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How to Treat Thumb Tendonitis at Home

Tendons connect muscles to bones. Tendinitis is the inflammation of tendons, usually caused by strain. Thumb tendinitis is more common in people who perform repetitive reaching activity, such as new mothers, carpenters, musicians, and others who use their fingers to pick up heavy objects. Tendinitis may also be caused by calcium deposits that press against the flexor tendon that runs alongside the thumb. Home remedy applications of castor oil packs, topical dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and supplemental methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) can relieve pain and speed healing.

Things You'll Need

  • DMSO cream, gel, or liquid
  • MSM 1,000 mg tablets
  • Castor oil
  • Cheesecloth or white cotton material
  • Piece of plastic larger than the cloth
  • Saucepan
  • Heating pad
  • Ice packs
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Instructions

  1. Home Treatments

    • 1

      Place castor oil in a pan and heat but do not boil it to avoid burns. Dip the cheesecloth or cotton material in enough heated oil to saturate it.

    • 2

      Wrap the cloth around the thumb and cover it with a piece of plastic that is larger than the cloth. Place a heating pad over the plastic and use it to keep the cloth warm. Keep the pack in place for one to two hours. The idea is to fill the thumb with new blood, warm it up and make it as mobile as possible so it can move freely. Repeat the procedure up to three times a day as needed for pain.

    • 3

      Alternate the warm castor oil wrap, which relieves pain, with ice packs to shorten healing time. Hold cold packs on the thumb for 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off. Repeat this four times daily.

    • 4

      Use DMSO to relieve inflammation and pain. DMSO is an industrial solvent, a byproduct of paper manufacturing that has therapeutic properties, especially for the healing of injuries, according to Stanley Jacob, a surgeon who discovered the compound while he was a researcher at the University of Florida.
      DMSO is sold in a refined form at health food stores. Apply DMSO gel, cream, or liquid to the thumb four times a day as needed for pain. A temporary and mild side effect of DMSO is an odor of garlic on the breath. Mild skin irritation may also occur.

    • 5

      Take supplements of MSM, which is an organic form of sulfur and a derivative of DMSO. Pain relieving and anti-inflammatory effects are cumulative; a few days of use may be necessary for relief. In the book, The Miracle of MSM, a study of 24 people treated for athletic injuries was reported that showed MSM was twice as effective as placebos in providing pain relief. MSM comes in 1,000 mg tablets and can be taken four times a day, tapering down to twice a day as needed. MSM has a slight aspirin-like effect; consult a physician before using MSM if taking other blood-thinning medications.

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