Advice please

Hello my name is Stevie and I am 60

I have trigger finger which is getting worse , it wakes me at night and I have to push my finger straight .. both elbows are aching and are tender to touch

my GP told me I have golfers elbow and that I probably have arthritis but not to worry as most of the country have it as it’s so damp.. gave me co codamol and that was it

should I go back or is there nothing that can be done … any advice would be great please

thank you xox

Comments

  • Ellen
    Ellen Moderator Posts: 1,797

    Good Morning @Steviemc and welcome to the Online Community.

    I see from your post that you have trigger finger and Arthritis of the elbow your GP has prescribed Co-codamol and said not to worry most of the country has it.

    There are things which can be done I am attaching a really good link with information about the elbow:

    and this one about exercises to help:

    At least if you do return to your GP you will be informed a little better and can demonstrate self help measures you have taken.

    Finally the Trigger finger which is waking you up at night Take a look at this thread specifically @jamieA 's reply:


    I hope you find the forum helpful please do have a look around and join in wherever you feel comfortable.

    Best wishes

    Ellen.

  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,764

    Trigger finger, golfer's elbow, housemaid's knee, weaver's bottom (Yes, really!) - I'm not sure how helpful these terms are to us non-medics.

    I believe trigger finger may, or may not, be related to arthritis. Have a read here https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/trigger-finger/

    The elbow? Do you play golf, or tennis? I can see why either might cause temporary problems which could be relieved with the right exercises. But it could simply be arthritis. If so, exercises will still help. If there's anything you do regularly which could aggravate it I'd suggest you try to leave off for a while. Other than that it's just pain relief or anti-inflammatories.

    Versus Arthritis' exercises are probably as good as you'd get from a physio though, sometimes, it's nice to have them personally tailored.

    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • jamieA
    jamieA Member Posts: 819

    Hi @StevieP

    I can only sympathise regarding your trigger finger. When I had it my two middle fingers on my left hand would lock straight and it was really painful. I could release them from locking by massaging the joints at the base of the fingers on the palm side. When I eventually saw an orthopaedic consultant the fix was really quick - two small steroid injections at the base of the fingers on the palm side. That was done in early November 2020 and it's never returned. I was also treated for plantar fasciitis the year before and I do wonder if they are linked to the subsequent diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis in October 2020. Some GPs are licenced to do the trigger finger steroid injections - the senior partner in my practice was but he overruled his colleague and said it wasn't trigger finger without even seeing me so I ended up suffering from it for 14 months more than necessary. The lessons I've learned from that and subsequent PsA treatment is that I need to be more forceful with medics. I'd suggest you ask the GP for referral to get steroid injections for your trigger finger and maybe call the Versus Arthritis helpline for some direction for your elbow issues. I found them very helpful when I needed to call them.