The thumb on the hand hurts in the joint: list of causes and treatment methods

Author of the article: Eduard Svitich - orthopedic traumatologist

De Quervain's disease or syndrome is an inflammation of the two tendons of the thumb after repeated overuse. The second name for the problem is “the washerwoman’s disease.” This is a typical tenosynovitis, that is, a combined inflammation of the tendon and its sheath.

The extensor pollicis brevis and abductor pollicis longus tendons at the wrist run within a tight canal. Once inflamed, the tendons swell slightly and are compressed in this channel. Previously free movement causes pain and swelling.

Why does the thumb on the left or right hand hurt?

The cause of pain is always the same - inflammation.
When it comes to joint problems, the culprit may not only be infection, but also tissue destruction. This can happen due to injury (bruise, fracture), nerve compression, salt deposits in the joints, when tiny crystals, like sandpaper, injure the delicate articular surface. The most common reason why the joint of the thumb on the hand hurts is arthrosis. This is inflammation of the joint, which is caused by salt deposits (for example, gout), old injuries, autoimmune diseases (for example, systemic lupus erythematosus), and degenerative connective tissue diseases. Some endocrinological diseases, as well as diseases associated with internal hemorrhages, such as hemophilia, can lead to arthrosis.

Depending on how exactly the diseased area of ​​the hand behaves, the doctor draws a conclusion about what happened to the patient. The first question that will be asked is whether there were injuries. External influences can either lead to illness or provoke an exacerbation of an existing disease that had not previously manifested itself. So, there was no injury, but there was pain. There are the following reasons for this:

• when the thumb on the hand hurts when bent or at the base, arthrosis is most likely to blame; if it does not bend and hurts, then the disease has already gone quite far;
• if your thumb is swollen and painful, this may be a sign of Raynaud's syndrome;
• when the phalanx of the thumb on the hand hurts, both joints and ligaments and tendons may be to blame: their inflammation is manifested by sensations in the area of ​​the phalanges;
• at night the fingers from the big to the middle go numb, the sensation can affect half of the ring finger - this is a sign of cubital syndrome, or more simply - pinching of the median nerve;
• if both arms hurt in the same places, you need to rule out autoimmune diseases.

If your feelings differ from the options proposed, describe them yourself. The time and conditions of pain onset, mobility in the joints, and the nature of the sensations (sharp, pulling, and so on) matter.

Degree of damage

Mild discomfort in the thumb is a sign of developing inflammatory or degenerative pathology. Usually only infectious, reactive, rheumatoid, and gouty arthritis manifest acutely. Other pathologies develop gradually.

How to make a diagnosis

They begin to find out why the thumb on the right or left hand hurts with an x-ray.
This method of examination shows the condition of bones and joints. If there are signs of a fracture or inflammation inside the joint capsule, we are talking about injury or arthrosis. If no pathology is detected on the x-ray, it is most likely a neurological disease - carpal tunnel syndrome or another disease.

Electroneuromyography is used to diagnose tunnel syndromes. It allows you to confirm the diagnosis and make sure that nerve compression occurs exactly where the doctor suggested. But an experienced neurologist or surgeon can establish this diagnosis only by symptoms: they do not occur in other diseases.

Blood tests are rarely taken, as a rule, when a systemic disease is suspected, the result of which is disease of small joints.

Diagnostic methods

The diagnosis is made based on the patient’s complaints, external examination, and medical history. The doctor conducts a series of functional tests to assess muscle strength, range of motion, and the intensity of symptoms. The following instrumental studies are prescribed:

• radiography to detect deformation of bone structures;
• MRI, CT, ultrasound, which help to detect the localization of inflammation, determine its severity and the degree of damage to cartilage tissue.

To make a diagnosis, the results of general clinical tests, biochemical and serological studies (level of rheumatoid factor, antinuclear antibodies, C-reactive protein) are required. Biological samples are sown into nutrient media to determine the type of infectious agents and their sensitivity to drugs.

