Thumb Joint Pain Causes

Pain in the thumb joint can lead to numbness of palms, tingling sensation in palm and fingers. You may find it difficult to hold things with your hands and it is very painful to have a grip on the objects that you try to hold. Many a time, swelling and stiffness is also experienced along with severe thumb pain. There are numerous thumb joint pain causes. Let us take a look at them one by one.

Thumb Joint Pain Causes
Here are some thumb pain causes, explained in detail.

Thumb Injury
Thumb injury due to bruising causes thumb joint pain and swelling. A sprain or strain on the thumb joint, sometimes, causes inability to move the wrist and the fingers. Muscle tendons are the tissues that join the muscles to the bones. Inflammation and irritation in these tissues, causes thumb joint pain and leads to tendonitis. Repetitive stress on the thumb is the main cause of tendonitis. However, tendonitis is a result of the aging process. Fractures are also one of the thumb joint pain causes.

Bursitis
Bursa is a sac filled with fluid which provides lubricating fluid and is placed in between bones, muscles, tendons or skin. The bursa fluid decreases the friction, irritation and rubbing. Any injury to the bursa causes bursitis. Thus, bursitis can be a result of any palm injury. Also, aging can be a reason for the cause of bursitis. Overuse of the thumb joint for various works can increase the risk of bursitis.

Arthritis
Arthritis is another reason for the common cause of thumb pain, stiffness and swelling. There are various arthritis viz., rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and psoriatic arthritis. Basal joint is the joint which allows the pivoting motion. The design of the basal joint is such that it causes wear and tear very easily, which is a reason to develop arthritis at a very early age. Basal joint thumb pain is mainly seen in people suffering from osteoarthritis.

The basal thumb joint renders a wide range of movement and the cartilage at this point covers the end of the bone. In the basal joint arthritis, the cartilage gets deteriorated and damaged. As the cartilage gets damaged, the bones rub at the joint causing pain. This rubbing of bones causes wear and tear of the bones. Your body attempts to cure this damage, which further deteriorates the condition by the growth of bone spur at this joint. In addition, there is no treatment for thumb arthritis. Care should be taken to avoid further damage to your thumb. In worst cases, surgery is suggested to cure the thumb arthritis.

Thumb Joint Pain Treatment
The treatment of thumb joint pain is totally dependent on the cause of thumb joint pain. If the thumb joint pain is caused by certain injury, rest and medication are generally prescribed by the physician. According to the ailment, the remedy for it also changes. These treatments are only for your reference and it is advisable that you consult a doctor.