Why does my thumbs ache

Mild pain: comes and goes is annoying but does not stop you doing things like going to work. Find an urgent treatment centre What we mean by severe pain Severe pain: always there and so bad it's hard to think or talk you cannot sleep it's very hard to move, get out of bed, go to the bathroom, wash or dress. Common causes of thumb pain Symptoms Possible cause Pain, swelling, bruising after an injury sprained thumb Pain, swelling and stiffness at the base of the thumb that lasts a long time, may be hard to move your thumb, may have a lump tendonitis de Quervain's disease or arthritis Aching pain that's worse at night, numbness or pins and needles, a weak thumb or difficulty gripping carpal tunnel syndrome Pain or tenderness in your palm at the base of your thumb, stiffness, clicking when you move your finger or thumb trigger thumb Sudden, sharp pain, swelling, a popping or snapping sound during the injury broken thumb.

Information: Do not worry if you're not sure what the problem is. You can also read about pain in other areas of your hand. A person may need to wear the cast for 4—6 weeks. During this time, a person may require regular X-rays to check that the bones remain properly aligned. If the bone fragments have drifted far from the break, a person may require surgery to realign the fragments. A surgeon may use wire, pins, or screws to hold the fragments together while the bone heals.

Following surgery, a person will need to wear a cast for 2—6 weeks to immobilize the thumb. They may then need to perform exercises to help regain movement of the thumb.

Cartilage is a type of tissue that cushions and lubricates the joints. It allows bones within the joint to move across each other without friction. Basal joint arthritis BJA , or thumb arthritis , occurs when the cartilage between the base of the thumb and the wrist wears away.

This can happen for several reasons, including:. Arthritis is a progressive disease, meaning it will worsen over time. Treatments for arthritis aim to slow the progression of the disease and manage its symptoms. Some additional treatment options include:. It occurs due to inflammation in the outer part, or sheath, of a tendon within the thumb or finger.

A tendon is a band of fibrous tissue that connects muscle to bone. In trigger finger, inflammation of the tendon sheath causes the thumb or finger to catch or lock in a bent position. The condition may occur as a result of repetitive use or injury. Sometimes, the condition improves without treatment. However, taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory NSAID drug such as ibuprofen can help to alleviate pain and inflammation. However, DQT involves inflammation of the tendons, whereas trigger finger involves inflammation of the tendon sheath.

Experts do not know the exact cause of DQT. However, repetitive motions or injury can lead to inflammation around the tendons of the wrist. Thank you. I apologize for ending the prior post abruptly, I must have hit the post button by mistake. Hi Erika, I am so sorry to hear about your thumb pain and other health concerns. While wearing a thumb brace can help, it is difficult to recommend a brace without knowing where your thumb hurts or what activities are causing it.

It is important to wear a brace that gives you the support where you need it. It may be best to consult with your healthcare provider for a diagnosis and options on what type of splint would be most beneficial.

I suffer from lupus and recently out of nowhere my left thumb starting hurting. I braid my own hair and this became impossible after the thumb pain started.

I went to my rheumatologist and I was given a shot of some sort, he told me of the pain continued I need to see a hand surgeon. I, unfortunately have been diagnosed with cancer and will be starting chemotherapy and radiation in a few weeks.

If I am unable to address this issue prior to my 6 weeks of treatment, is there anything you can BM j. Hi what can i do to relief the pain my right thum hurts exremely i feel numbmess in all my fingers but my thumb is killing me right at the bottom of my thumb if i touch it hurts extremly and its been like this for a few weeks now.

Juan, I am very sorry to hear that you are experiencing pain in your thumb. While we have many thumb splints and braces that may help, we are not medical professionals and are not able to provide a diagnosis for your thumb pain. We recommend that you consult with your healthcare provider who can help diagnosis your thumb problem and provide the best solutions for your pain.

I hope you find some relief soon. My right thumb is quite painful at the base. Any advice on what it could be? Ellen, Please know that while we can provide information on certain health conditions and answer questions about our products, we are not medical professionals and therefore are not able to provide a diagnosis.