How to relieve the condition

In the acute phase of the disease, the affected area is given rest and anti-inflammatory drugs are used to remove the cause of the disease, or as a pain reliever for injuries. As soon as the condition allows, they begin to move the arm, giving it moderate loads to improve blood circulation. Then, in order to relieve pain in the thumb of the left or right hand, they act on the causes of the disease: they treat inflammation in the place that caused the pain with the help of anti-inflammatory drugs, physiotherapy, and exercise therapy.

In case of injury, a traumatologist will help you recover, and in all other situations, a therapist. He will prescribe all the necessary examinations and determine whether he can solve the problem on his own, or whether the help of a neurologist, orthopedist or surgeon will be required.

In case of carpal tunnel syndrome, in addition to treatment, you will need to reconsider your usual postures and, possibly, purchase several devices that will help reduce the load on the hand.

Diagnosis of finger joint pain

To identify the causes of the disease, the following types of research are used:

• Magnetic resonance imaging. MRI of the hand joint is the most effective and accurate way to identify the location of an inflammatory or post-traumatic process;
• X-ray;
• CT scan;
• Ultrasound;
• electrospondylography;
• puncture (extraction of liquid contents of the joint capsule).

Important!

Only a doctor can prescribe a specific test, having previously studied the characteristics of the symptoms.

Prevention is the crux of the matter

Prevention consists of preventing injuries, overloads and hypothermia of the hand. Regular exercise helps a lot: the better the blood circulation in the small joints, the less likely they are to get sick.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to prevent autoimmune diseases. But the earlier a doctor detects such a disease, the less destruction it manages to cause in the body: such diseases often affect not only the periphery of the body, but also vital organs. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to discomfort in small joints and promptly find out their cause.

How is rhizarthrosis treated?

As with other joints, treatment for osteoarthritis of the thumb depends on the stage at which the disease is detected. It is very important to make a correct diagnosis, because similar symptoms occur with gout, arthritis and other pathologies.

At an early stage, it is enough to take medications to improve metabolism and strengthen cartilage. Physiotherapy also helps well, especially if you go to a sanatorium-resort treatment for general health improvement.

If the symptoms intensify, a comprehensive regimen is prescribed:

• painkillers;
• short-course non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
• chondroprotectors – to activate the production of new cartilage cells;
• manual therapy sessions (proper adjustment of a deformed joint reduces pain);
• massage to increase the tone of cartilage tissue and improve joint mobility.

Manual therapy and massage are good in the initial stages of rhizarthrosis

To keep your hands healthy, perform simple gymnastics, for example, from the following exercises:

Stiff finger: causes and risk factors

Articular cartilage destruction occurs between the first metatarsal and the proximal phalanx of the big toe. It is not known exactly why some people develop the disease and others do not. Possible causes of arthrosis of the big toe are hereditary factors, trauma, inflammation, excessive stress and deformation. Sometimes stiffness is a complication of gout.

The following factors may contribute to the onset and progression of arthrosis of the first toe:

• Inappropriate, tight shoes
• Foot deformity
• Flat valgus foot
• Improper or excessive weight bearing, such as gait disturbances or excess weight
• Bone fractures and soft tissue inflammation.
• Gout

What is a stiff finger

A stiff toe is arthrosis of the big toe.
As the articular cartilage deteriorates, the mobility of the finger gradually decreases. Long-term inflammation can result in complete immobility of the joint (ankylosis). Causes and risks

Symptoms and signs

Treatment

Insoles medi

Why might your thumb joint hurt?

Pain in the joint of the big toe often occurs when breaking in new shoes and is usually caused by the formation of a callus or rubbing. In such cases, it quickly weakens immediately after the skin heals.

The development of pathology is indicated by the appearance of pain more than once a week, and a gradual increase in its intensity. Indirect signs of an inflammatory or destructive process include swelling and redness of the skin over the joint and its stiffness.

