A few years ago, around the time I started working out again, I was doing pushups with my chest day. Seemingly overnight, I developed a very sharp pain in my wrist/base of thumb area, both hands sometimes, other times just one. This pain was only present during pushups on flat ground with my hands, bench press, and a little of chest dips. If I move my thumb around, I can feel the discomfort.

I shelved the bench press, opting for DB press and doing pushups on handles. I even bought some grip builders and squeeze those a lot, figuring maybe my grip was too weak. After a couple years, I decided to do some pushups off the ground. Boom here comes the pain again. I stopped early so it didn't get worse.

I know this isn't normal. I tried moving my hands closer together, and it helps some. I also make sure to stretch my hands and thumb to make sure they're warmed up.

Do I need surgery or something? Steroid shot? What kind of doctor would I go to if I wanted it checked out?

You're getting old?



Sorry, I have the same problem. I have it in my toes (big toes and the stringer on top that runs all the way from the big toe to nearly my ankle), too. I bought one of the push-up/pull-up bars and put a pillow against a low shelf to relieve pressure on my wrists/thumbs and feet.


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TC

I'm 26

Actually just bought one of those for doing pull-ups at my apartment.

Welcome to thumb arthritis.  Cortisone won't fix it forever.  Surgery to repair the articular surfaces may be worthwhile, but the recovery will be interesting...think about how often you use your thumb daily.  Now imagine you can't use it for a while.

I find that daily creatine, fish oil and turmeric supps are enough to make my hands relatively painfree.  I have it in the base of both thumbs.  In the past, it was bad enough I couldn't pick up a glass one handed in a pinch grip (like out of the dishwasher).

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I do creatine, fish oil, and vitamin D. When I started those three, the pain did get better. I'll have to throw some turmeric in there to see if it helps.

Whenever I explain it to someone, I sound like such a pussy. "my thumbs hurt" like the old woman on Happy Gilmore. When it first started there was no fighting through the pain, though.

I'll add this: when I first started working out again, I was doing pushups at about 250lbs bodyweight. Now I am 230 and the pain is less, so perhaps I should stop being so fat.

Another tip I find helps is to use a pair of dumbbells to do your pushups on.  That lets you use a neutral grip and keep your wrists straight which takes nearly all the pressure off the base of the thumb.  And pain-wise, I agree, when it lights off, it hurts way more than you would expect!

That's how I do my pushups now, on dumbbells or handles. No pain that way, but I want to be able to do them on the ground.

Well then I guess you could start doing knuckle push ups on your closed fists.  You'd be on the ground, yet with straight wrists.  Should keep any pain in the lower end of things.

Me?  I'm just happy to be able to do some push ups on handles with an acceptable range of motion, and bench a little bit.  I wish I could bench heavy, but at almost 54, with two bad shoulders and female, yeaahhh, that ain't happening!  I am ecstatic though to be able to strict press heavy for my age and gender.  Press doesn't hurt the shoulders at all for some reason.

My frustration is not being able to do bench very heavy as well. My dumbbells only go up to 40lbs so I'm stuck doing sets of like 20 reps.