Thumb Tendon Injury...

[cape cod beachfront golfer]

Pretty severe case of De Quervian tendonitis in my right thumb....

Especially bad in the AM which is when I usually golf...

If your are not familiar with it think of a Plantar Facitis type pain...

Tendons from the thumb are binding in the sheath area between hand and wrist...

Has anyone had a successful recovery... without the surgery to relieve the tendon binding?

Last year I had a successful cortisone shot... this year the first shot failed !

I have appointment in 2 days with a hand surgeon...

I am hopping to convince them to give a 2nd shot... but am not encouraged.

I CAN play but it takes a long time to 'free the tendons' in the morning...

Last year I over did the Naproxen and messed up my kidneys for awhile. So meds have to be watched.

Any suggestions.... Ice? Heat? Massage? Wrap?

So far the best has been the "granny gloves" you see older ladies wearing when knitting.

Really need some suggestions (hope) before facing surgery and a month or 2 lost from my season.

Season isn't really long here in the Northeast so a month or 2 is a real loss...

[DrvFrShow]

No. But i have the issue. both hands. Larger grips seemed to help. Also, have you considered using a Mizuno Batting glove? Like This One or

This One

They're a bit thicker leather that's pretty much it. The thicker leather seems to absorb the shock better than a golf glove.

[cape cod beachfront golfer]

I am one of those guys that normally plays without a glove but I might give it a try. I have always found golf gloves, especially 2 gloves to be a pain. Things like getting tees out of your pocket become a struggle when I use 2 rain gloves. Would the strap at the base of the glove give support to the 'hinge area' of the wrist? That is the key area for me.... the soft area between base of thumb and wrist. They definitely do look stronger than conventional golf gloves.

So far these 'granny gloves' are the best I have found. I cut the finger holes so only the thumb is strapped in. Then I pull the palm area down so club is setting mostly on skin. I used them this way a lot this indoor golf simulator season. But that was just once a week...

Have you found any way to loosen the tension in the morning?  I  end up running the thumb under warm water and doing a lot of massage and stretching of the thumb. Hurts like hell in the morning but does it better as the day goes on. Silly but I think the swelling from using it kind of masks the pain?  Until the next AM...

[Dpt2005]

Tendon injuries due to overuse, particularly in the hands where the muscles are small to begin with, need rest to heal. I agree that a glove that provides a "wider" grip will help some but really your conditioning is due to over use of an extensor tendon (which is why it probably hurts, yet feels good, to stretch the thumb down). In order to stop the pain, you just eliminate the motion that provides the pain. You need to brace to heal a tendon injury, use ice to reduce inflammation, stretch but not to the point of pain (since pain will only make the problem worse). Lastly, you need to strengthen the area to prevent it from returning. Tendons don't contract and relax, they only connect muscles to bones. If a muscle needs to be repeatedly used for a specific task, the. It needs to be trained/strengthened on a regular basis to offset the strain that the activity places through it and the tendon. I recently spoke about the use of anti inflammatories, they merely "block" the pain but will never heal the true underlying problem unless the problem is addressed to eliminate the pain from returning. If the problem is never addressed, then each additional injection " never seems to do anything like the first one did". Have you visited a PT for an assessment? Thanks and keep swinging!

[DrvFrShow]

Another thing to look at is how you're gripping the club.