Thumb Joint Pain / Tendonitis

Hi Drs. Baraki and Feigenbaum,

It seems ridiculous to be writing in the forums about finger pain but here I am. After having searched the forums and google, I can’t find sources of information that provide consistent diagnoses / treatments for the symptoms I am experiencing. I have been experiencing these symptoms for about a month and a half now with no noticeable improving/worsening of the severity:

  1. Swelling of the distal thumb joint to the point of being noticeably wider than the opposite hand
  2. Stiffness / reduced range of motion in that joint. Some days I can bend it maybe 25-50% of the full range of motion as compared to the opposite hand. This usually requires some assistance from the other fingers.

I’m not entirely sure if this is training related as I didn’t feel pain acutely at the joint during any specific training session that I can remember. I haven’t used a splint or altered my training in any way i.e. I still squat, deadlift, press with the same grip (no hook grip). Same goes with work habits (I sit at a computer for most of the day). At the beginning, I didn’t worry much as I have had other tendinopathies that healed over time with no large changes or interventions, but this has persisted with no discernible improvements for nearly two months.

Is there a specific intervention that you would recommend here? If I have not been specific enough I am happy to provide more information.

-Jordan

How old are you?

When you say “distal thumb joint”, which specific joint do you mean?

Do you have any medical problems?

I am 31 and am referring to the interphalangeal joint. I have no medical problems that I am aware of.

That’s a bit of an unusual joint to see problems with, particularly at your age (as opposed to the 1st carpometacarpal joint, where we see osteoarthritis very commonly in folks as they get older). I’m not sure I have a great explanation for you as to what could be going on. I’d recommend an in-person evaluation if it bothers you enough.