I've been handquilting 3-4 hours every day for the past couple of weeks. After a hour this morning, my thumb started hurting so I stopped to do some other things. Do any of you have that problem? What have you tried?

For me, time is the only thing that helped.

yep, bout all you can do is rest it. I have found way to change the way I sew, but it usually just means I end up with more sore parts. They best thing to do is rest it and let it heal. Very hard to do, i usually piece during those times.

I don't know. My thumbs don't give me any problems. Must be that we each have a different way in hand quilting. Sometimes my left hand right under the thumb hurts (arthritis) :(

Quilting doesn't bother my thumb. Sometimes my wrist will hurt, mostly from using a mouse on the computer, in which case I start wearing a wrist cast to keep it straight. I stop quilting for a while, too.

You might try aspirin or Tylenol, and then rest it.

Janet

I recently started getting thumb pain while quilting, but I am not sure why.

I took a couple of days off and took some NSAIDs. It felt better, but I have projects to finish, so yesterday I quilted again... today it hurts.
:(

Wash dishes tonight in warm water, that should work some.

I see a chiropractor. It's amazing what they can do. I very recently fell off my sewing chair. Dumb move! I thought I sprained my wrist, so just wrapped it. After almost two weeks the pain was still there so just went to my chiropractor. It was jammed, he sneeked up on me and unjammed it ( that was yesterday) today, I am going to do some sewing, which I haven't been able to do for almost two weeks. He adjusted my fingers as well. No pills, no doctor telling me it would take a while to get better....just and adjustment and I feel really good. Works on my shoulders too after sewing to long.

Soak your hands in warm dishwater or go to Bed Bath and Beyond and buy a parafin bath. Usually used with manicures if you know a hairdresser, she might have one.

You put your hands in the warm parafin and it coats your hands with a wax. The wax will hold heat in. Will soothe the joint.

Or you can use a thumb plica splint when you are not quilting to allow it to totally rest. This looks like a carpal tunnel brace with a plastic insert that molds to your thumb. The splint holds your thumb.

Of course you can take something like Advil and use icy-hot or Biofreeze.

Finally try taking some hylaronic acid. Injuv is a popular brand name.

And you can certainly go the to chiropractor if it is jammed :-D If it is inflamed, I usually prescribe acupuncture versus adjusting.

Acupuncture is a wonder! Highly recommend it. We have a wonderful GP in town that also does acupuncture. I get a gangleon cyst on my right hand above wrist if I do alot of handwork for a week..paraffin and brace helps alot.