How to Fix Thumb Pain From Mouse Uses – (The ULTIMATE A-Z Guide)

A thumb is significant support for the computer mouse which suffers most in discomfort after working for a prolonged time.

The thumb usually experiences tingling and irritation when it is worked improperly with the mouse or any other device.

Although the thumb is not used to click or scroll like the fingers, still its duty is a bit tougher as it has to hold and move the mouse for an extended period.

This straightforward guide will help you know How to Fix Thumb Pain from Mouse Uses.

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How to Fix Thumb Pain From Mouse Uses

There are plenty of tips which may help get rid of the thumb pain in less time. Plus, the precautions and the healthy tips may also give a benefit as well as relief to the thumb.

Here are some of them:

Exercise the thumb
Apple heat on Thumb
Use ice cubes
Take frequent breaks
Upgrade to a new mouse
Correct the way of using the mouse
Use the mouse with another hand
Wrap the Thumb

Exercise the thumb:

The professional thumb exercises can assist in reducing the stiffness and pain from the muscles. Plus, making them a habit will help the thumb working without issues.

Open & Close the thumb:

Keep your hand straight.
Make a fist by closing the hand tightly.
Release the thumb out and keep it on up/straight position.
Now release the fingers one by one, and straighten the hand tightly.

Repeat this exercise for 2 minutes a day.

Rotate the thumb:

Keep the thumb straight and rotate it in a clockwise direction.
After some rotations, invert the activity to the anti-clockwise direction.
This quick exercise can be done anytime. Hence, make it everyday activity to free your thumb from pain.

Raise & Lower the thumb:

This straightforward activity is efficient to heal the discomfort from your thumb.

Raise the thumb up/straight and stretch it a bit.
Kneel it down with a slight force for a second.
Repeat this exercise frequently as it is effective against the muscle stiffness of the thumb.

Stretch the thumb:

Stretching is not only good for the thumb but also helps the fingers to release inflexibility from the muscles. You should often flex your thumb, especially after prolonged work.

Stretch your thumb by keeping it straight. Avoid it getting bend.
Lose it a bit and then stretch again back on the straight position.
For effective results, use the stress ball, which is a more effective and reliable tool to stretch the thumb with the rest of the hand.
Avoid applying massive force if stretching is resulting in pain. Otherwise, you can suffer the thumb in a further unwell situation.

Apple heat on Thumb:

The effectiveness of heat works by reaching deep in the tissues of the muscles. Hence why heat is a powerful tool for removing the pain from the thumb.

The direction of the tip:

Boil some water.
Dab a piece of towel or a cloth in the water. Squeeze the towel and let the drops drip away.
Cover the affected thumb around with the towel.
Let the towel cover your thumb for 2 – 3 minutes.
Repeat the tip whenever you experience the pain.

Optionally, you can also purchase a Heating Pad which works more effectively against the pain.

We’ve found this one from Amazon!

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Use ice cubes:

Ice helps in reducing the ache and inflammation from the thumbs muscles and also from other parts of the body.

The direction of the tip:

Get an ice cube; apply it thoroughly over the thumb.
Don’t leave it long on the particular area; apply it quickly to each part.
Let the ice remedy continue for 1 minute.
Do not use this tip frequently; otherwise, it can result in frostbite.

Take frequent breaks:

You definitely should give a break of a few minutes to your hand after continuous work with the mouse. Whatever you do with the device, pause the work for a short time and do some movements and the exercises mentioned above.

Furthermore, if you maintain the daily breaks from the mouse use, you will possibly not get a complaint in your thumb like before.

Upgrade to a new mouse:

The heavy & unsuitable mouse is one of the root reasons for causing you the thumb issues. We recommend you replace your current mouse with the new and thumb-friendly mouse device.

Use the Ergonomic Mice, which is designed to get controlled comfortably by your hands. Plus, this mouse doesn’t require your entire wrist to get controlled. Buy Ergonomic Mice From Amazon Now

Other mice devices that reduce stress from the entire hand include:

Contour mouse
Vertical mouse
Trackballs

and so forth… [alert type=”info” icon-size=”normal”]You can also visit the computer shop near you for the sake of searching for the most suitable mice. Test different devices and acquire one which is comfortable to your thumb.[/alert]

Correct the way of using the mouse:

A thumb provides a gripping feature to maintain control over the mice. A wrong posture of the hand can lead to the possible unhealthy condition to the thumb.

The followings are the DO’s and DONT’s describing the correct way of using the mice:

Have a comfort over the mouse; don’t press hard to move it.
Always hold the mice straight by preventing it from getting unbalanced.
Keep only the three fingers over the mouse, while using the thumb and little finger on both supportive sides.
Don’t raise the hand, wrist, or arm. Keep everything maintained in a straight/balanced position.
Don’t bend or overstretch the thumb. Keep it comfortably straight.
Hold the mouse only with top of the thumb. Never use the lower or the middle joint for support.

Use the mouse with another hand:

Working with the same hand for an extended period can also burden the thumb. Your thumb needs a reasonable amount of rest to get complete comfort.

Giving a break to the hand of the affected thumb may help in curing the ongoing pain. Plus, the rest of the fingers and the wrist will also get benefit by not working for a specific period.

So, try using your left hand for some period.

Although it will be a bit difficult to adjust the new hand over the mouse, with some practices, you’ll be able to control the mouse with your left hand too! [alert type=”info” icon-size=”normal”]You can also purchase mouse devices which are specially manufactured for left-handed users.[/alert] Buy Left Handed Mouse from Amazon

Wrap the Thumb:

Although, your thumb is not affected by any severe injury OR by the swelling. However, wrapping it temporarily with a bandage or a small piece of foam will help it in reducing the irritation caused by a touch with the mouse.

That is, a thumb suffers from pain, mostly in two ways:

One, by a prolonged work with the improper posture
Second, by a constant touch with a hard material of the mouse.

Therefore, wrapping your thumb at the time of work can help as a shield by avoiding additional pain from the mouse uses.

Conclusion:

Having a thumb pain is very reasonable in this digital era. However, thankfully, there is a variety of solutions that guarantees to treat the thumb from the issues.

To the end, we consider some short breaks, the right posture and the regular exercises as the permanent solution for all.

Moreover, with the rest of the mentioned tips, it is even possible to cure the affected thumb in a short period.

If you have got any other tip(s) or question(s) in mind, please let us know by commenting below or by contacting us here.

Cheers!