De Quervain’s tenosynovitis is sometimes linked to osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Repetitive motions and stress on the thumb can lead to inflammation and swelling. De Quervain’s Tenosynovitisĭe Quervain’s tenosynovitis is another condition that specifically affects the tendons of the thumb. People with trigger finger will experience stiffness of the thumb and/or other fingers, as well as a clicking sensation as they attempt to move their thumb.
#Break your thumb full
When tendons swell, they may get caught in the tendon sheaths that run through the hands, impairing full range of motion of the fingers. Tendons are the fibrous tissue that connect muscles to bones. Trigger FingerĪlso known as stenosing tenosynovitis and stenosing tenovaginosis, trigger finger is a condition that affects the tendons.
If rheumatoid arthritis affects your thumbs, it can lead to stiffness at the base of the thumb, severe pain, swelling, tenderness of the joint, and even deformation of the hands. This condition is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation, often affecting the smaller joints first.
In addition to osteoarthritis, a person’s thumb may be adversely affected by rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis can also lead to pain around the thumb, swelling at the base of the thumb, and reduced grip strength. Thumb arthritis can lead to stiffness of the thumb and a severely reduced range of motion. Over time, the protective cushion of arthritis around a joint can break down. In addition to reduced thumb movement, fractures of the thumb tend to involve severe pain, swelling, and bruising of the injured area of the hand. Thumb Fracturesīroken bones of the hands and wrist can lead to difficulty moving your thumbs. In addition to stiffness, a thumb sprain is also typified by swelling and bruising. Thumb sprains most often occur at the base of the thumb. When you sprain your thumb, it usually means that the ligaments have been stretched beyond their normal range. Thumb SprainsĪ sprain is an injury to the ligaments, which are the fibrous structures that connect the bones of joint and ensure they function properly. We can go over treatment options with you during a visit to our hand center. This should give you some idea of the different problems that affect the use of your hands. He has helped countless patients in the greater Atlanta and Marietta, GA area by treating different injuries and conditions affecting the hands and fingers.īelow, we want to go over some of the most common causes of thumb stiffness and immobility. The structure of the hand is quite complicated, so determining the exact cause of your problem will require the attention of a skilled hand and wrist surgeon like Dr. Stiffness of your fingers is typically a sign that something is wrong.