Image Source: mayoclinic.org
All the fingers of a hand are
unequal but equally important. If one doesn’t work, then it’d pose many
difficulties. We use our hands for various kinds of tasks and without the
proper functioning of the most important part of our hands, that is fingers, it
wouldn’t be able to perform as same.
We use our fingers for writing,
grasping, holding, typing and for many day-to-day activities and thumb being
equally important for all the activities, it is necessary to know that if one
suffers from thumb joint pain, what difficulties he or she might face and how
the pain can be eased.
The thumb joint is among the most
mobile joints in our entire body. It will not only make the tasks difficult but
also impossible to be performed.
Causes Of Thumb Joint
Pain
- Excessive stress on the CMC joint (Carpometacarpal joint) could be reason of thumb joint pain. This joint is also known as basal joint and is formed by the metacarpal bone and joins with the trapezium bone of the wrist.
- The ligaments and tendons around the thumb joint can cause the pain.
- Fracture or sprain in the thumb can also lead to the thumb joint pain. A sprain can be the reason of jammed thumb and in extreme condition or injury, it could lead to the total immobility of the thumb.
- Excessive use of thumb joint over a long period of time can break down the joint cartilage which can lead to inflammation and osteoarthritis of the thumb joint.
- Another cause of thumb pain can be Rheumatoid arthritis which makes the tendons around the thumb gets inflamed and development of tendonitis will lead to pain around the thumb.
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is one of the other causes of thumb joint pain. It causes thumb pain along with tingling sensation or numbness in or around the thumb. There are also the chances that along with tingling and numbness, muscles can form atrophy at the base of the thumb with CTS.
Symptoms Of Thumb Joint Pain
- Thumb stiffness
- Tenderness
- Swelling around the thumb
The pain can be increased if the activities
like gripping, opening jars, doors or any action that would imply pressure to
the thumb muscles.
It will limit the number of functions or
activities that a thumb can perform and in case of major injury or strain,
whole hand can stop working and become numb.
Treatment
The treatment of thumb joint pain (thumb
arthritis) will majorly include conservative treatment, which will require
negligible movement of the thumb. There should be a complete exclusion of pain
aggravating activities from the routine.
If the injury is serious, any kind of movement
will cause immense pain and one can splint the thumb joint. Such injuries can
take approximately 6-8 weeks to recover.
Other ways of treatment can be done through
the use of anti-inflammatory medications, creams, ice therapy or massage to
reduce the inflammation around the thumb.
If in case, these methods do not work then
one can take injections or any other kind of treatment prescribed by the
doctor.
Physical Therapy
The physical therapy for the thumb joint pain
has been proved to be the most effective in many cases. The therapy must always
be undertaken by the experienced person who has been certified as a physical
therapist as they possess all the necessary training and education to provide
the right treatment in case of such injuries
Physical therapy for the thumb includes-
Modalities
- Ice therapy, ultrasound and iontophoresis (it includes anti-inflammatory
medication)
Mobilizations
- Joint mobilization is an important part of the treatment process which may
include therapist to manually glide and slide the joint to restore joint
mechanisms.
Exercise -
Dexterity, strengthening exercises and other kind of motions that are pain free
are also the most important part of the treatment process for thumb joint pain.
If any of these ways do not work, then
surgery could be option to recover the thumb and set it into the routine
working.
Written by - Somya Jain
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