Wrist & thumb tendonitis

I'd definitely have someone look at your posture while playing, or post some videos here so people can comment. Do you play with your thumb on the back of the neck? or do you hold your uke with the "crotch" between thumb and first finger? I've been a PT for 40 years and I'd recommend seeing one for a couple of visits to look at things the doc may have missed (nothing against docs, but PT's tend to be more experienced with this kind of injury). Take your uke with you. Have them show you how to do an ice massage, and possibly a gentle friction massage on the tendon prior to icing. But the major question to ask yourself is "why". You can't change your arthritis, but is there a repetitive activity (uke or otherwise) that is contributing to the tendonitis? Ask yourself what makes the pain worse, and what makes it less. If your stomach tolerates it and it doesn't conflict with other medications, consider taking 400 mg of ibuprofin 3x/day for 2-3 weeks. This is NOT for pain, so take it regularly even if you are feeling better. This can break the inflammatory cycle. Good luck. Feel free to PM me with questions. Margie

Thanks for the reply. I take a prescription anti-inflammatory already. I primarily hold my uke between the thumb & index finger. Not all the way into the crotch area totally, depending of course on the chord/note I'm playing. I try to relax my hand, and not clutch too tight. I move my thumb to the back of the neck for barre chords. I have straps on all my ukes, and use them regularly when I play. My ortho doc told me about the ice massage. If the cortisone shot doesn't do the trick, then he'll have me see the hand therapist.
 
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Yes seeing a professional is good advice. However, be aware that they believe for the most part only in pills and surgery. My doctor said without surgery that I would live a life of pain. After trying many different things, I found a physical therapist who works my left forearm down to the ends of my fingers on the left side weekly. I have her work on my back, shoulders, etc as necessary but the main work is on my left wrist, hand, and fingers. I still cannot play a full size guitar. I do play a Baritone Ukulele, a Tenor Ukulele, and a Guitalele with almost no pain except for when I try barre chords. Sometimes I can play my small classical guitar with a 22 inch scale. For the most part a 20 " scale or shorter is best for me. A year ago I got tears in my eyes from pain when I tried to play anything. Today I play off and on all day long as the mood strikes which is often. Find what works best for you with the least pain and go for it but never give up. Good Luck.
 
UPDATE. After over 4 months of dealing with DeQuervain's tenosynovitis in my left wrist, I had a surgical DeQuervain's release last week. I had De Quervain's in my right wrist years ago, and it responded well to a cortisone injection and a wrist brace at night for a couple weeks. This time around, I tried rest, brace, ice, heat, meds, Hand PT with stretches & massage, and a cortisone injection without resolution. After the cortisone injection, I also developed a firm painful "knot" at the injection site, which turned out to be herniated tendon sheath fluid. Throughout all of this, the one thing I could do without pain was play my ukulele. However, I had daily pain with things like turning a door knob, grasping & carrying things, and certain sudden movements of my wrist. I put off seeing a hand surgeon, but with rafting & kayaking season approaching, I didn't want to be in the wilderness with a painful wrist. I was pretty nervous about recovery time, but my hand surgeon was reassuring. He said I could resume my normal activities after the big bandage came off 4 days after surgery. He said to let pain be my guide. No heavy lifting, or vigorous wrist activity, but I could go back to playing as soon as I was comfortable. I'm happy to report that I'm already back to playing, one week post-op. My wrist & thumb are a little stiff, but playing doesn't hurt. I'm limiting my daily playing time, which is hard to do after a week of not playing. I couldn't play at church last Sunday, and just sang with the band. It sure was weird to be up there without my trusty Moon Bird, strumming away. This coming weekend, I should be back to playing with my uke group & at church. Just one week off, and I was in Ukulele Withdrawl. I sure love our happy little instrument of joy.
 
I had De Quervain's in my other wrist a few years ago. I did the exercises, stretches, and wrist brace that time. Seems like it went away within a month, if I remember right. I have been practicing & playing a lot for the Christmas holiday, so maybe that was the problem. Are there any stretches that you guys do routinely to help with wrist/thumb/finger flexibility & strength?

Lots of people use hand exercisers which your fingers press down in the belief that this will strengthen their hands but, unless they are rock climbers supporting their weight on their fingertips, what most people need are exercisers that work the opposite muscles, which get used less often. This is helpful for players of stringed instruments. With these exercisers you open your hand, not squeeze.
 
Thanks for that. I passed this along to a friend who has the same problem, although playing the uke aggravates it.
Surgery was the last resort. With my other wrist, the cortisone & brace at night did the trick. I'm glad I gave all the conservative treatments a try first, because in most cases they work. I was lucky in that playing my uke didn't make it hurt worse, it actually seemed to keep in loosened up. Good luck to your friend, and have them talk with a orthopedic specialist. Hopefully a conservative treatment will work for them.
 
Yes, go to a doc or even a good orthopedist. Dr. Google is not where you want to go. His office hours are great, but us diagnostic abilities are vague and very general.
 
Get your General Practitioner to refer you to a specialist, one whose speciality is actually what youbare suffering from.

I was struggling with a wrist injury for months before referral and treatment with the result that I am 100% again.
 
Good luck on a quick recovery and dealing with your "withdrawal" symptoms.

I played less uke for the last week. It was because I was in Hawaii and preferred listening to the waves instead of my playing.
 
It's been two weeks since surgery. I had my post-op follow-up today & all is going well. I'm free to resume rafting and paddling next month without restrictions. My doctor is happy that I'm back to playing my uke without pain. He says playing is perfect therapy for my hand. He said that any residual discomfort will go away as the swelling from the operation subsides. He says if I really overdo it, my wrist will let me know, but I can't damage anything he fixed. I played a gig with my uke group last Saturday at a community festival, and had a blast. We practiced for about an hour prior to the festival and then played a 30 minute set. I was back to playing at church last Sunday, and that sure was nice.
 
Sounds like a great result from the surgery. Looks like a good summer on the way for you!
 
I've had some issues with my fretting hand that I attribute to arthritis. I've used a "TENS unit" for similar pains elsewhere and it seems to help here as well. A TENS unit provides gentle and rhythmic electrical stimulation to the area. Even if it doesn't 'fix the problem" it feels good.
 
40 years of boom-chuck playing 3-finger style guitar and carpentry did it to me. But playing the ukulele is way less stressful due to lower string tension. I wear a splint on my right thumb when typing on my laptop or doing Duolingo Italian on my iPhone. Also, I have fingerless compression gloves and use some medicinal CBD.
 
We did two one hour sets yesterday, and I was sore. I took today off from playing. I'm not a play-a-holic anymore, since i got old.
 
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