Numbness and Poor Movement in the Left Thumb Pad
symptom
A man in his 50s visited the clinic complaining of numbness throughout the pad of his left thumb. He constantly felt discomfort and was bothered by it. At an orthopedic clinic, he was diagnosed with suspected nerve compression in the neck and underwent rehabilitation, but there was no change, and he was told that the symptoms would likely remain. Around the same time, he also experienced tightness in the thumb and discomfort in the thenar eminence.
-
Visitors
Male
50's
-
Period
February 2026 - March 2026
-
Visit Frequency per week
1
-
Number of Visits
11 to 15
Treatment and progress
At the initial visit, poor movement of the thumb was confirmed. Palpation revealed tenderness near the spine. Acupuncture was performed using points around the spine that are closely related to the thumb. During needle retention, the patient reported that the sensation was somewhat improving. From the second session onward, the symptoms continued to ease, so the treatment approach remained unchanged. When the tightness in the thumb was strong, additional points were used. With each session, the numbness that had covered the entire left thumb pad gradually reduced to only the tip. Around the 11th session, the patient reported significant improvement compared to the initial state and that it had become less bothersome in daily life.
Acupressure points used
Summary
This was a case in which the patient was diagnosed with suspected nerve compression in the neck at an orthopedic clinic and was told that the symptoms would likely remain. At the initial visit, poor movement of the thumb and tenderness near the spine were confirmed, and acupuncture points around the spine closely related to the thumb were used. With each session, the area of numbness gradually reduced, and by the 11th session, significant improvement was reported compared to the initial state. This case suggests that an approach using points around the spine may be useful for thumb symptoms.
Acupuncture clinic for the case:Acupuncture and Moxibustion Room Kapos
