cortisone gets a bad wrap from experiences like those that a close friend of mine had. However, he had to have shots very often and had them for over fifty years running. He died at 72 a couple of years ago. He suffered from Rheumatoid Arthritis. His bones eventually got weak and brittle.

Scott do not let anyone tell you different. No one’s bones are going to get weak and brittle from a couple dozen cortisone shots in their lifetime not to mention just a few shots in a lifetime. I would not hesitate to have more cortisone shots if the need arose again.

Some things in doctoring and medicine does work like a miracle. I guarantee you Cortisone is a miracle cure. You'd have to work hard to abuse it friend.
Take care!

Coincidently, my wife had to see the Orthopedic Dr today, and he was telling us that HE had 'trigger finger' surgery about a week ago.
He said normally it is a simple procedure to cut the 'pulley', but in his case he let it go too long and the tendon eventually frayed, and therefore had to be repaired ...
If you don't have a queasy stomach, here is a video of the procedure ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DISCFr0YeiM

Seems like it is better to take care of it sooner rather than later ...
Best of luck, Scott, ...

Thanks to everyone for your input and concerns.
I've scheduled the earliest appointment (next Tuesday) with my primary care physican
and will pass on the information shared by you with him.
In the meantime, I've discovered that anti-inflamatory medication (aspirin, naxopren, ibuprophen)
is recommended to reduce tendon inflamation, but unfortunately I'm concurrently just getting over
a bout of tinitus (ringing ears) of which anti-inflamatory medications exaccerbate.

Russ and Boo: Glad to hear you both are now able to play again after your hand traumas (albeit different challenges). Boo, though I currently don't (yet) suffer pain, I'll definitely bring up the cortisone treatment you recommend to my doctor.


Yep, you're probably right Tony, as he's the sz unofficial resident doctor. It will be interesting to get his take on this, though I realize he's going thru enough already recovering from his recent heart attack. Gar, I hope you're on the mend and feeling a lot better real soon.

TonyMads, thanks for sharing your story about your wife's doctor's experience and treatment for trigger finger. My fingers are crossed (ouch ) that mine is enough in the preliminary stages to prevent requiring me to undergo surgery as that would mean having to cancel all keyboard gigs for a given time post operation.


I admittedly acknowledge this and agree, as
back in college (music school), I too suffered wrist pain when playing the piano and discovered it was bad technique and ergonomics and attended a workshop to learn the Alexander Technique approach to playing the piano & singing. It helped me 'immensely' as it not only technically improved the way I played & sang (with greater ease), but resulted in a freer sound quality to my playing & singing as well. Unfortunately over the years (20+) I've become lax in keeping up with and practicing the technique so guess it's time to take a refresher course now.

The Alexander Technique and Piano Playing:



Alexander Technique Workshop with Rebecca Tuffey:

Scott,

Just got home and saw your post - bummer!. Tendonitis is not at all unusual for individuals who play piano and stringed instruments, especially if they have a grueling schedule.

Essentially, the tendon becomes inflamed, swells, and often the tendon sheath is involved. The inflammatory process is exacerbated when you continue to do what caused tendonitis to begin with. This can lead to fusing of the tendon within the sheath, thus requiring surgical intervention and a tendon release procedure. Heavy equipment operators, such as someone using a jack-hammer, hammering nails, body/fender workers, etc..., frequently experience fusing of the tendon and sheath.

In your case, you are probably not anywhere near that point, at least I hope not. Simply giving those hands a couple weeks rest often is all that's needed to achieve relief. The administration of anti-inflammitory drugs, such as Prednisone, which is a potent steroid, often provides instant relief, but you still must give those hands a rest or the problem will eventually worsen. Soaking your hands in a basin filled with warm water and Epson salt a couple times a day will also bring about some quick relief. I've seen some piano players resort to wearing form-fitting, white, cotton gloves while performing, claiming it lessons the pressure on the tendons, while not hampering their playing technique. I saw Liberace playing while wearing gloves when he had a TV show.

Hope this helps, and please get well soon,

Gary

To echo Gary - bummer! Scott, I have no medical expertise and all I can do is wish you well and to have a speedy recovery from whatever treatment is necesaary.

I must've lucked out in this regard. I've never had any training and my hands just play the way they play. I'm certain a teacher would howl in horror at the way I find my way around a keyboard, but I've never had so much as a twinge. Go figure, eh?

