For the past 4 weeks, I have a real bad thumb pain, swollen, stiff, can't bend and the knuckle of my thumb and it
makes noise when I try to bend it, and it is very painful. I can't use my left thumb anymore.
I had a carpal tunnel release surgery 7 years ago on both hands, but my job requires me to do a lot of gardening
work, and most of the time I don't wear hand braces/stabilizer.
Does my thumb pain come from arthritis? my carpal tunnel syndrome comes back? or diabetes causes it ? I am also diabetic type 2 for the last 15 years.
What can I do the relieve the pain? Do I need to go to Orthopedic Doctor to check it out ??? do I need surgery for this to get my left thumb back to normal? It has been almost a month and my thumb pain does not go away.
Thank you for your advise.
Chez Deisree
Oh, one more thing...if and when you go for surgery, make sure you are operated on by an *orthopedic surgeon* who specializes in hand issues and ONLY hand issues. You'll likely get a better outcome. Good luck!
Since you waited so long (No hate here, I understand! I don't agree, but I understand!) it's possible that whatever damage occurred has healed incorrectly, which could be what's causing the continued discomfort.
Are you able to flex and extend your hand normally, or is there limited range of motion in that joint?
I'm glad you're going to get it looked at. Hopefully it can be fixed!