Posting this here because I'm not sure where else it would go. I have had severe pain and limited range of motion in the MCP joint of my right thumb for several months. I do not remember injuring it, and have been conservative with activities that may aggrivate it (ie texting). Finally went to a doctor and he told me it was a form of tendonitis (that interestingly enough, after some research, affects the basal joint and not the MCP joint). He gave me topical steroids and that was all. I went back later and he splinted it. After two days in a splint (which didn't fit properly), I experienced significant pain on the outside of my wrist. I've stopped wearing the splint, but now the doctor wants to get an MRI. I'm all about conservative diagnostics/treatment, but this is getting expensive. Is it time to find a specialist?