Wonder if Doctor Kildares got a cure for Pins & Neddles

Great memories from The Searchers.....
You really are the one to add some fun to a serious thread
BTW anyone have the lyrics this old tune...I could never make them out, except the "needles and pinzer"!!!
Thanks Tony

http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/the_searchers/needles_and_pins.html


"Needles and Pins"

I saw her today, I saw her face
It was the face I loved and I knew
I had to run away and get down on my knees and pray
That they'd go away

But still they begin
Needles and pins
Because of all my pride
The tears I gotta hide

Hey, I thought I was smart, I wanted her
Didn't think I'd do, but now I see
She's worse to him than me
Let her go ahead, take his love instead
And one day she will see

Just how to say please
And get down on her knees
Yeah, that's how it begins
She'll feel those needles and pins
a-hurtin her, a-hurtin her

Why can't I stop and tell myself I'm wrong, I'm wrong, so wrong
Why can't I stand up and tell myself I'm strong

Because I saw her today, I saw her face
It was the face I loved and I knew
I had to run away and get down on my knees and pray
That they'd go away

But still they begin
Needles and pins
Because of all my pride
The tears I gotta hide
Ah, needles and pins
Needles and pins
Needles and pins

Always loved the Searchers

ye old ship mate Tony,
I'm experiencing no needles and pins,
just some annoying clicks and pops
That said, I'm searching (searchers ) for a cure.

Doc Gary,
Thanks for the helpful background and tips.
So far, the trigger thumb clicking I'm experiencing is
relatively mild and (not yet) very painful. I'm taking
your advice and going to try to lay off using it as much as a possible. Thankfully, when playing in arr. mode, and merely using my LH to trigger chords (full-fingered)
it doesn't really necessitate bending my LH upper thumb joint much, so I'm still able to play & perform on the arranger without irritating the LH thumb joint. If it were in my right thumb, it would have been another story.


I've found soaking my hand in warm water helps and even made the trigger thumb click go away, albeit temporarily. Thanks for your recommendation about adding epson salts to the water. I plan to pick up a box of that (along with a thumb stabilizer) today at my local Walgreens/CVS pharmacy. Hopefully doing all this will tide me over till I see my doc next Tuesday.

Scott... I can relate, as a couple of years ago, I had the EXACT same issue... left hand thumb, 'locking' into place and couldn't move itself out of lock without the other hand straightening it, there was some considerable pain playing. I guess mine got more severe than yours has so far. Hopefully, we can catch it before it gets worse.

I went to see a physician about it, and basically got three options. Firstly, immobilize it as much as possible with a full hand thumb stabilizer, and try anti-inflammatories off the shelf. The next step was cortisone injections in the hand. Mind you, when asked about effectiveness, my doctor didn't say he guaranteed they would work, and spoke of the next step, which would be surgery on the hand to shave away at the tendon that was getting stuck in the tunnel. It didn't sound very promising.

Being a cheap (and cautious!) SOB, I opted for Plan A... But saw no improvement over a couple of weeks, possibly it got worse.

Then I talked to a guitarist friend of mine, and he said he also had had joint and tendon problems, and had used a homeopathic remedy called Turmeric Pills (yes, the yellow spice used in much Indian and Asian cuisine). You can get these down at most health food stores, and he said the best ones were paired with a activator called Bromalain and Boswellia. He swore blind by them, so I went and got me some (probably about $25 for a week or so's supply) and started taking them. I didn't see any improvement for a few days (the inflammation had got pretty bad, being aggravated by playing 5 nights a week and some days!) but he told me to hang in there...

And what do you know, after about a month or so, the clicking stopped, the joint worked normally again, and I haven't had a recurrence (even though I stopped about a month after the problem went away) since.

I encourage you to do some internet searching for the effectiveness of turmeric, and hopefully, you can avoid the pain and expense of the doctor, and try healing it without injections and steroids, or god forbid, surgery.

It worked for me, and mine had got much worse than you are describing...

