I’ve been battling a case of tendonitis in my right thumb for the past month. It started as just achiness in my fore arm but got worse. It never hurt while I was painting, so that was good but I haven’t even been tempted to do any needlepoint since it started.
The worst things are using scissors, which I have to do all the time in my job, and certain personal grooming. Brushing my teeth, for instance. Can’t do it at all with my left hand and trying to do it with my right is excruciating. I tried holding the brush still and shaking my head…that didn’t work at all.
The pain comes from the base of my thumb at my wrist and shoots up my arm when I put pressure on my thumb. It’s one of those weird little movements you do a hundred times a day without thinking about it until suddenly pain shoots up your arm every time you do it. Picking things up became a problem. So I got a cheap brace at the drug store that immobilizes the wrist. It helps a ton. It still hurts to use scissors and I’m very careful of trying to pick things up but with the brace, I don’t have to worry about accidentally pulling my wrist sideways, which is the most painful. I take it off to ice the arm (at least twice a day) and to work but I wear it to bed at night. Sleeping is the worst time for accidentally moving the parts of you that hurt.
A week or so ago, I told my Mom about it and she told me she’d had the exact same repetitive stress injury a few years ago. Her Doctor called it “washer woman syndrome”.
Lovely.
The good news is that he gave her three simple exercises to do that would help. I’ve been doing them three or four times a day. They’re really easy and take less than a minute and one of them actually feels really good.
Last night, I could barely brush my teeth but this morning, it hardly hurt at all!
So I’ll keep doing them until I’m restored to full motion/ no pain.
The gals at the shop were naturally concerned when they saw me wearing a brace this week. I told them what was going on and every single one of them has suffered the same petty annoyance.
I told them what my Mom’s doctor called it.
They were not amused.
‘Washer woman’s syndrome’ my arse.
It should be called ‘stitcher’s wrist’.