My thumb hurts when I write

If the hand muscles do not get rest when writing for a long time, it will cause pain in the thumb. However, if you have thumb tenosynovitis, it is difficult to cure. Not only should you not do heavy work, but you also need to go to the hospital for treatment in a timely manner. You can also try traditional Chinese medicine, which is relatively more effective in eliminating the root cause. You should also pay more attention to developing good living habits.

Thumb tenosynovitis is a tendon disease of the hand, which refers to tenosynovitis of the flexor pollicis longus at the first metacarpal head and tenosynovitis of the flexor tendons at the metacarpal heads of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th fingers. The tendon of the flexor pollicis longus enters a narrow channel formed by the bone groove and the sheath ligament on the palm side of the metacarpal bone at the neck of the first metacarpal bone. At the base of the first phalanx and the sesamoid bone on its ulnar side, the superficial and deep heads of the flexor pollicis brevis are attached respectively, and the flexor pollicis longus tendon passes between the two. Long-term friction between the two tendons and the tendon sheath can cause chronic inflammation.

Causes

It can be caused by injury, overuse (especially in the thumbs, hands, elbows and fingers), osteoarthritis, some immune diseases, or even infection. Some occupations that require long-term repetitive strain on joints, such as typists, keyboard players, instrumentalists, cargo handlers, or industries that require long-term computer operation, can cause or aggravate this disease. Common affected areas include the wrists, fingers, shoulders, etc. Women and diabetics are more likely to develop this disease. Patients will feel joint pain and morning stiffness. Usually the feeling of morning stiffness is most obvious after getting up, and the symptoms will not be significantly relieved with frequent activities. The affected joints are swollen and even popping, and joint movement is impaired.

Clinical symptoms

Flexor tendon tenosynovitis often occurs in the thumb, ring finger, index finger, middle finger and elbow. The affected fingers have flexion and extension dysfunction, which is particularly obvious when waking up in the morning and can be alleviated or disappear after activity. The pain sometimes radiates to the wrist. Flexion of the metacarpophalangeal joint may cause tenderness, and sometimes a thickened tendon sheath and a pea-sized nodule can be felt. When the affected finger is bent, it suddenly stays in a semi-bent position. The finger can neither be straightened nor flexed, as if it is suddenly "stuck", causing unbearable pain. With the help of the other hand, the fingers can move again, producing an action and sound like a trigger, so it is also called "trigger finger".

Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment

Tenosynovitis belongs to the category of "tendon injury" in traditional Chinese medicine. It is caused by excessive local labor, accumulated strain on the tendons, or exposure to cold, which leads to stagnation of qi and blood and inability to nourish the meridians and tendons. The principle of external treatment is the same as the principle of internal treatment, and the medicine for external treatment is the same as the medicine for internal treatment. The only difference is the method! The medical principles and medicinal properties are the same, but the principles are magical and changeable.

Closed treatment

It can relieve early-stage tenosynovitis and should be blocked once a week. Generally, blocking treatment methods cause greater damage to local tissues and are prone to recurrence. Severe patients can choose surgical treatment. Finger flexion and extension exercises should be performed early after surgery to prevent tendon adhesion, and manual labor should be avoided within 1 month after surgery.

Surgery

After surgery, choose an appropriate splint for fixation. When non-surgical treatment is ineffective, acupuncture or tenotomy may be used. Make an incision at the transverse palmar crease and use vascular forceps to separate directly to the tendon sheath to avoid damaging the digital vascular nerve bundle.

Puncture treatment

After local anesthesia, puncture with a thicker needle, extract the cystic fluid, inject it, and then apply pressure bandage. Hormone drugs can have side effects on the body. For cases with short course and mild symptoms, conservative treatment can be implemented, including using a brace to properly immobilize the thumb, changing the activities and habits that induce the disease, reducing cold stimulation, local hot compresses, physical therapy, and application of topical medications.

Acupuncture

Select Yangxi, Yangchi, Hegu, Quchi, Yangque, Shousanli, Lieque, Pianli and Ashi points on the affected side of the patient, perform routine skin disinfection, select Ashi points at the tender points using the surrounding needling method, and after acupuncture has obtained qi, use the method of equal tonification and equal drainage. Moxibustion was applied to Yangxi, Lieque and Yangchi acupoints once a day.