Scott, on the bad technique and ergonomics thing that kbrkr alluded to, I think there is something to it. I probably have lousy technique, I have no idea, but I remember my first teacher (I must have been six or seven) telling me to play 'wrist high' (sorta' like legs hanging over the end of a pier), in other words keep the wrists level with or higher than the hands. I probably play as often as anyone and as hard, and I've never, ever had a pain in my hands or wrists related to playing. In fact, practically everything else hurts EXCEPT my hands/wrists (arthritis). Bad knees, hip replacements, all, but the hands stay 'golden'. Hope you resolve it soon. Playing through pain is no fun.

chas

Scott,
I forgot something that goes along with Diki's comments. Back in '95 when I was still very active in brickwork, I couldn't get up a ladder with my left knee.

I was explaining to my son in a restaurant the next morning that my doctor told me we'd have to do surgery on that knee in a couple of years.

An old farmer boy in bibbed overalls leans back in is chair from the next table with a straw in his mouth and says, Boo go get some Glucosamine chondroitin and MSM, take it for 8 weeks and let me know how you are doing.

To the day 8 weeks later the pain went away and I've been climbing the ladder ever since and no knee surgery.

Scott, do not do like some friend of mind and tell me it doesn't work. When I asked them about it, they said that they took one pill every day. People don't listen. I told them that I take 3 pills every morning and 2 every night. It absolutely works and is much cheaper and less painful then knee surgery.

It doesn't work if you don't take 5 pills a day. If you try Diki's recommendation for a while and it doesn't work give the Glucosamine a try. You've got nothing to lose but a few bucks.

Ask my wife I've been taking this stuff religiously now for 15 years and I'm just a little bit crazier then when I started with the treatment.

Hi Diki, wow, your trigger thumb condition got far worse than I'm experiencing (so far), so fully sympathize what you
must have had to endure, so thanks for coming forward to share the treatment cure that worked for you.
I don't see my doctor till Tuesday but have located a local vitamin shop that carrys this 'Solaray brand' Turmeric Special formula of which includes both Bromalain and Boswellia as well.




Ingredients (per capsule):

200 mg: Turmeric (Curcuma longa) (root extract) (Guaranteed 190 mg [95%] curcumins)
325 mg: Bromelain (from pineapple stem) (Supplying 2500 GDU/ g)
50 mg: Boswellia ( Boswellia serrata) (gum extract) (Guaranteed 32.5 mg [65%] boswellic acid)

dosage: take 1 capsule 1-3x/day with meals or a glass of water.



Ok, I gather from that then that you took the Turmeric with Bromelain & Boswellia every day for an entire month before the problem went away and then continued taking it every day for another month after, so will need to plan to purchase a 2 months supply?
Also, What 'dosage strength' of Turmeric, Bromelain, and Boswellia did you take of each, and and 'how many' times a day did you take it? Thanks again for your advice.



hi Chas thanks for the support.
I really envy that you never had any hand or wrists injuries from playing, because I initially experienced tendonitis problems playing keyboard in a band in college. Luckily, til now, I've been able to dodge that bullet for 20 years.



Interestingly enough Boo, at my local vitamin store, I saw Glucosamine sitting on the shelf right next to the Turmeric. If the Turmeric formula doesn't work, I'll probably give Glucosamine a try as I honestly don't relish the idea of surgery and having to be 2-3 weeks out of gig commision post operation.

Scott the Glucosamine will do noting if you don't get the triple treatment of Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM. I use to have to buy all three separately, now it comes all together in one pill.
Flex-a-min is what I use mostly but there is another brand also that I use.

That one will not help, Boo. It's used to help joint problems - not tendon inflammation.

Gary

Oops!!!!!
Don't want to hurt anyone, Gary. Thanks. Scott listen to Gary.

Scott, that's the EXACT pills I was taking. It's quite possible with your less severe injury that they may start working for you a lot sooner than mine did. I was doing 3 a day, with food.

It's possible that you may also heal faster than I did if your playing schedule and technique is different to mine. At the time, I was playing in a fairly high energy 5 piece, real drums, etc, and was doing no arranger playing (chord LH at changes, and little else) and also was doing a fair bit of LH bass as well as my usual 'two right hands' approach to live gigging. So, I was working it pretty hard.

The worst thing is, after years of playing, it proved SO difficult to change my technique, and stay off the thumb and not tuck it under for the scales, etc.! To be honest, I failed miserably. But you sound like you are catching it early.

