Thumb joint pain

[Jim Barrett]

I have been in my shop for the past several weeks grinding, honing, planing, sawing, chiseling....and my thumb is really suffering...especially my left thumb. Amazing how much pressure I place on my left thumb during all of these activities. Wondering if anyone else is/had experiencing any thumb (finger) ills?

Thanks,
Jim

[Jerome Hanby]

Mine stayed sore and pretty stiff for many weeks after an incident with a hammer.

One thing I noticed (had beat into my head) is that ibuprofen doe have its uses. I never used it because it never helped headaches, but I found it does the trick for mechnical problems. I guess because it addresses inflammation...

[Bill Maietta]

Yep, I've had the same stuff with my fingers. It's worst after a day or two of catching up on sharpening. My wife is a physician, and she told me years ago I should take naproxen sodium daily (Aleve, but generic is cheaper). I hate taking pills, but she had already convinced my to take vitamins, so I added it to my regimen - twice a day, one pill (two occasionally if I know I'm doing a lot of hand tool work.

It seems to help, for what it's worth, in an anecdotal sort of way.

No, this is not official medical advise, but she is a fine doctor.

[Rob Young]

On a similar note, I've found a few things that help me:

Ibuprofen (already suggested)

Making an effort to not press hard with my thumb curved backward (away from my palm). Instead, try and have the knuckle joint more forward (toward my palm) and press toward the tip of my thumb if I need lots of force. For me at least, they hyperextenion seems to cause much more pain after long session.

And finally, change up hand positions or tasks frequently. Just giving your joints a break seems to help a lot! I've recently come into a 044C plough and Stanley 45 and all those blades need sharpening. I'm trying to teach myself to switch hands during the back flattening step so that I alternate which thumb is on top providing downward force and which is helping to drive the blade on the stone. Makes a big difference. If I could figure out how to do this with my feet, I'd last 4 times as long!

[Jane Brown]

Pain is how our bodies tell us something is wrong. Hands and fingers are exceedingly complex mechanisms, and should be examined by professionals. Where, exactly, is your pain located? Inflammation from arthritis can be a possiblity. Lack of cartilage between articulating bones might also explain the pain. When there is no cartilage, flexing and extending joints is not a good thing to do. The joint needs to be relatively immobilized until the inflammation subsides. Go to your local sports medicine clinic for a work up.

[Jim Barrett]

Jane and Bill...welcome to the Creek! I have had a left thumb issue for a few years. Never really bothered me too much until I started working with handtools. I believe it was caused by overuse of a blackberry aka blackberry thumb! Pain is primarily in my thumb joint and will radiate down a little bit. Next time I see my Doc, in a month or so will speak to him about it...

Jim

[Maurice Ungaro]

Jim, sounds like you maybe suffering from tendonitis. I had that in my right thumb one time. It was so bad, I could not pick up anything with my right hand. Finally go a cortisone shot, and that cleared it up.

When I flattened the top on my workbench, I was starting to get some pain in my shoulder and elbow (go figure). I eased up and took it easy, and in time it went away.

You may need to look at your technique and see if the ergonomics are partly to blame.

[Jim Koepke]

The old moderation in all things and all things in moderation is good advice.

There is a reason it is called repetitive stress syndrome. My joints suffer a little from arthritis. My arms suffer some from carpal tunnel. Then there are the pains from too many old injuries.

One thing that works for me is to try and spread out the work. Keep the sharpening down to a few blades a day and do not let them get so dull that they require more than just a bit of touch up.

My most recent shop induced pain was from trying to make too many saw cuts and shooting the cuts all at one time. The good side is it got me to the doctor for a check up and a cortisone shot and my shoulder hasn't felt better in years.

Pay attention to the discomfort and find comfortable ways to do things.

jim

[george wilson]

Trigger point injections can bring quick relief. from playing finger style guitar for 56 years,I have an outgrowth in my thumbjoint( I CAN'T think of the name of it,though I know it perfectly well!) The cartilage looks like a rounded pyramid sticking out over the joint in x-rays. I have had 2 injections INTO the thumb joint. The first one hurts hour later so badly that I thought I'd have to go to the emergency room!! With the second one,I got codeine also prescribed! I haven't had a 3rd yet.the dr. said that 3 was all they would do,then surgery was necessary.

I hesitate to get surgery,because there are 3 or 4 options. Seems like most of them result in 50% strength loss in the hand. I've just been living with it,and taking anti inflammatories. Sooner or later,taking those will ruin your stomach,too. Go lightly on them.

The other trigger point injections have been just fine. It's the BIG one in the thumb joint that hurts. Afterwards there are several months of relief,though.

[James Taglienti]

I do a lot of honing by hand and the first joint on my index finger sometimes just feels like it's full of broken glass. While I'm at it, the middle of my back between my shoulder blades has got a fireball in it, too- I hand cut about 100 LF of 1/2 x 1/2 rabbets the other day. It caused a crick in my left thumb too, there is almost nowhere to comfortably hold a #289 I'm kind if thinking it isn't as great as i first thought..
it feels good to complain some times.

[Leigh Betsch]

My joints are fine but boy my skin sure cracks up and splits around my thumb nails and finger joints. Then of course theres the standard piercing slivers.

[Larry Slotylak]

My thumb has been sore for several weeks as well - first time in my life. I'm left handed and it is my right thumb that is sore - right at the base of the thumb and sometimes I get tingling down the whole thumb. I've been using hand tools a fair amount on the week-ends. I also noticed that, sometimes, when in bed I use my thumb to prop up my head on the pillow. I think I may fall asleep in this position which cause a strain on the thumb.

