Definition – What causes pain on the thumb side of the wrist?
Pain in the wrist can occur as a result of overstrain, illness or as a result of an accident. Depending on the cause, wrist pain often occurs on the inside and around the thumb.
Causes of pain on the thumb side/inside of the wrist
Possible causes of inner wrist pain are accidents in which you fall on your hand, joint wear and tear and inflammation. An accident can be accompanied by a fracture in the area of the wrist bones, such as a boat track fracture, or leave a bruise. The tendons of the hand muscles can also be injured in an accident.
Rhizarthrosis, an arthrosis of the thumb saddle joint that causes severe pain, is also common. Furthermore, pain in the inner wrist can be caused by an inflammation. Tendinitis and rheumatism are examples of inflammatory processes in the wrist.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is also a possible cause of wrist pain. Here, a nerve is trapped in an anatomical “tunnel” and causes unpleasant symptoms such as pain and numbness at night. In addition to the diseases linked in the text, the article on carpal tunnel syndrome is also recommended for a better understanding: Carpal tunnel syndrome – what is behind it?
Tendovaginitis de Quervain is a tendosynovitis that affects the first of six tendon compartments on the back of the hand. Two tendons run through this tendon compartment, the tendons of the thumb extensor muscle Musculus extensor pollicis brevis and the musculus abductor pollicis longus. Quervain’s disease, named after the Swiss surgeon Fritz de Quervain, is characterized by an inflammation of the tendon sheath in this tendon compartment.
Typical symptoms are pain below the thumb on the wrist, especially during movements such as grasping or holding. The pain can affect the area from the stylus extension of the radius to the thumb. The tissue above the tendon compartment is swollen and reddened.
If the inflammation is very severe, the affected person suffers from palpable and sometimes even audible rubbing. The tendons can block completely, so that they can no longer be bent. An arthrosis in the area of the thumb saddle joint is called rhizarthrosis.
Joint degeneration in this area often affects both thumbs and especially women over the age of fifty. The thumb saddle joint connects the metacarpal bone of the thumb with the great polygon bone, a carpal bone. It is a joint that is practiced during numerous movements.
Those affected suffer from severe pain in the area of the thumb saddle joint, especially during gripping and turning movements. Examples are turning the key in the lock or opening a bottle. Typically, the joint is very sensitive and painful under pressure.
As the arthrosis progresses, the mobility of the joint becomes increasingly restricted. A scaphoid fracture is another possible cause of pain in the inner wrist. The scaphoid bone (Os scaphoideum), a carpal bone, typically breaks when falling on the outstretched hand.
It is the most common fracture of the carpal bones. The symptoms of a scaphoid fracture are pain in the area of the wrist, especially on the back of the hand and on the side of the thumb. In addition, the wrist is swollen and hurts during movements, so that the affected person adopts a gentle position with the injured hand. The wrist is also very painful when in pain. With the following article you can find out if there is a scaphoid fracture behind your pain: Symptoms of a scaphoid fracture
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