Immobilize it 100% when not playing, some ibuprofen to handle pain management and a bit of help with the anti-inflammatory aspects too, and then the Turmeric pills. I'd take a second look at the doctor's other more invasive solutions if you don't feel an improvement in a month, probably less. It worked like a charm for me, and I had it MUCH worse than you are describing, Scott.

Best of luck.

Scott,

All that crap will have side effects, just don't play the KB , play mp3, everybody else does... no one will know the difference.. Have you ever thought of taking VSt. that might cure it, works well for Billy..keeps the arrangers at bay!!


BTW what did you think of the olympics opening, no one puts on a party like the UK, mind you we are not in the euro???

Diki,
Because the Solaray brand Turmeric 'special formula' worked even for your much more severe case of trigger thumb,
I rushed back to my local vitamin store to buy it. I'm going to follow your 3x/day for 2 months regiment to the letter in hopes it cures the problem as well as it did for you. The one thing I need to avoid though (at least for now) is the ibuprofen, aspirin, or nsaids, as these anti-inflammatory medications can trigger tinitis (ringing of the ears), of which I'm just recovering from as well. I suppose tendinitis and tinnitus are the occupational hazards of our chosen trade.



Yes, I thought it was fantastic and 'uniquely' British too. I esp. noted the appreciative tribute paid to your National Health Service (NHS). Why can't we in America get health care together?!
Great British history of music tribute too.
I suspect many Americans may not have got the half of it, but having recently become an anglo-phile I think I appreciated it more now than I would have a few years back before we met you and my other sz buddies on the other side of the pond.

Scott

I had a good laugh seeing the 'one fingered' keyboard playing by Rowan Atkinson (aka: Mr. Bean).
. . . and his keyboard wasn't even an arranger.

Hey Scott you video isn't available!!!

Scott,
You have a PM
Deane

Boo, unfortunately YouTube took down the clip due to
a copyright claim by the international Olympic committee.
Last night, I was lucky enough to see the
entire 3 hour BBC broadcasted Olympic Opening Ceremony on YouTube without commercial interruption.
Unfortunately that clip got removed from YouTube as well.

Our American network NBC aired it later in the evening, but regretfully chock full of annoying commercials, which imo ruined the flow of the show.



Deane, got it, thanks.
I've sent you a return PM on SZ.
Scott

Scott ... that's what DVRs are for ...

not sure if available outside the UK but try the BBC iPlayer http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/tv

Bill

No it's not Bill only the UK

Hi Boo,
It's been uploaded again to Youtube . See below.
Will be interesting to see if/how long before it eventually gets removed:

Rowan Atkinson's (Aka: Mr. Bean) one-fingered playing approach

It is also here, Scott, in case it gets removed from YouTube.

http://www.viralviralvideos.com/2012/07/27/mr-bean-at-olympics-2012-opening-ceremonies/

It is a Korg M3, I believe.

Ian

Ian,

He wasn't playing it, twas a MP3 file. haaaaaa even we do that over here. hey your boy lost the swimming, not yours Ian..

One of the benefits of the turmeric pills is.... no side effects AT ALL.

In fact, for many problems, turmeric is a more effective remedy than what the doctors prescribe, with none of THEIR side effects, but because it can't be patented and prescribed, doctors ignore it because they (and their pharmaceutical reps) can't charge you through the nose for it.

After all, turmeric is an everyday spice used in food. It wouldn't be so popular if it had nasty side effects..!

Dr Diki,

Since Scott's been taking Turmeric on your advice he's started to drop things, he's all fingers and thumbs now, is there a reversal drug!!!

Quack Quack Quack

Dr Do-Little-These-Days

Scott's made a fantastic curry today with the turmeric, vindaloo ...





Now look what you've done


Scott's version

http://scottyee.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/RingFire128.wma

Would someone please interpret Tony Hughes' post for me. Thanks friends. Ha ha!
Boo

Yep... seriously, Tony - have you considered altering the dosage of whatever you are on?

Tony, whatever you are taking, can you legally send some to me?

Ha Ha..."ring of fire"...too funny!

I make my curry a tad less spicy.

Ian

Will have to be disguised has turmeric Ian snuff

Thnx, boo ... I thought it was just me ...

I think it's the Brit/Canuck common sense of humor that seems to slip by the unwary...ha ha!

It's no good when you have to esplain dem.

