THUMBS

Let’s talk thumbs. 

The health and function of the thumbs is vital to our clinic work. If we want the hands to have longevity with this labor, we have to mindful of how we use them. 

Here are some general guidelines I follow for maintaining thumbs in what has been a more than decade long career in manual therapeutics. 

Keep the thumb structurally aligned and supported by the radius. 

If the thumb and radius are in alignment, we can transmit force safely and effectively from the body, into the shoulder, through the forearm and into the working surface of the thumb. If the thumb deviates from that line of support, force goes through the intermediary joints and creates sheer that puts strain into these vulnerable structures. 

Keep an activated arch in the joints whenever possible. If the joints are hyperextending and you notice blanching along the line of force, take a moment, ease off the pressure to “just enough” that you can both maintain effective depth and your own structural integrity. 

When grasping, think of grasping with the entire hand as though you are clamping with the palm rather than “clawing” with the fingers. This engages the entire structure of the hand and keeps the thumb from doing more work than it can manage. 

Unify the hands whenever possible. Spend time threading the hands together to turn two tools into one. Support the thumb when creating pressure by using the other hand to create weight and directional force. The reinforcing of the two through creating dynamic unified shapes gives us exponentially more control and longevity. 

Avoid creating pressure systems with the thumb and mobilizing it independently of the hand at the same time. This is an incredibly common way to injure the thumb. Set the hand in position and mobilize from the shoulder and body. 

Practice these ideas! Protect your thumbs! The hands are capable of much but need to be mindfully used and maintained, especially if we want long careers…and we all want to be able to play in the rest of our lives. 

Happy practicing