(Vanity) middle finger pain (need advice)

me | 06-06-2011 | ak267

[ak267]

For the past two weeks I've noticed some discomfort clasping/clinching my left hand whenever I grip a pole or piece of equipment. The base knuckle (left side of the knuckle) on my left, middle finger feels a little sore. When I massage the left, forarm tendons, the pain from clinching or gripping is almost gone.

When I bend my left, middle finger to the right (towards my thumb) there's discomfort. If I bend it up, down or to the left (towards the my pinky) there is no pain.

Sometimes the hand can feel a little stiff in the morning.

Arthritis? Tendonitis?

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Sounds like arthritis.

Have your doctor check it out. They can generally do something to help you if they catch it early enough.

[WVNan]

Depends on age. If past 60 could be Arthritis. If younger could be Carpel tunnel. Likely not Tendonitis which is usually in the upper arms.

[redhead]

"Sometimes the hand can feel a little stiff in the morning. Arthritis? Tendonitis?"

Sounds like it could be a little of both. Baby the finger as much as you can. Heat is soothing, and topical analgesics should work well. I always use Blue Emu. It's expensive, and I don't know how it works, but it does. No smell, no grease. Just, a few minutes later, you realize the pain is gone.

[Clint N. Suhks]

Stop flipping off 0bama when he says “let me be clear”?

[Psycho_Bunny]

Stop giving people the bird.

You might have pulled it. Or, you might have a small cramp that’s sticking around. See a doctor if it persists.

[blackdog]

Get a clavicular resection on the affected side. If you’re over 40, you’ll feel new. It’s a lot of chiseling of bone, grinding, and reseating of you tendons, but it’s where almost all wrist, hand, arm, pain originates from due to nerve entrapment in the shoulder. To know for sure, does the rotation of your arm seem to affect the pain?, such as twisting a doorknob and pulling / pushing at the same time? Do you feel stiff when pulling a shirt on?

[wastedyears]

You win

[allmost]

Get some capsaicin/alcohol rub. Apply it it liberally after you wash the area thoroughly in warm water. Oh, and try not use it for a few days.

[Viking2002]

Could be tendinitis. I'm fifty-ish - it's the same with my left and right ring and pinkie fingers. And squeezing the middle knuckle on my left ring finger hurts like hell, too. The soles of my feet sometimes hurt in the mornings on a cold floor during the winter. The doc diagnosed it as a little onset arthritis, and prescribed Mobic (meloxicam). Doesn't work 24/7, but it helps during the day. A couple of Advil usually help in the evening.

"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away, for his name is Obama."

[21twelve]

Middle finger pain? Give it a rest, stop picketing the White House for awhile!

BTW - I went to my doc for a pain in my rest, he said carpal tunnel and I got a brace. A few months later I went o my chiropractic type guy for my feet/knees. He asked about my brace and I told him, but said it didn’t seem to be helping much. He did his goofy tests - turns out my elbow was out of it’s socket! That was awhile ago and it does okay now, until I try to lift a heavy car battery or something. I take lots of things the doc says with a grain of salt now.

[cookcounty]

Advice? Stop playing hockey with Vancouver!

Canucks' bad behavior earns 8-1 spanking!

[piytar]

The muscles that largely move your fingers are in the lower arm. So this probably isn’t a muscle issue.

Probably nerve or joint damage. You mentioned “equipment.” Do you use heavy equipment that vibrates? You may have bruised the cartilidge on one side of that joint. Or caused trauma to a nerve on the side that hurts.

Or it could be something else entirely.

Short version: You need an xray of the joint at issue.

[MHGinTN]

Sheesh, you’ve run out the warranty and now you expect better living through chemistry? ... Hang in there, zork, it only gets worse with age.

[ak267]

I do a lot of data entry

[piytar]

Some other posters have mentioned shoulder issues. Possibly. There is a lot of tension and force transmitted through the arm when you grip something, and a slight misalignment up top could express in your hand.

If the pain persists, see a doc...

[miele man]

You may well have trigger points in your forearm. Trigger points in the forearm refer pain to other places and can refer pain into the hand. For example, many instances of carpal tunnel pain actually turn out to be TPs in the forarm in both the flexor and extensor muscles. Of course, you could also have tendonitis and/or arthritis in those knuckle joints too, as you state.

I suspect you may have TPs in the flexor digitorum muscles. TPs in this muscles can send fairly sharp pains (almost a burning pain) to the inside of the fingers. This TP can be caused by overuse of grasping things, just as you mention.

Look for TPs in the upper forearm and they’ll usually be fairly deep. Using the thumb of your other hand, push inward/massage any really sore spots you find. Don’t over do this. Massage for a couple of minutes about six times a day. It may take a day or three to remove the TPs.

Let me know how you do.

[Viking2002]

Did I mention that my left rotator cuff is shot to hell? Or the wife - a year younger - has already had both knees reworked because they need replaced? You ain't kidding about the warranty. We feel like one of our kitchen appliances - the warranty expires, and a week later, *POOF* - it needs a repair man. LOL My father-in-law died in his 50's, my dad at 65, my mother-in-law at 70, and my mom, bless her, says she's heading for the last round-up at 71 with her chronic problems. Man, talk about a preview of coming attractions.

"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away, for his name is Obama."

[smokingfrog]

Take two Advil and call me in the morning.

If it doesn’t affect your trigger finger or your shooting, don’t worry about it.

[piytar]

I’m not a doc, but have some knowledge of the mechanics and engineering.

If you type a lot, maybe your bruised one side of the joint via repetitive stress.

Or if your posture isn’t good, your shoulder is tweeked, and the muscles are torquing the joint.

Rest the hand. Take (OTC pain med of choice). Use a topical. Give it two or three days. If the symptoms persist at the same level, see a doc. Right then. If they lessen but don’t go away in 7-10 days, still see a doc.