Ian,

Something about being South of the border bet Larry would get it.

Larry always gets them.

Let's see if we can put this, er, delicately for our U.S. friends.

Ring of Fire: A phenomenon that may be caused by consuming a Vindaloo. Being one of the hotter dishes in Indian cuisine, the Vindaloo has a tendency to affect a certain sensitive area of the anatomy with a burning sensation while it follows the digestive tract to its final destination. A similar condition may result after eating some Mexican dishes with which some of our American members may be more familiar.

Does that help, guys?

Vive la Ruby Murray!

Out here in the Boonies, finding great Indian food is an almost impossible task, so I make my own (after all, I was born and raised an Englishman, and it IS our National Cuisine!).

I have a bunch of local musicians and friends who gather once a week, usually at my house, for food and friendship, and we usually have a themed food evening. I can tell you, my Indian Nights are always packed, and I seldom have leftovers!

Sadly, while I can get most of my friends to EAT Indian, I am still struggling with getting them to cook it for themselves, despite how easy it can be. We are pretty used to Cajun food round here, so spicy is not an issue. Mind you, I haven't tried a Tindaloo out on them yet! Vindaloo is a hit, though!

Ring of Fire is played the next day, but on the night, it's 'Hot, hot, hot'!

Ditto here, all the way, Diki.

Thanks 124...Vindaloo is a favorite...I have lovely female friend who makes it for me...both are hot, and neither give me any problems.

I love spicy food anyway...Thai peppers are always in our homemade chili...gets us through those cold Canuck winters...ha ha!

Ian

It's amazing how Scott 'trigger finger' thread has turned to our second favorite topic - FOOD -

now back to the OT subject ... last year in Ocean City MD during a golf week, we ate at this one course that had 'Death Wings' on the menu ... I asked the waitress what that meant and she said "exactly what it says" ... I said "bring it on" ... well she must have told the chef, and I was served THE HOTTEST wings I have ever tasted ... problem was it was all about the heat and not any flavor ... I got through 5 and surrendered ... one other guy ate about 6, but cut them off the bone ... he said as long as the heat didn't touch his mouth he was fine ... this year we went back and the waitress told us they had to cut back on them because a guy was eating them and they had to call the EMTs ...

That's usually the problem, Tony...when it is all about the heat and not the flavour...it's like some kind of a contest to see who can stand the most pain.

I like very hot spicy food, but, it has to tickle the taste buds as well as provide that nice "burn" we all love.

What do you recommend to eat or drink (non-alcoholic) after eating very spicy food to effectively cool your scorched mouth and tongue? I usually have chocolate ice-cream with chocolate sauce.

Ian

Therein lies the art of Indian cooking, to not kill the flavours with heat. Some chefs are better at it than others.

Best thing after spicy food is to eat or drink nothing that will spread the heat. Plain bread is a good option as the bread will absorb the spiciness. With the meal itself, I always order a plain naan. Of course, mileages will differ according to individual heat tolerances and pain thresholds.

Here's something I've often wondered about. Hot spicy foods seem to originate in hot countries - India, Mexico, etc. Why is that? I've heard theories about hot foods equalising internal body temperatures with outside temperatures. Seems a bit odd, that.

I believe the spices, herbs, peppers, etc. grow better (hotter) in hot climates ...

The way to deal with heat is already well known by the Indians...

Yoghurt! Either in Lassi (a yoghurt based drink, often drunk before the meal, to line the stomach and protect from the hot spices) or in Raita, a yoghurt, cucumber and mint condiment served with the meal. If you are faced with a curry that is a bit over the top, some raita on the side (or plain yoghurt if you don't want to change the flavor much) and it calms it down quickly.

In fact, any time you make something that the heat gets out of hand (you might have got an extra potent batch of chillies), stir in some yoghurt or sour cream, and much of the heat goes away.

And follow the meal with a light dessert made with milk or cream, maybe a nice cardamom flavored rice pudding or even simple ice cream, and tomorrow won't be quite as agonizing!

At least the Indian food, trigger thumb dual thread has a common element... Turmeric!

Well you see at least Diki got the point eating hot curries and the day after, I am sure you all did,you are just playing hard to get, please don't let me have to keep explaining things to you you should know at your age.

