Joint pain

I have been taking alto lessons for three months. My tutor is pleased with my progress but it was made easier as I already play piano. The first joint of my left hand first finger has severe osteoarthritis. Today during sax practice I had to give up playing as the pain had reached the exquisite level. Surprisingly I could still play piano with minimal pain. Taking co-codamol helps when I'm not playing. I must admit that I tend to press the keys harder than necessary.
The pain is so bad that I might have to tell my tutor, who is scheduled to give me a lesson tomorrow, that I might have to give up playing the sax.
I write today to ask whether anyone has or is experiencing similar joint pain and if there is anything I can do to lesson the pain.
I have already seen a surgeon who said that there is nothing he could do to fix it. This contradicts another surgeon from a while back who offered to cement it straight but with no guarantee that the pain would disappear.
I'm thinking about a home made splint that would extend from the top of my palm to the finger tip so that the pressure might be distributed.
I hope someone can advise?
Ian

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