Thenar Eminence (The Base Of The Thumb)

The thenar eminence refers to the bulge that can be seen at the base of your thumb. It’s made up of three separate muscles that work to control the fine motions of the thumb.

The opponens pollicis is the largest of the muscles found in the thenar eminence. Its function is very important to what makes human thumbs opposable. The opponens pollicis works to move the thumb away from the other fingers of the hand. During this motion, the thumb rotates so that it opposes, or is across from, the other four fingers of the hand. This motion is very important for tasks such as gripping and grasping objects.

The abductor pollicis brevis is located above the opponens pollicis along the outside of the thumb. Its function is to help move the thumb away from the index finger. This movement can be illustrated if the hand is laid flat on a surface and the thumb is moved away from the hand.

The flexor pollicis brevis is also located above the opponens pollicis but is located on the inside of the thumb. It’s responsible for bending the thumb toward the pinky finger. This movement can be demonstrated by bending the first joint of the thumb. When this occurs, the thumb should bend so that it points toward the pinky finger.

[visualbam]

This video just helped me realize how the thumb works. I don’t know how I never realized this. Forcing my thumb through that range of motion cleared up some chronic tightness there for me… which then helped me realize how to engage my wrist.. honestly this just cleared up a ton of issues in my arm. I replicated this on both hands and got the same results.

[MsBlackhawk]

I accidentally touched exposed wires (hidden behind a counter) and ever since I can't touch my thumb to my pinky, have no grip strength and the area is hyper sensitive. "Expert" hand specialist says he can find nothing wrong. Suggestions?