Hey Tony,
"At your age." Great point!!! You and I man great minds think alike!!!

Are you also one of the folks here that thinks that after playing music for 150 years that one might want to play something with more than 3 chords or, are you one of those folks who after 150 years of playing music is still doing ony three chords in the key of "E"? Ha ha!

Hey brickboo,

Now I am at a disadvantage, I don't understand a word of it, can you explain to an old man...

Tony,

Come out to Colorado. We'll get along fine now that we understand each other. You'll just need to get use to my "BLOODY" Cajun accent. Ha ha!

I'll show you a place were people who have been career military, been all over the world, they tell me, and yet chose to live here in Western Colorado, on the Western Slope Of The Rocky Mountains.

Watch the John Wayne movie "True Grit" and if you like the scenery, if you come I'll drive you over to see it.

Don't invite me any where, I don't have bus fair to get to town now, lol.

By the time you get here I'll be a Hot Dog Man street vendor and I'll be able to take you anywhere we can drive.

I'd love to see England and Europe. How old can it get?
I just discovered a few years ago that I have a sister in Austria.

I recommend they make a movie of my Dad's military life. Ha ha!

Aren't you glad no one's made a comment about ruining a post by the subject change? I mean variety is the spice of life, right?

Who in the hell just wants to talk about Jazz all the time,or about sounds and more sounds, Geez that about as shallow as an empty pot eh?

Boo, I'm and Air Force brat!


R.

Scott... keep us posted about your ongoing situation. I am very interested to hear whether my recommendation proved effective for you.

Probably a little early to tell, but please post back as things progress.

Hi Diki,
Ok, I saw my doc last week
and he confirmed that I indeed have trigger finger of the thumb,
so scheduled me an appt with the orthopedics clinic for a
cortisone injection which he assured would reduce the
inflamation of the tendon & surrounding sheath immediately, allowing me to bend and straighten my thumb freely & pain free again almost right away.
He said the cortisone typically lasts 1-2 years, and in some cases people don't get trigger finger in that joint ever again.

In the meantime, he recommended I try icing it 3-4 times a day for 3-4 days, and if my thumb got better, cancel the injection appt.
I did exactly that, as well as (per Gary D's) advice, soak my LH in hot water + epson salts
a few times a day, and also have continued taking the Tumeric capsules you (Diki) recommended 3x a day.
Interestingly enough when I asked my doc about Tumeric as a treatment, he sounded skeptical, but said taking it shouldn't do any harm either.
After ten days now, my thumb hasn't really improved and now perhaps even more painful, so
I'm off tomorrow morning (Tuesday) for my scheduled cortisone (steroid) injection. I hate shots but
my doc assured me that it shouldn't be too painful (promises promises )
as they first apply a numbing spray to the skin and that linacane is also mixed in with the cortisone to help reduce the pain.
At this point, I suppose it'll be worth some pain to rid the debilating pain of trigger finger.
I've got an important gig coming up a week after this coming Thursday
so hope my LH thumb will be pain free and fully functional by then, as currently,
even playing in arranger mode, switching back and forth playing LH small & large interval chords is pretty painful.

Realizing tendinitis is a common ailment of professional keyboard players, I'm surprised that more people on this forum haven't posted experiences regarding trigger finger or tendonitis.

Diki, please followup with more details about your trigger finger (thumb) experiences & current situation.
After taking the Solaray 'Special formula' tumeric for 2 months, did your trigger thumb ever come back, or show up in any other finger(s)?

Regards,

Scott

Scott,

What kind of doctors do you folks have around there. Man you'd better move away or you'll be gigging just to keep your doctor payments up in a few years.

20 years ago When I had my first shot, my family doctor gave it to me right on the spot. I hope having to go to a Ortho whatever doesn't run you broke.

Watch these guys man, they'll have you going to their friend the chiro whatever twice a week. Some of those folks will have you working full time two jobs just to pay them in no time. Be careful!!!

Take two aspirin go to bed and call me in the morning.
This is no pun. They have huge house, car and golf cart and golf payments every month not to mention the wife's beauty parlor visits two or three times a week and don't get me going on the face lifts.

What about only the very best private schooling for the kids and believe me the list goes on and on and on and you'll be paying for it all. He he! I know it ain't funny friend!

Be careful, lots of us old farts have been there, did that and own the T-SHIRTS.

