What are the Symptoms and Treatment of Thumb Joint Pain?

Thumb joint pain often makes it impossible to work with your hands as normal. The pain makes it impossible to grasp items and hold them. The pain associated with thumb and joint pain can really bother you in your daily life. The most common cause for pain in the joint of your thumb is trauma. When you had an accident your thumb is sensitive to trauma. Other common causes are Arthritis and Rheumatism.

Impaired grip is the most important symptom and also the one that give the most discomfort. Activities that normally would be very simple are now impossible to do. You start noticing how important your thumb is when you are not able to use it fully. Opening a jar, brushing your teeth, turning the key, all procedures that will be very difficult when you have thumb joint pain. However, there are also other symptoms.

Other symptoms of thumb joint pain are stiffness and inflammation of the joint. The inflammation is noticeable by the swelling and stiffness is caused by inactivity. In most cases the injury is minor and therefore temporary. Resting, relaxation and some thumb exercises are all you need to fully recover. After one or two weeks, the symptoms and pain will go away.

When the pain remains because of the inflammation, anti inflammatory medication is also an option. Your doctor will not always prescribes these medications as they also come with side  effects. If you want to relief the pain than an aspirin might be enough already. Stronger medication is not advised because they won’t heal the injury and increase the chance that you will injure it even more. An Icepack against the swelling is also a good option as long as you do not put the ice direct on the skin. Always wrap it in a towel or use an icepack.

So when do you know that you should visit a doctor? If you do not know where the pain comes from and if it remains for longer than 2 weeks, than it might be wise to consult your doctor. The primary diagnostic test is making X-rays from various positions.  In this way he can see if it is broken or if it is Arthritis. In very rare occasions the pain is caused by loosening of the tendons. In this case, surgical intervention is often the best treatment for thumb joint pain.

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