# What could be wrong with my thumb?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-be-wrong-with-my-thumb/542968>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 12, 2010, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-be-wrong-with-my-thumb/542968 "2010-06-12T23:51:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\
**Post date:** [June 12, 2010, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-be-wrong-with-my-thumb/542968/1 "2010-06-12T23:51:01Z")

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My thumb started acting weirdly… No pain, and I can move it just fine–except that I can’t straighten the last joint (one that’s closest to the fingernail). It can go down and back up, but not all the way. I didn’t hurt my thumb in any way, I just tried to scratch an itch and suddenly found my thumb won’t straighten.

It started a few hours ago and is easing up now, although it still won’t go all the way.

Any idea what this is?

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**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-be-wrong-with-my-thumb/542968/2 "2010-06-13T00:47:38Z")

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Not all sprains or such are painful.

I’d look up the proper word, but I’m not sure this thread is going to last long.

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**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-be-wrong-with-my-thumb/542968/3 "2010-06-13T00:51:27Z")

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No way to tell without a physical exam. Could be inflammation, could be a sprain or strain, could be nerve damage, could be a tumor, could be a viral infection in the joint…or it could just be “one of those things” that goes away on its own and never comes back.

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**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-be-wrong-with-my-thumb/542968/4 "2010-06-13T01:04:30Z")

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I guess it’s “one of those things”. It’s gone now.

Freaky for a while there, though.

Are there lots of these things with the human body where something happens and stops with no explanation?

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**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-be-wrong-with-my-thumb/542968/5 "2010-06-13T01:04:36Z")

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**Babale** , if you’re concerned about your thumb, see a doctor.