Patients with neck pain can have thumb pain, may have difficulty in opposing the thumb to the other fingers.
Opposition of the thumb to the other fingers involve the thumb going across the palm to reach the little finger and the little finger must also be capable of moving forward to meet the thumb. The palmar aspect of the thumb and the little finger must be able to touch each other. This motion requires cupping of the palm.
Muscles responsible for thumb opposition are supplied by the median nerve (C8, T1) and they are:
- opponens pollicis
- flexor pollicis brevis (deep head)
- abductor pollicis brevis