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Pain in the thumb
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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Causes thumb pain
There may be several of them, and almost all of them are caused by diseases – acute or chronic.
Raynaud's syndrome
This is a common reason why the thumb of the right or left hand may hurt. In Raynaud's syndrome, a characteristic symptom is numbness of the first, second and third fingers of the hands (one or two). The thumb of the hand may hurt a lot, the pain or numbness becomes stronger as soon as the person raises the hand up.
Raynaud's syndrome can develop as a result of pregnancy, due to taking hormones for contraception, due to prolonged and severe stress, and rheumatoid arthritis can also be the culprit.
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Carpal tunnel syndrome
With carpal tunnel syndrome, the symptoms are similar to those that occur with Raynaud's syndrome. The pain in the thumb is disturbing, as well as numbness in the first three fingers of the hand. The culprits of pain may be the repetition of constant and monotonous movements of the fingers or hand with overstrain in the joints and muscles. For example, if a person works a lot at the computer.
Then the nerve fibers tend to become inflamed because the blood flow in the hand is disrupted and the nerve roots are compressed. The fingers hurt and/or go numb.
If you have found all these symptoms, consult a doctor for treatment - pain does not happen by itself, it entails serious consequences for the body. To avoid it, do not treat your fingers yourself, you need a consultation with a traumatologist, neurologist or therapist.
Polyosteoarthrosis of the fingers (both hands)
This disease can be recognized by the nodules that form on the finger. Their location is right next to the nail of the thumb. Doctors called this disease knotty fingers because of its peculiarity. In the place where the nodules form, the finger hurts, the pain resembles a burning sensation, like from nettles. The finger in the place where the nodules are located, and next to them, turns red.
The risk group for this disease is patients over 40 years of age.
Rheumatoid arthritis
With this disease, the thumb can be so painful that its movements become impossible or severely limited. Rheumatoid arthritis can be caused by various diseases, in particular, viral and bacterial infections, colds, trivial flu, prolonged stress, hand injuries, temperature changes, both hot and cold.
Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis may include pain in the thumb, as well as in other fingers, as well as deformation of the joints, their swelling, and redness. Rheumatoid arthritis can be recognized by this characteristic sign: the thumbs of both hands swell and hurt.
Women are more likely to be at risk than men. Age limits for rheumatoid arthritis are blurred, this disease can affect a person at any age.
Psoriatic arthritis
With psoriatic arthritis, the thumb of the left or right hand hurts, and sometimes both together. Before the finger joints swell, a person has to endure another stage of the skin disease - psoriasis. With this disease, the skin is covered with whitish scales, a little later this is joined by pain in the phalanges of the fingers, especially the thumb.
Joint pain can be so severe that painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs are needed.
Gouty arthritis
With this type of disease, pain and swelling are very disturbing, appearing at the base of the finger. Pain and swelling can be in the thumb and in the big toe - these are the first signs of gouty arthritis.
The pain is so severe that a person cannot move, the pain is of a cutting nature. The affected joints turn red, swell, and hurt. A person's temperature rises, there may be a headache, weakness, and increased fatigue.
The risk group is primarily men, gout affects them more than women. Gout is characterized by sharp and very strong pains, it is better not to let them happen, but to treat the feet immediately as soon as you feel pain in the big toe.
Pathogenesis
The thumb is constructed slightly differently from the other fingers. It is shorter than the other fingers because it has only two phalanges, unlike the other fingers, which have three phalanges.
The thumb is very important for a person because it helps a person to take weights, to grab awkward objects. The thumb presses on the object from one side, and the other fingers from the other side, and the object is firmly held in the hand.
The thumb alone has the same gripping force as the rest of the fingers combined. This is because the areas of the brain that control the thumb are very large, much larger in volume than those that control the rest of the fingers.