Thumb joint pain and swelling

Thumb joint pain

Our arms and hands together withfingers are the most used parts of the body. Whatever activity we areperforming, we make the use of our hands and fingers normally. Therefore, ourhands and fingers are very susceptible to various disorders and diseases.

When the pain in the thumb appears, it can be quite intense sometimes, and it can expand to the wrist and evenforearm. Furthermore, the movement of the finger can be quite limited. Other twosymptoms that usually accompany the thumb joint pain are stiffness andswelling.

Causes of thumb joint pain

In the majority of cases, the thumb jointstarts to ache due to a direct injury to the finger or overuse of it. Moreover,a simple strain or the sprain of the joint is also one of the major causes forthe occurrence of thumb joint pain. Quite often, the ulnar collateral ligamentsprain leads to the ache in this joint and when this ligament is strained, thecondition is called skier’s thumb.The thumb joint pain may also becaused by several medical conditions that are more serious and more difficultto treat than the injuries to this finger.Our joints are protected by a layerof connective tissue or cartilage. When this cartilage is worn out, then the arthritisor osteoarthritis occurs. When arthritis affects the thumb joint, the person experiencespain at the base of this finger whenever he/she tries to grip something. Thearthritis of the thumb also causes rigidity and swelling of the finger as well.The thumb may also be affected by anautoimmune disease that affects the joints, particularly the synovial membrane.This disease is called rheumatoid arthritis and it arises pain, swelling, andjoint deformities.Bursitis is a condition that is alsoresponsible for the incidence of the thumb joint pain. Our bones are protectedfrom the rubbing against each other by the tiny sacs that are filled withfluid and that can be found between the bones, and muscles and tendons aroundthe bones. These sacs are called bursa and when they are inflamed, bursitisoccurs.The pain in the joint of the thumbmay be also induced by tendonitis, which is the medical term for the inflamedtendon, which can be found along the thumb. When this tendon is inflamed andwhen the pain occurs at the base of this finger, the condition is termed as deQuervain's tenosynovitis.