I have not noticed the pain so much in my thumbs, but quite a bit in my forefingers. I am on 4 mg of prednisone per day, and as I taper, for a few days I notice the stiffness and pain in my fingers. Once my body accepts the lesser dose, that improves. I also use this as an indicator - if the finger situation doesn't improve in a few days, I won't taper further until it resolves. A time or two l have had to increase the daily dose by 1/2 mg of prednisone.