Too Much Quilting Caused Trigger finger
 

I have been sewing quite a lot since I retired and lately my hands have hurt. I went to the Doctor as they were not getting any better. He said I am straining my hands too much! Any one else have this happen?

It is more common in women. Both middle fingers got injections of cortisone. Should be back to normal tomorrow I hope.

Happy Quilting!

I've had similar problems with my wrist, from crocheting too much. It seemed to right itself, after about a week's break.

Neesie - so glad it improves with rest. I am really hoping for that! Thanks for sharing.

too much of anything makes my hands and wrists hurt. even mowing the lawn. hope your hands get better soon. you will need to take breaks more often.

You might find relief by taking glucosamine capsules. Glucosamine helps your body rebuild the 'cushion' in your joints. Do some google searches on glucosamine and you'll find out more information. It's cheaper than cortisone shots and lasts longer. It might take 3 or 4 weeks before you notice a difference, but the nice thing is it rebuilds throughout your entire body, not just your hands.

too funny Tartan!

I have some but wasn't taking them so I will definitely restart. Thanks.

Than ks for the tips..I can't bear to stop quilting for a week..it is my cigarette replacement!! Will get some of those tabs tomorrow...

My mother ended up with arthritis and bone spurs in one of her fingers from knitting. She makes each grandchild a christmas stocking for their first christmas. 3 of my siblings had kids in one year... she overdid it and is still paying for it. Her finger and hand still hurts.

I had trigger finger and ended up having to have surgery...not a bad surgery, just limiting for a few days. No problems since and that was about 6-7 years ago. Good Luck!

My mother needed surgery for this also. Take care of your health and do not overdo things. Your body is telling you to rest, or at least to exert yourself differently.

have you thought about a paraffin bath? the are supposed to be good for achy hands and feet and make your skin super soft.

I had a trigger finger, left ring finger. I just stretching my hand while wiggling my fingers, just kept going and it has been gone for a long time. Much easier than surgery.

Oh no! I think that it's the repetitive action that makes things like that happen. Maybe stretching and massage will help. I take aloe juice for my aches and pains. I can tell when I don't stay with it and start taking it again.

I should get back on glucosamine too. Hmm!

Good luck. I hope you are feeling better soon.

I've hand the shots a few times and then had to have the tendon release in my L hand and I just recently had the R hand done about 6 wks ago. You should rest your hand at least a wk before you start again and don't work for hours at a time that's what my hand Dr. told me to do each time. It takes a week for the shot to really work. My R hand is getting better but not as fast as the L hand it's better but a lot slower and I've had to do have PT on the hand and it's still stiff and I just can't seem to get it back to normal it's hard when you want to sew or crochet but patience is the virtue. Good Luck and rest it long enough. Sue

Great advice from all of you. I forgot to say the Dr. gave me these rings to sleep in (not diamonds of course...lol). They fit on my middle finger knuckle to keep me from clinching my hands at night. He said the tendons do better stretched out. Big difference even this am. Hands are stiff but not as sore and I can type much better! Still waiting a while to try sewing again.

I hope the rest does your finger some good so you can resume sewing again soon.

I know this sounds ridiculous, but I was having a lot of pain in my hands and fingers. I quilt & crochet a lot. Someone gave me an EFX silicone bracelet. I started wearing it and the pain and swelling in my thumb went away. A few weeks ago, wile keeping the grandkids, I took the bracelet off one day and forgot to put it back on. After the kids went home, I started having aching hands again. I didn't think of the bracelet, but my husband did. When he mentioned it, I put it back on, and by nightfall, no more aching. It really works for me. They are cheap at Amazon or EBay.

I was having some tingling in my arms, beginning of carpal tunnel. Trigger finger is also part of carpal tunnel, I think. I've been wearing wrist braces when I sleep at night. The tingling is gone, and I'm sticking with it to avoid a surgery. Give it a try. I got my wrist braces at Walmart, for about $30 for both. They are a black "Mueller" brand. They work!!

