On the morning of January 25, I woke up unable to abduct my thumb more than an inch or so. Attempting to open it further caused extreme pain in my wrist. And the further I extended my wrist, the worse the situation got. Flexion of the wrist, on the other hand, made it possible for me to open my thumb, but I still couldn’t open it very far without crippling pain. Overnight, the thumb sort of freezes, and I have to close my fist every morning to pop it into working order. I can still do all pulling exercises and exercises with dumbbells, where my wrist stays in basically a neutral position. But an exercise like, say, a close grip bench press is impossible. A few weeks ago, I went to the doctor. He diagnosed it as carpal tunnel. Since I have no symptoms of carpal tunnel and don’t do anything that would cause it, I sought a second opinion from a chiro / ART practioner. He confirmed that I have no carpal tunnel, but after three treatments, he says he doubts he can help me. He said it might be gamekeepers thumb, a displaced tendon, or even a torn ligament. Is there anybody out there who recognizes any of my symptoms or who has any ideas beyond stomping into my doctor’s office and demanding that he refer me to a qualified orthopedic? Thanks, T-Nation.
Here is a link that might help you out.
Thanks for the reply so quickly. I read the article. Since I don’t have a problem with grip strength, it sounds like gamekeepers thumb or trigger finger may not be the issue. I also ran into something called de Quervain’s disease. Has anyone heard of it?