Pain in the Thumb: Causes and Treatment

If you feel a pain in your thumb, then this can be a sign of dangerous diseases. Sometimes a person even has to go to hospital, since it is simply impossible to cure some ailments at home.

Causes of pain

Pain in the thumb can occur for a variety of reasons. Doctors share painful feelings in 2 categories, namely, inflammatory and mechanical. Inflammatory pains are characterized by prolonged stiffness of the hands, which can persist for a long time. In addition, there may be additional symptoms, namely:

• edema;
• redness in the joints;
• violation of flexibility.

Mechanical pain can be accompanied by signs of local inflammation, but they are less pronounced. Often patients simply do not notice them. There are various diseases that can provoke pain in the joints of the thumbs. The reasons for this may be hidden in such diseases as:

• rheumatoid arthritis;
• psoriatic arthritis;
• gouty arthritis;
• osteoarthritis;
• Raynaud's syndrome.

In addition, the onset of soreness can also be caused by gout, the cause of which is a violation of uric acid metabolism. With insufficient removal of this substance from the body, it accumulates in the cartilages and joints, worsening their functioning.

Causes of pain when moving with fingers

Very often there is pain in the thumbs, the reasons for this can be very different. A similar disorder occurs with such problems as:

• pinched nerves;
• arthrosis;
• osteoarthritis;
• tunnel syndrome.

Basically, painful sensations appear during flexion and extension of fingers. If there is often a pain, and also shows other symptoms, then you need to see a doctor for diagnosis and treatment.

Osteoarthritis osteoarthrosis

If there is pain in the thumb and small seals appear, this may be a sign of osteoarthritis. Seals are formed right next to the nail. Experts call such a disease knotty fingers.

In the place where the nodule is formed, there are strong painful sensations, reminiscent of the burning of nettle. The skin around the seal becomes reddish. The disease is mainly observed in people after 40 years.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is considered a fairly common disease in which the pain in the thumb becomes simply unbearable. If soreness is very often observed for a long time, then it is necessary to consult a doctor for additional diagnosis.

The causes of this condition can be viral or bacterial infections, colds, flu, hypothermia, overheating, stressful conditions. In the risk group are mostly women, regardless of age. When the course of this disease is swollen, blush and numb fingers on the hands.

Psoriatic arthritis

Pain in the joint of the thumb can occur with psoriatic arthritis. Before the joints of the fingers are affected, there is a strong puffiness, as well as psoriatic lesions of the skin.

In the course of this disease the skin becomes covered with whitish scales, and a little later the pain in the phalanges of the fingers, in particular of the thumb, joins. Pain in the joints can be very strong, so you need painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs.

Gouty arthritis

Gouty arthritis is very much concerned about pain in the joint of the thumb, manifesting mainly at the base. Soreness and puffiness can be in the toe. The pain is so strong that a person can not even move normally and has a cutting character. Affected joints swell, blush and strongly hurt. In humans, the temperature rises sharply, there is weakness, headache and severe fatigue.

In the risk group are mostly men, as gout affects them more than women. This disease is characterized by sharp and severe soreness, therefore, it is important to consult a doctor immediately after the occurrence of discomfort.

Reynaud Syndrome

Raynaud's syndrome is the most common cause for pain in the right thumb. If this condition occurs, numbness of one or more fingers is observed. If you raise your hand up, the pain and numbness will become even stronger.

There is a similar disease mainly in the bearing of a child, taking hormonal and contraceptive medications, frequent and prolonged stresses, which, among other things, can also trigger arthritis.

Risk Factors for

There are certain factors that trigger the onset of pain in the thumb, which include:

• hormonal changes;
• hereditary factors;
• immunity disorder;
• infection;
• worsening metabolism;
• the impact of external factors;
• injury.

To determine the presence of a specific disease, it is possible only with proper therapy, which will be prescribed by a rheumatologist or traumatologist.

Main symptoms of

Pain in the right thumb can occur as a result of various diseases that are accompanied by additional symptoms, in particular:

• formation of nodes at the joint site;
• tenderness when pressing;
• acute pain;
• changes in skin;
• temperature increase;
• motor impairment;
• formation of the inflammatory process and tumors.

Initially, it is necessary to establish the causes that provoked discomfort and only after that, prescribe therapy.

Diagnosis of

Before the treatment, it is absolutely necessary to determine why there was pain in the thumb of the left hand. Therefore, people who experience soreness in the joints and discomfort when flexing limbs, are required to carry out such types of diagnostics as:

• blood biochemistry;
• tomography;
• radiography;
• general analysis of urine and blood.

The appearance of a certain discomfort when bending fingers can be a sign of dangerous diseases. Ignoring the problem can have serious consequences. Often there is a loss of movement. As a result of this, such a problem can lead to the fact that a person can not bend a finger, as well as provoke a disability.

Features of treatment

Many diseases provoke pain in the thumb. Treatment is selected strictly individually, depending on the nature of the course of the disease. With rheumatoid arthritis hormonal drugs are used, in the presence of gout - drugs intended for the excretion of urea, and with lesions of the spine it is important to eliminate the compression of nerve endings.

If symptoms of joint disease are observed, you should immediately seek help from a doctor. Arthritis can become complicated, and soreness will only increase significantly, and well-being will worsen. Psoriasis, gout and many other pathological processes do not pass by themselves and often have very serious consequences. Therefore, it is not recommended to self-medicate. Only a qualified doctor will be able to diagnose correctly and prescribe adequate therapy.

Medication for

If inflammation occurs in the joints of the joints of the thumb joint, the treatment involves taking anesthetic and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

With significant pain, hormonal corticosteroids are used, which can be injected directly into the joint cavity. When osteoarthritis appointed chondroprotectors, which provide food cartilage and help prevent the process of its destruction.

Application of folk remedies

For the treatment can be used and some traditional medicine, which will complement therapy and eliminate soreness in the joints of the fingers. Well helps to cope with discomfort ointment, cooked on the basis of bay leaves, juniper needles and butter. Every day, you need to massage the affected fingers with the resulting remedy until the pain disappears completely.

Compresses prepared from fermented milk products and chalk help well. Compresses are applied at night. A similar means are cooked oatmeal. Inside, you can consume birch juice, because it contains a lot of vitamins, as well as other nutrients that have a good effect on the joints and completely the whole body.

In addition, you can use other methods of treatment, in particular, such as mud treatment, physiotherapy, paraffin therapy, massage, ultrasound.

Physiotherapy

Pain in the joints of the fingers can indicate a malfunction or certain disorders in the body. First of all, you need to give up physical exertion, as this can only exacerbate the course of the inflammatory process. Physiotherapy methods are quite effective in combating joint diseases.

Such techniques include resonance therapy, electrophoresis with novocaine and electrosleep. During the period of remission, it is necessary to exercise a therapeutic effect by performing massages, manual therapy sessions, mud coating and therapeutic gymnastics. In addition, it is recommended to visit sources in sanitation and spa conditions. Treatment in a sanatorium is prescribed only after a thorough examination of the patient.

Compliance with the

diet It is important to observe a special diet during the therapy, which helps to cope with joint pain. It is recommended to consume fish and seafood, as the substances contained in them contribute to the normalization of mineral metabolism. Apple cider vinegar causes the excretion of salt and alkalization of blood.