Help severe thumb pain

[Miaowm]

Three days ago I developed pain in the base of
my thumb while working. It’s steadily
worsened despite icing it and using pain killers. No injury to it, any thoughts on what it could be or suggestions to help?

Go to a GP?

De Quervains? I get this now and again!

Ah this is very interesting I’ve had a look and could definitely be this. Does it take long to settle?

Helpful. It’s 9pm on a Saturday night. I won’t be able to see a gp until later this week due to waiting times

@Miaowm I get it now and again (unsure why as I don't have a desk job!). It tends to settle within a couple of weeks max (if not less), then I can go absolutely ages between flare ups! It's very random for me. I google exercises for it when it's painful, and they do help.

I get this too, it lasts for 1-2 weeks then goes away until the next time.

Had a flare up last week because I'd been lifting and DIY ing, I tried strapping it and it did help a lot especially immobilising it overnight.

If you see the photo I've attached - I strapped first up the cream bones twice - once up the bones as shown and then another strip directly next to it on the left. Then I strapped round the wrist where the white band is shown in the pic.

I used microporous surgical tape, strapping tape and Elastoplast tape, all worked equally well (but last differently if your getting it wet). All v v v cheap and readily available in the first aid section of the likes of boots and Superdrug.

If you google how to strap a thumb I'm sure there's a better tutorial than mine!

I had de Quervains when I was breastfeeding my first baby, which isn't uncommon apparently - it's the combination of hormones that relax your body, plus repeatedly lifting up a hefty baby by the armpits. It's colloquially known as "mother's thumb" for that reason.

I could really feel the tendon snapping over my wrist joint when I moved my thumb, which was painful and really grim.

I initially had it misdiagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome by a GP, who recommended the wrong kind of splint plus otc painkillers, and it didn't really help.

I then spent £70 to see an amazing physio who recommended the right kind of splint as well as wrist supports for typing, ibuprofen gel, experimenting with keeping it warm and cold to see what helped, and some exercises. It did get much better quite quickly after that. It never came back, though I was much more careful with my second baby not to lift him up by putting my hands under his armpits.

If it is de Quervains you need a splint that immobilises your thumb, but worth getting checked out to confirm that is what you have.

Can I ask how you did lift to avoid it?

By putting both hands flat under his back and neck, and scooping him up without really moving my thumbs. That's how you would normally try to pick up a baby who couldn't hold his head up anyway, so I just kept on like that.

I can't say with certainty that was the only thing that stopped the de Quervains developing the second time though.