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A dull thumb pain is not a good sign and it usually marks something serious. If you have been facing a thumb pain that just refuses to go away, it is imperative that you visit your doctor at the earliest. While a case of thumb pain might be caused by a simple injury to the thumb, there are some serious medical conditions that can lead to the onset of this problem.
In case you are suffering from the symptoms of wrist and thumb pain, it is essential that you look into the condition closely. Usually, the thumb pain symptoms can be related to a couple of problems, but when they are accompanied by wrist pain, a particular medical condition is known to be responsible. It is a particular case of wrist tendinitis that leads to severe impact on the working of the tendons at the base of the thumb.
There are several causes of thumb joint pain and you would find that this is a common condition that can arise due to some trivial reasons. However, not all cases of thumb pain are trivial and some of them can indicate a severe medical problem. Let’s start with the most common and trivial reasons for this problem, accidental injury. Accidental injury can lead to lasting thumb pain that gets fine after a couple of weeks. On the other hand, some cases of thumb pain do not get better, even after months.
The problem of thumb arthritis is known to lead to severe thumb pain & symptoms related to this condition. Basically, thumb arthritis is a name given to the problem that eats away at the joint of thumb with the wrist. In simple words, the thumb joint is impacted by wear and tear, and if not addressed on time, this problem can even lead to permanent damage to the thumb joint. There are several ways through which you can avoid the severe consequences of this condition.
Thumb pain may be something that seems inconsequential for other people, but for the person suffering from it, it is not only annoying, but sometimes also greatly debilitating, particularly if it happens on his dominant hand. After all, the opposable thumbs serve nearly all the work for the average human being, from writing, to gripping, to doing even the most basic of tasks such as putting on and taking off clothing. Pain in one’s thumb may begin at the base, but it tends to go down towards the wrist. Sometimes, it may even extend to the forearm. With the pain, the twisting of the wrist may even add to the discomfort.
Experts believe thumb pain is typically triggered by the weakening of the tendons extending from the wrist to the thumb, either by injury from an accident or from overuse. If the pain comes from an injury, it tends to start suddenly. Meanwhile, chronic thumb pain may be a warning signal for more serious issues of health, particularly arthritis. When the pain is coming from degeneration of the thumb join, it tends to intensify over time, usually starting off as a dull pain but progressing towards extreme pain, and also typically gets aggravated from the repeated use of the hand and thumb. Other symptoms may accompany the pain, such as stiffness, swelling, or weakness in the thumb.
So is there a way to treat thumb pain? Technically, the main objectives of treatment for thumb pain are to reduce the pain, enhance mobility of the joint, and give stability to the joint hat has been weakened. The following are ways you will find helpful in dealing with your thumb pain:
1. Rest – As with all injuries, the thumb will recover much more quickly if you keep it at rest. This means you may need to keep from using the painful thumb for the moment, and the pain will go away in time. This is especially true for a dislocated or broken thumb, which you can immobilize with a splint. The splint will give sufficient joint support while keeping the bones at the right position against the joint, relieving the pain. Of course, the extent to which you will need to use the splint depends largely on the severity of your condition, which your doctor will help to determine.
2. Medication – Pain may be managed more effectively with the help of anti-inflammatory medication. Of course, the effect is just temporary and does not exactly resolve the root. What it does is to relieve the pain for the moment while the thumb heals. The standard advice is for pain relievers to be taken only when the pain is too much to tolerate, and only used for the short-term, especially since they tend to have side effects when taken over the long-term. The best recourse would be to take pain killers only with a doctor’s prescription.
3. Physical therapy – Physical therapy is recommended for almost any kind of pain on the thumb joint. This helps to get rid of pain, as well as the stiffness and swelling, and also works at improving flexibility. The advantage of physical therapy is that it adds stability and strength to the thumb, preventing further injury in the future.
If you thumb pain persists, be sure to consult your doctor, as he will be the best person to determine the course you should take, including the possibility of requiring surgery.