Work-related thumb pain in physiotherapists is associated with thumb alignment during performance of PA pressures

Pain is common in the thumbs of physiotherapists. The purpose of this observational study was to investigate whether there is an association between the alignment of the thumb during performance of postero-anterior (PA) pressures and the presence of thumb pain. One hundred and twenty-nine physiotherapists who attended the Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Association Conference (2003) participated. After providing a history of any work-related thumb pain, participants applied a PA pressure mimicking the technique they would use on a cervical spine, while the position of their metacarpophalangeal (MP) and interphalangeal (IP) joints was photographed. There was an association (p<0.05) between work-related thumb pain and alignment of the thumb during performance of PA pressures: participants who were able to maintain their MP and IP joints in extension were less likely to report pain. These findings serve as a guide to the safe performance of mobilization techniques, both for beginning practitioners and for experienced therapists complaining of thumb pain.