Have you tried arnica cream? It is a natural topical antiinflmmatory, I get it at the natural food store. I developed tennis elbow from using the rotary cutter, and this cream has been a real life saver! Of course, it helped that I quit cutting for hours without a break too!

Rest is definately good and you might want to inquire about some exercises for your fingers and hand. I am working through somewrist problems and I started doing some exercises for my wrist and it is helping. Also doing the brace thing for the last year. Good luck.

Too much of anything can give you aches and pains...plus add to that our age! I agree that taking a break from it really helps physically even though it may drive you crazy!

My index finger is giving me fits.

I've experienced a "trigger thumb" twice, both times requiring a cortisone shot. Incidentally, the shots do work but it's not instantaneous. About a week after you receive it one day you'll just realize the pain is gone and complete mobility has returned. Mine is always triggered by excessive crocheting or knitting. When I feel it coming on I usually immobilize it at night with a couple of bandaids over the joints and it does help a lot. I do take Osteo Biflex and even though it's been great for my lower back and R) hip I've not noticed any help when my thumb flairs up.

I had trigger finger surgery in February this year - the relief is wonderful. Cortisone shots do not work as well for diabetics so after the 2nd one with no relief (first shot lasted 6 months second shot lasted 6 hours) surgery was my only option. I have a small scar on my palm. The surgery was done as an outpatient, local anthestics and I was home for 3 days (no getting it wet). It still does get achy while handstitching binding but other than that would do it again. Best wishes for a speedy recovery for yours.

I got that from gardening - gripping the hoe, rake, and especially weeding in the beds and in the brick paths between the veggie beds. Had to wear a little finger cast on middle finger. "Fickle Finger of Fate?" I just learned to switch hands and grip differently.
Hope you recover quickly!

I have osteoarthritis throughout my body. Fingers, wrist, knees, elbows (one elbow won't straighten beyong 45 degrees, back.... Well you get the picture. Not complaining, just stating a fact. Mine won't get better by rest so I just keep up with much activity as I can stand. However, I usually pay for it the next day.

Be sure to apply ice for pain. I had trigger finger in my right hand finger, went through the injections, had improvement but later it reoccurred. Since I'd already had the max number of injections my only choice was surgery.
Same thing happened on the left hand years later. Rest your hands and use ice for inflammation. Good luck.

I had a trigger finger and years later I had a trigger thumb. When it happened the first time, I happened to mention it to my chiropractor {someone else mentioned this remedy} who told me to just keep uncramping/unbending it with the other hand over and over. It went away in short order. The second time with the thumb it also worked. Look Ma, no doctors, no surgery, no medications or salves.

I knit and crochet and recently completely a Beth Ferrier pattern applique quilt that I appliqued by hand (lots and lots of applique). In the middle of the applique, I actually had trigger finger in my pinkie. Cortisone helped a lot, finishing the applique helped even more :rolleyes:

I have arthritis in my hands. I can't do all my rotary cutting for a quilt at one time or do handwork for very long. I have several quilts that need binding. I am hoping that when the weather warms up and the rain stops that I can get them done.

I were braces at night while I am sleeping. Seems to help me

I had "trigger finger" on the middle two fingers of my left hand. Nothing seemed to help. When my fingers started to bend into my palm and I had to use the other hand to pry them open, my doctor sent me to an ortho. surgeon who was a hand specialist. I had outpatient surgery to release the tendons. I have a one inch scar in the palm of my hand and the hand has worked perfectly ever since the surgery, that was eight years ago. My advice at this point is that if it does not improve with standard treatment, consider the possibility of surgery. After surgery, it slowed me down for about a week.
We use our hands for EVERYTHING, we need to take care of them.

I too have osteoarthritis throughout my body and use a glucosamine supplement for some relief, but it didn't help with my trigger finger and eventually had to have surgery. Good luck!

For those that had surgery , how long were you on restrictions. I need to have surgery on my left thumb.The doctor told me I'd have to be off work a week. But when the scheduler was setting up my appointments, she wanted to make my first post op appointment 1 1/2 weeks after. So now i am worried about asking for too much time off work.