[James Carmichael]

Thumb joint:confused: Is that like a finger joint:confused: Those often cause me pain.

I would say it's no big deal unless it persists for a long time.

Nowadays it's news when I don't have joint pain somewhere.

[Jim Barrett]

Finally got to my Dr today for my thumb pain. Had some x-rays taken and looks like I have arthritis in my thumb joint. I am pretty sure this came from repetitive use of a Blackberry for 5 years....

Jim

[John Gornall]

I'm having hand troubles and will be having surgery to fuse a few bones. So I'm looking at my work to see what changes I can make to take care of my hands. The first thing is to stop using my hands as hammers - I am so used to knocking things into place with the heel of my hand. My doctor has convinced me this has caused most of my problems. He says it's a problem he has seen hundreds of times with people that work with their hands. I've turned a bunch of mallets and am getting used to reaching for one when needed. I'm also considering a power sharpening system as I find honing tools really tenses up the hand joints and causes pain. Every time my hands hurt I stop and look for easier ways. Need to keep these hands going for many more years.

[Leigh Betsch]

Finally got to my Dr today for my thumb pain. Had some x-rays taken and looks like I have arthritis in my thumb joint. I am pretty sure this came from repetitive use of a Blackberry for 5 years....

Jim

Blackberry for 5 years? I just got one, I thought I was only about 2 years out of date. I better get rid of it and go back to smoke signals.

[Jim Koepke]

I'm also considering a power sharpening system as I find honing tools really tenses up the hand joints and causes pain. Every time my hands hurt I stop and look for easier ways. Need to keep these hands going for many more years.


I have had to learn to cope with joint pain, arthritis, tendonitis and carpal tunnel. The trick is to keep changing your grip. There are many ways to grip a plane or other tool and ones grip should be changed before you feel the effect.

Same with sharpening. Switch left to right if you can. Switch which fingers are supplying the pressure. Change the angle of how the fingers are pressing. What may even be more helpful is to do some sharpening, then switch to doing something else to work your hands, fingers and muscles in different ways.

Especially with planing, sawing and many other tasks, do not hold the tools with a death grip. Hold them lightly. As someone else once said, hold them as if they were a baby bird. Secure, but not squeezing it.

You should only have to hit a chisel hard when you are cutting a mortise. For most other uses is you are having to hit it hard, it needs sharpening. Light taps with a mallet should take care of most things if you are not cutting into woods measured in Rockwell hardness.

jim

jim

[Ken Shoemaker]

I tried to convince my wife that the only reasonable solution to my hands hurting, from over use in the shop, was to buy a new tool :D. I now realize that the pain from this beating will last longer that the hand pain....

Ctrl Alt Delete Ken

[David Keller NC]

I have been in my shop for the past several weeks grinding, honing, planing, sawing, chiseling....and my thumb is really suffering...especially my left thumb. Amazing how much pressure I place on my left thumb during all of these activities. Wondering if anyone else is/had experiencing any thumb (finger) ills?

Thanks,
Jim

Jim - You don't say whether you're right or left handed. Presuming you're right handed, I'd guess that most of the stress is coming from grinding and honing, since sawing and chiseling would be mostly with your right hand. If that's the case, I'd suggest two things: First, buy a magnetic dial indicator base for a few bucks. You can attach that to the back of a plane blade or chisel that you're honing, and it gives you a big handle that considerably reduces the stress and pressure on your finger/thumb joints. Second, consider going to a bicycle shop and get a pair of Spenco gel-filled bicycle gloves. This is worth paying the $20 - $40 to get the good ones - they not only fit better, are better cushioned with the correct density of gel, but also last considerably longer than the cheap ones. They're fingerless of course, which will cushion your palm and thumb without interfering with your fingertips.

[Jim Barrett]

David,
I am right handed but it is my left thumb...a few things that really bother it is holding a chisel, esp doing dovetails. I will need to change my grip from holding the chisel like a pencil to more of a wrapping my fingers around it. Also when using a shooting board my left hand is holding and pushing down the workpiece and I use my thumb to squeeze the wood up against the stop...then of course there is the tear in my rotator cuff...:(

Jim

[Andrew Gibson]

My fingers and hands don't usually hurt unless I use more preasure then I should for a lot longer then I should.

On the other hand (no pun intended) my hands usually start hurting about the time my skin is gone... scraping and sanding tend to abrade away my fingerprints. My computer has a fingerprint scanner for loging in. I know I did a good days work when I sit down in the evening and I can't log into my computer with the scanner.

But I'm 25 so what do I know about joint pain?

[Jim Barrett]

Andrew,
Yes when you are young arthritis does not typically figure into the equation. Osteoarthritis is just "wear and tear" on your joint...so maybe doing some things differently now will save you some pain when you hit your 50/60s :)

Jim

[Jim Barrett]

Blackberry for 5 years? I just got one, I thought I was only about 2 years out of date. I better get rid of it and go back to smoke signals.

Blackberry's have been around for a while...started using one in 2002.

Jim

[David Keller NC]

David,
I am right handed but it is my left thumb...a few things that really bother it is holding a chisel, esp doing dovetails. I will need to change my grip from holding the chisel like a pencil to more of a wrapping my fingers around it. Also when using a shooting board my left hand is holding and pushing down the workpiece and I use my thumb to squeeze the wood up against the stop...then of course there is the tear in my rotator cuff...:(

Jim

Sounds like from your description that the problem's more of applying muscle power to the joint than it is direct pressure on the joint. That said, I'd still recommend trying out the gloves - it's pretty inexpensive medicine, and in my case, it helped greatly on my left thumb joint that's damaged from an old skiing accident.