left thumb pain

[BeerPerHole]

I wanted to see if anybody else here has experienced this. I think it's probably overuse. It does not impact my game, interestingly, but sets in away from the course with everyday activities including working out. It's the first joint at the very base of the left thumb. I'm right handed. It hurts to move the thumb and to put direct pressure on it. Odd thing, really. Anybody with experience with this? I've gotten into the habit of icing it in the rare cases I'm sitting still for a bit - and that seems to help. Thanks...

[Nels55]

I have had lead thumb pain for years. I can get it from the transition and also from the finish though it is hard to determine exactly where in the swing that I am hurting it. I know of some guys who have gone to a wrapped thumb baseball grip to keep the the thumb from hurting.

I am doing a lot better lately and I will try to describe a few things that make a difference for me. One is to put the thumb on the side of the shaft and not on the top. Depending on club rotation this can keep the pressure off of the thumb. Another that is a bit hard to describe that I learned it from the pro I took a bunch of lessons with is to get your trail hand index finger and thumb into a place where they take the weight of the club at the top instead of the lead thumb taking it. This is done by getting the base of the index finger more on top of the shaft and squeezing the thumb up next to it.

The biggest factor for me is grip pressure. The lighter the pressure the less the pain.

 

[BeerPerHole]

Thanks Nels...

I had a lesson yesterday and am going to a stronger grip as part of my basic development as a player. Perhaps that will help. (stronger being seeing a couple knuckles on the lead hand...not squeezing. If anything, my grip pressures are getting less and less.)

[Nels55]

That sounds good! LOL please be a little smarter then I was and try to find a solution instead of constantly hurting it!

[MattyO1984]

I had real bother with pain in my left thumb 5 years ago. It started off as just a niggle and I kept on playing and playing. Didn’t work out too well for me and ended up missing 3 months of golf due to it. I felt the pain whenever there was any pressure on the thumb. I thought that it was the joint. The worst was at the top of the swing. I tried icing, heat, stretches and got nowhere.

 

Initially, the physio wasn’t sure what was up with it either. Eventually, I got a scan and was told that it was De Quervain’s. I needed to rest it and there was no getting away from it. It was rubbish. When I got back to hitting balls, I used some KT tape around the knuckle in my thumb which seemed to help. Whether it did I don’t know but even if it was a placebo it helped.

[balladm]

I have had this exact pain for years. It doesn't bother me much in the course but does other times. I chalked it up as early arthritis.

[COACH9]

The tingling in mine will wake me up at night on occasion. I'll often sleep with this brace meant for carpal tunnel syndrome to ward it off.

[BeerPerHole]

I started thinking about this. Recently - past 5 or 6 months - I switched from an XL glove to a large. FJ dry joy glove. I have huge palms and medium length fingers. Our assisted pro just suggested the Cadet version...large. I think I'll go back to the XL Cadet and see if that makes a difference. I noticed it putting the glove one for practice today. Pain going on, folding my hand to get it in.

[Nels55]

That is a possibility. I noticed that wearing a glove hurt my lead thumb.

[MonteScheinblum]

Over hinge in backswing is a very likely candidate.

[jasonTeI3]

Dealt with this for years and finally got it fixed. Haven’t felt it since I fixed it almost a year ago. I switch to a baseball/ten finger grip and pain gone. I’m telling you right now that’s the solution. It feels weird at first but it only took me a few rounds before it was second nature.

[cdfs]

+ having thumb on top of grip instead a little on the side.

[Barfolomew]

Rest it is the obvious answer..... but if you're still gonna play, and I know you will, try droppin it out of the action for a while til it heals up...... let your thumb WRAP around the shaft instead of down it like in a baseball grip.... yes this will hurt your accuracy.... that's why the thumb is there in the first place cause it hurts distance to have it down the shaft but we allow it there for the accuracy.

 

If you got pain use ice and hemp lotion after playin...

[BeerPerHole]

My transition from shooting near 100 to breaking 80 over 4 or 5 months involved a lot of range balls. That's probably part of it. Light practice yesterday and taking today off and I'm feeling better. After 50 the body is happy to rebel, isn't it?...

[Nels55]

I do notice for sure that the more relaxed I swing the less thumb and other pain that I get. Congrats on the improvement!