Hmmm, one of the subheadings under this subforum is repair, so I guess this fits! Friday morning I had trigger thumb surgery. The problem started about a year ago, after buying a new guitar and probably too much practice of difficult jazz chords. Initially I had a cortisone injection, which worked for about six months. The last few months the triggering and pain started again, and how much time I spent playing was definitely a factor. The doctor who did the injection said if one didn't work, the recommendation was surgery. I saw a hand surgeon and he agreed. Surgery was scheduled two weeks later. So far, recovery really couldn't be any smoother. I've taken nothing stronger than ibuprofen the first 24 hours, though I was was given a script for Norco. I did fill it, thinking that if he thought it worth prescribing it would be a good idea to have it around, but I've felt no need. Doing range of motion exercises has caused minimal pain around the incision, and the triggering is GONE! Doc says I can play "easy stuff" in 5-6 days and should be pretty much back to normal in two weeks. I am very relieved to have this over with and looking forward to getting back to playing without pain. From what I've read, this is not an uncommon problem among guitar players. I had some anxiety, even though I read it was a simple and very successful procedure. Based on my experience thus far, I would encourage anyone suffering from this problem not to put off the surgery.
