Hand Thumb Pain: Causes & Ways to Relieve

Hand thumb pain is quite common among office workers and gamers. Since your thumb is involved in more than 50% of all the tasks that you do, finding the right way to treat thumb pain is important. In the worst cases, the thumb pain may make it troublesome for you to hold your mouse and experience wrist pain too.

Imagine how difficult it will get to play your favorite video game with your thumb injured. Several people experience thumb pain from typing, but there are other reasons too. Knowing the harm thumb pain causes to your gaming sessions and productivity at work, you would be curious to know things like what causes thumb pain and how to relieve thumb pain.

You will be glad to know that we have catered to that and shared a detailed blog on the causes and treatment of thumb pain here today. As you read on, you will explore why any gamer or office worker experiences thumb pain and what are the best ways to treat it. So, stick with us till the end! 

What Causes Hand Thumb Pain?

Thumb pain can be due to a lot of reasons. If you are experiencing right thumb pain or pain in the thumb pad, it is a symptom of carpal tunnel syndrome, which you might encounter when you do not adopt the proper wrist position for typing. This pain may feel like a burning sensation or tingling in your wrist and thumbs while you type at work.

At times the ligaments in your thumb get damaged due to certain accidents or injuries resulting in a thumb sprain or a jammed thumb. Such a condition is noticeable with the stiffness and swelling of your thumb.

Another common cause of thumb pain is the excessive use of your thumb. If you are an office worker, you may get wrist pain from the mouse, which comes along with thumb pain. And if you are a gamer, chances are you have overused your thumb while controlling the joysticks and playing excessively without a gaming wrist rest. Some people might encounter thumb pain due to basal joint arthritis too.

There is a different treatment for all the thumb pain causes that we discussed above. So, let’s have a look at how you can relieve thumb pain. 

How to Relieve Hand Thumb Pain?

Here are some ways to treat hand thumb pain. Nevertheless, in case your thumb stops working or the pain intensifies, you must visit a physician. 

Use Ergonomic Mouse and Keyboard

Using an ergonomic mouse and keyboard is important for maintaining workplace ergonomics too. You must ensure that you have such ergonomic accessories to facilitate yourself at work as much as you can. Keyboards like split mechanical keyboards and keyboards with a wrist pad are great for office use because they eliminate the excessive pressure on your thumb. The job of the ergonomic mouse is quite similar, too; it provides you with a better grip that does not have any strain on your thumb. 

Use an Ergonomic Wrist Rest

The ergonomic wrist rest is vital when it comes to providing relief to hand thumb pain. People suffering from carpal tunnel and the ones who wish to avoid it give the ergonomic wrist rest a priority, among other office accessories. The wrist rest provides you with padding that supports your wrist and avoids any undue pressure on your ligaments that may cause any injury at work. 

Follow RICE Principles (Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate)

There are simple RICE principles that are known as a home remedy for relieving thumb pain. R stands for resting which means you need to give your hands some rest to let your thumb recover. 'I' stands for icing. Icing your thumb is critical in providing pain relief and helping your thumb heal. You must apply an ice pack for around ten minutes per hour on the first day of your injury.

‘C’ stands for Compress. You are required to choose an elastic bandage to compress your thumb if your thumb is swollen. Using an ACE bandage can help a lot here. Lastly, ‘E’ stands for elevate. Keeping your hand elevated above your heart level helps in reducing thumb pain and swelling. Following these four practices together can help you treat thumb pain effectively. 

Wear a Splint

If You have encountered an injury in the thumb joint, you will need to wear a splint for a speedy recovery. Wearing a splint helps stabilize your thumb joint and prevents any further damage. If you have had thumb pain from carpal tunnel, you may need a splint in that case too. 

Perform Hand Thumb Exercises Regularly

Lastly, the thumb exercises come in handy if you want to have a speedy recovery. These exercises help increase your thumb's mobility and strengthen your thumb muscles to avoid any future injuries. In the simplest case, you may be told to squeeze a spongy ball with your thumb and a finger for a few seconds or upto five to ten times. In other instances, you might be asked to practice lifting your fingers or perform some wrist exercises depending upon the cause and intensity of your thumb pain. 

Final Words

Wrapping It Up, we hope you have gained useful insights on how to relieve thumb pain and what are the causes of hand thumb pain in the first place. From now on, you would be mindful of these causes and try avoiding them at the workplace or during your gaming sessions.

The good part is that we have all ergonomic office accessories and furniture available on our online store under a discount purchasing program, the Autonomous employee purchase program. You may avail the perks of this program too. All you are required to do is sign up for this program using your corporate email. Once you do that, a vast avenue of discounts will open up for you.