Arthritis

When a patient complains of pain in the joint of the big toe, the doctor first of all assumes the development of rheumatoid arthritis. This is a serious pathology that cannot yet be completely cured. But long-term use of drugs allows one to achieve stable remission and slow down the inflammatory process.

Also, the cause of pain can be infectious arthritis, which occurs due to the penetration of pathogenic bacteria into the joint cavity. Antibiotic therapy helps eliminate all symptoms of the pathology.

Less commonly, the appearance of discomfort is provoked by reactive arthritis, which develops due to an inadequate response of the immune system to the introduction of infectious or allergic agents. The disease can be completely cured in 60% of cases.

Arthrosis

Pain in the toe occurs with arthrosis of the 2nd degree of severity. And at the initial stage of development, only mild discomfort occasionally appears after a long walk, lifting weights, or intense sports training. It is in the absence of symptoms that the difficulties of treating this degenerative-dystrophic pathology lie. The patient consults a doctor if irreversible changes in cartilage and bone tissue have already occurred.

Gout

Pain of similar localization in men is a specific sign of damage to the toe by gouty arthritis. This joint is also involved in the inflammatory process in women, but usually a little later, after damage to the small joints of the hands. Gout develops due to dysregulation of purine synthesis in the body. The level of uric acid and its salts increases, and then they crystallize, accumulate and deposit in the joints, irritating the tissues, provoking the development of inflammation. Indirect confirmation of a gout attack is redness of the finger and a strong increase in local temperature.

Bursitis

This is an acute, subacute or chronic inflammation of the synovial bursa, accompanied by the accumulation of exudate in its cavity. Bursitis can be infectious, developing after pathogenic microorganisms enter the joint, for example, due to injuries.

Its cause can be respiratory, urogenital, intestinal infections. After visiting a doctor, patients for treatment of bursitis are prescribed antibiotics to destroy pathogenic bacteria and eliminate symptoms.

Bursitis is often a complication of systemic diseases - arthritis, arthrosis, gout.

Tendon inflammation

Tendonitis is an inflammatory pathology that affects the tendons. It develops as a result of a single or regular increased load on the joint of the big toe. If a person does not seek medical help, tendonitis becomes chronic. Pain in the finger appears when the weather changes, hypothermia, or ARVI. Gradually, the structure of the tendon changes pathologically, which leads to gait disturbance.

With tendovaginitis, connective tissue cords also become inflamed, but only those that have vaginas. The causes of the development of this disease can be either monotonous, frequently repeated movements, or rheumatic or infectious processes.

Morton's neuroma

This is the name for damage to the plantar digital nerve at the level of the heads of the metatarsal bones as a result of compression by the transverse intermetatarsal ligament.

Morton's neuroma appears due to wearing tight high-heeled shoes, improper gait, excess weight, and long walking. Athletes and people who work in a standing position are at risk.

A characteristic symptom of Morton's neuroma is the sensation of a foreign object in the shoe. Over time, the pain in the toe may subside, but when wearing tight shoes, another exacerbation occurs.

Diabetes

“Doctors are hiding the truth!”

Even “advanced” joint problems can be cured at home! Just remember to apply this once a day...

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This is a chronic metabolic disorder, which is characterized by insufficient production of its own insulin and increased blood glucose levels. The course of diabetes mellitus is complicated by impaired functioning of almost all vital systems, including the musculoskeletal system. Diabetic foot becomes a serious consequence of the pathology.

A patient with a similar condition exhibits circulatory problems in the lower leg, pain in muscles and joints, and destruction of bone and cartilage tissue.

Ingrown nail

The nail becomes ingrown due to too much pressure on the surrounding soft tissue. Most often, this pathology affects the big toe.

As a result of ingrowth of the nail plate into the periungual fold, an acute inflammatory process develops. Severe pain occurs, spreading to the entire finger. Usually making a diagnosis is not difficult. Upon external examination, redness of the skin and inflammatory swelling are clearly visible. Ingrown toenails are treated conservatively, but surgical intervention is often required - partial or complete removal of the nail plate.