Boo, my Kaiser Permanente HMO health insurance co-payment is $15 for a doctors office visit and $10 for the injection at the orthopedic clinic.
Total out of pocket expense: $25. That's a lot cheaper than the rip off Blue Shield Health Insurance plan I had before.
I switched to Kaiser Permanente 3 years ago and I'm very happy with the care they've given me (so far), and signifantly lower monthly premiums and co-pay amount as well.
Believe it or not, I feel I'm receiving far better health care now, along with courteous service to boot.
Boo, don't know what (if any) health care insurance you got, but Kaiser Permanente is availabe in Colorado, as well as here in California, so Check it out here,
as the 2011-2012 NCQA Health Insurance Plan Ranking lists Kaiser Permanente as the highest rated plan in Colorado, and ranked #6 in the nation.

Scott

Scott,
The musicians in New Orleans have no insurance. They can hardly eat and pay rent. I thought you were a poor musician. In New Orleans the only musicians that have insurance are folks like Al Hirt (when he was alive), Pete Fountain, Harry Connick Jr, Fats Domino etc.

If you have insurance, unless you have a full time day job too, you are one of the best well off musicians I'm proud to say I know. Good for you friend.

We have lots of entertainers here that probably have insurance because they make the big bucks. There's something to say about making big bucks for sure.

Scott,

Start taking Glucosamine, MSM and Chondroitin as soon as your knees start giving you trouble if that ever happens. Don't even wait a week. If 5 pills a day does not do the trick in 8 weeks, then go to a doctor. Especially when you get old like DonM, Gary, Donny and Uncle Dave. Oh yea, don't forget Fran on this list of old ones.

Scott, I'm on medicare with a supplement policy.

Scott, the trigger thumb has never recurred...

And don't be surprised about your doctor being skeptical. He can't charge you for it, or make any money from the drug reps and Big Pharma..!

Hell Scott,

It all free in the UK, free to anyone who comes here, the older you are and the more problems you have the better, we'll fix you.

Trigger Finger Update:

I recieved a cortisone shot 6 days ago and though it helped to relieve the pain, my left thumb joint's still catching (clicking).
I'm thankful that playing in arranger mode allows me to reduce my LH to simply playing full chords and only minimally playing LH melodic motifs in order to limit LH thumb joint activity.

Diki, I'm really glad to learn that even with your more severe case of trigger thumb that yours never came back, and that you cured it simply taking the turmeric pills alone. Wow! Not sure yet about me, but unless my trigger thumb fully recovers relatively soon (another month?!) I may have to opt for hand surgery to permanently solve the problem. I hope I won't need to resort to that though, so continuing (as you recommended) to take the Solaray Turmeric 'Special Formula' capsules 3x a day for a month. Keeping my fingers (but not thumb) crossed.

Scott

I was concerned when I didn't see immediate improvement on only the turmeric pills, but my buddy who recommended them said it was going to take a while... One of the keys to recuperation on a thing like this (an inflamed tendon) is immobilization and as little use as possible. Sleep in that hand splint, basically, try to even play in it if at all possible.

I hope that you continue the turmeric, and show a bit of patience before you get to the surgery option. After all, I bet your doctor was pretty optimistic about the injection route, too... but that doesn't seem so far to have panned out for him. What guarantees is he giving that surgery will permanently cure it and impart NO loss of function of the thumb? Me, I was scared sh**less of that possibility, and gave the turmeric FAR more time than I would have were it another joint in my body!

Fingers (and thumb) crossed!

I would get even another opinion before doing surgery - even though that might be the best option. Good luck with turmeric. If you take a lot of it, you might start making a lot of Indian friends.

Maybe just resting the hand for a couple of weeks might be helpful ...

Wishing you a full recovery.

Scott the Glucosamine MSM Chondroitin boast renewing cartilage and aiding healing etc. Sounds to me like a clicking could be bones hitting rubbing against each other because the cartilage is wearing out.

I'm finished doctoring. Ha ha!

Brickboo... trigger finger is caused by an inflamed tendon, nothing to do with joint cartilage. The tendon to extend the finger (or thumb) passes through a sort of tunnel in the knuckle. When it gets inflamed, it pops through the tunnel, but can't pop back, because of the swelling.

http://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/guide/trigger-finger