Introduction
Painful palms can be attributed to various causes. Often the complaints are caused by harmless causes, such as a mere overloading of the hand muscles by repeatedly performing the same movement (writing, certain sports, etc.). However, diseases can also cause pain in the palms of the hands. Possible causes for the complaints are listed below.
Pain at the inner ball of the hand
If pain occurs on the inside of the ball of the hand, this affects the ball of the little finger (hypothenar). This can be caused by an irritation of nerves or tendon sheaths due to overloading. Since the little finger is the weakest finger, a sudden additional load, such as learning to play the guitar, can tire the muscles of the little finger, which then results in pain in the ball of the little finger. It is best to train the muscles little by little. Arthrosis in the area of the ball of the little finger, i.e. cartilage wear in the joint between two carpal bones, can also cause pain in the ball of the little finger, so that the affected patients can no longer support themselves painlessly on their hand, for example.
Pain in the outer palm of the hand
Pain at the outer ball of the hand, the ball of the thumb (thenar), usually occurs in connection with a so-called adducted thumb, i.e. when the thumb is pulled inwards. The thumb can then often no longer be braced when pain occurs. In the ball of the thumb there are many short thumb muscles, which are necessary for almost all activities, because they lead the thumb to the fingers now and then away.
This movement is called opposition. Pain in the ball of the thumb is often caused by monotonously repetitive activities in the context of tendonitis (typical example: frequent work with the computer mouse. Often, arthrosis of the thumb saddle joint, which is located in the ball of the thumb, is the cause of a painful ball of the thumb. The thumb saddle joint is responsible for the opposition of the thumb.
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