We recommend that you consult with your healthcare professional or a specialist who can help diagnosis your thumb problem and provide the best treatment options for you. Once you have received a diagnosis, please come back and visit our site, as we do have many thumb splints and braces that can help ease your pain.

Hello Ellen, Did you ever dig out what was wrong with your thumb? My 9yearbikd daughters thumb has been hurting for 2 days now. She has the same symptoms as you described. A few weeks ago when i was jumping a hurdle, I fell and my thumb hurt right away. Whats wrong with it? Hi Kristen, I am very sorry to hear that you injured your thumb and are still experiencing pain. Please know that while we can provide information on certain health conditions and answer questions about our products, we are not medical professionals and are unable to provide you with a diagnosis.

We suggest that you consult with a healthcare professional who can do an examination of your thumb and provide the best treatment options for you.

Once you have received a diagnosis, please come back and visit our site, as we do have many thumb splints and braces that can support your thumb to promote healing and ease your pain. I am 12 years old and when I was about 9 I was at a ice skating rink and I fell and my thumb smacked the ice and now I can move it inwards closer to the middle , and now it hurts but not as much. Hi Jessica I am sorry to hear your thumb has been hurting you for so long. I hurt my finger a few months ago and it turned out I had damaged a tendon in it.

I found out that there were things I could do to help it heal, like in my case wearing a splint for a while and later doing exercises to help it to regain its strength. It is almost back to normal now and hardly ever hurts, but it took a while to get there. Then I had some sessions with a physiotherapist who specialized in hand therapy. I also looked on the web for exercises to do. But getting a diagnosis of what was wrong was an important first step.

I wish you luck with your thumb. My eleven year old daughter was playing volleyball and twisted her thumb backwards it happened three days ago and she still complains about it every time she moves it. What do you think it is and how can we get it better. Hi Ryan, I am very sorry to hear that your daughter injured her thumb and is experiencing pain. It sounds as though you should take your daughter to have her thumb examined by your healthcare provider.

Please know that while we can provide information on certain health conditions and answer questions about our products, we are not medical professionals and therefore are not able to provide a diagnosis or treatment. Once you have received a diagnosis, we do offer many thumb splints and braces that may help. My name is Charlene. I am a bit concern that my thumb if pointing it upwards, it is severely painful between the nail and the first joint.

I need to put pressure on it all the time. It is so sensitive that it is painful when something touches it. What can I do? Charlene, I am very sorry to hear that you are experiencing pain in your thumb. Please know that while we can provide information on certain health conditions and answer questions about our products, we are not medical professionals and therefore are not able to provide a diagnosis. We recommend that you consult with your healthcare professional or a specialist who can help diagnosis your problem and provide the best treatment options for you.

Did you ever find out what was wrong? I have pain in the same area, except it is always painful and touching it in a specific spot puts my pain through the roof!

My daughter is 9 Year old. Her thumb finger start paining when she plays violin for 15 minutes. We tried all sorts of remedies. Nothing happened.

Please guide what to do? Hi Sanjay, I am very sorry to hear that your daughter is having pain in her thumb. Please know that while we can provide information on certain health conditions, we are not medical professionals and therefore are not able to provide a diagnosis. We recommend that you consult with your healthcare professional or a specialist who can diagnosis the problem and provide recommendations for treatment.

Once your daughter has received a diagnosis, we do have many thumb splints and braces that provide support and can help ease her pain. I have a really bad stabbing pain in my thumb when i move it to a certain point whats wrong with it? Robbie, I am very sorry to hear that you are experiencing pain in your thumb joints and forearm.

Overview Thumb arthritis Open pop-up dialog box Close. Thumb arthritis Thumb arthritis occurs when the cartilage in the carpometacarpal CMC joint wears away. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Bray J, et al. Evaluation of the patient with thumb pain. Accessed April 30, Arthritis of the base of the thumb. American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Thumb arthritis.