If you’re experiencing thumb pain, you’re not alone.
Our thumbs account for nearly half of overall hand function. That’s a lot of work for one digit.
“Pain, numbness, weakness or instability can greatly affect the use of your entire hand,” said Avera Orthopedics hand surgeon Kathlyn Drexler, MD. “Thumbs are a special gift, so we need to make taking care of your thumbs a priority.”
Drexler said many conditions causing thumb pain and dysfunction are treatable. You don’t have to just “put up with it.” Here’s a look at some common long-lasting issues that can cause pain in your thumbs.
Trigger Thumb
- What it is/who gets it: Trigger thumb affects the strong tendon on the palm side of your thumb called the flexor pollicis longus (FPL). It occurs in people of all ages, even children and infants. People with diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis have increased risk.
- Why it happens and how it feels: The FPL tendon should glide smoothly under the tissue pulleys which keep it close to your bones and joints. But if one of the pulleys gets thick, sticking or “triggering” happens. “At first, you might feel pain or a tender lump at the base of the thumb near your palm,” said Drexler. If symptoms worsen, the entire thumb may ache and your joint may click and pop. In worst cases, you may stop using your thumb because it hurts, and that leads to stiffness.
- How to fix it: Rest and anti-inflammatory medications often help minor cases.
- Insight from the surgeon: “If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should seek evaluation with a hand surgeon,” she said. “A clinical exam can confirm the diagnosis and you might benefit from a steroid injection, or even surgery, if your symptoms are severe.”
Thumb Pain from Arthritis
- What it is/who gets it: The joint at the base of the thumb, called the carpometacarpal (CMC) joint, begins to wear out with age and use. It usually occurs in people 50 and older, yet it can occur earlier.
- Why it happens/how it feels: Sometimes called osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease, it can lead to pain and make simple things, like opening a sandwich bag, jar or bag of chips feel like trying to pry open a padlock – impossible.
- How to fix it: Over-the-counter medications, as well as splints, braces and steroid injections can provide relief. Several tools can help, too. “There are devices like jar openers you can use. Modify your activity to suit your hands and thumbs,” she said. “You only get one set of hands in life.” In addition, surgery, where a bone is removed and the joint is reconstructed, can reduce pain.
- Insight from the surgeon: “We always consider conservative approaches to pain control before we consider surgery,” Drexler said. “However, when non-operative treatments no longer provide enough pain relief, surgery can be a good option.”
Thumb Tendonitis
- What it is/who gets it: Tendonitis is inflammation in a tendon. A specific type called De Quervain’s (day QWER vanes) tendonitis affects the tendons that move the thumb away from the palm and fingers. It can happen to anyone.
- Why it happens/how it feels: The sharp, stabbing pain of tendonitis in the thumb can affect anyone from new moms to athletes to retirees. “It’s a type of pain that makes you feel almost crazy, because it can hurt so much,” Drexler said, from personal experience. “A smoldering ache with stabbing, momentary pain – that’s this tendonitis. It’s easy for others to assume you’re overreacting, but you’re not. In most cases, we can track it down and fix it.”
- How to fix it: Rest, modifying activities, using braces and getting steroid injections are helpful in most cases. Occasionally, surgery is needed.
- Insight from the surgeon: “The symptoms of tendonitis can range from mild to very severe, and they can sometimes be hard for patients to describe. See a specialist; we can help find and correct the cause.”
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- What it is/who gets it: There are nine tendons and one nerve that all share the tiny space in what’s called the carpal tunnel. It’s a myth that it only affects keyboard workers or others who do repetitive jobs. “Carpal tunnel syndrome can have many contributing causes ranging from habits, occupational factors and even underlying medical conditions,” Drexler added.
- Why it happens/how it feels: This syndrome produces unpleasant sensations like numbness, tingling, burning pain or electric shock-like sensations. Left untreated, it can lead to permanent nerve damage and produce muscle weakness that will affect movement in your thumb.
- How to fix it: Hand therapy, stretching and nighttime wrist braces help many. Severe compression requires outpatient surgery and hand-focused therapy. Learn more about how hand therapy works.
- Insight from the surgeon: “If you experience numbness in your thumb and fingers or wake up at night because of aching, numb hands, don’t wait too long to seek help.”
These lingering conditions are only some of the many ways our thumbs can hold us back. Injuries, especially falls, when we reach out to brace our impact, differ since they’re acute and need right-away attention.
Learn how Avera hand specialists can help you relieve pain.
