If your thumbs hurt after a long day at work, you might wonder if your job is to blame. A study of people who work with banknotes gives us new clues about how work and thumb pain connect.
This article looks at research that followed 195 workers who handle money every day. Some counted banknotes by hand. Others used machines. Scientists wanted to know if their work made thumb arthritis more likely.
Here are three key points from this study:
- Workers who handled banknotes for many years had a higher chance of getting thumb arthritis.
- After 10 years of this work, the risk went up by about 53 percent.
- Surprisingly, the job that felt hardest on the thumbs did not show the highest risk.
Key Findings at a Glance
- Research shows that 27% of female banknote workers and 17% of male workers had thumb arthritis
- According to this study, 10 years of full time banknote processing increased the odds of thumb arthritis by 53%
- The average age of workers studied was around 52 to 53 years old
- Manual counting, though feeling very hard on thumbs, did not show significantly higher arthritis rates
- This is the first scientific study to look at thumb arthritis risk in people who process banknotes
In This Article
What Is Rhizarthrosis?
Let us start with a simple question. What exactly is rhizarthrosis?
Research shows that rhizarthrosis is quite common. Between 10 and 30 people out of every 100 people over age 60 have it. That is a lot of people living with thumb pain.
You may be wondering why this matters.
For years, doctors have debated whether work can cause this condition. Some studies said yes. Other studies said no. The results were mixed and confusing.
Then something interesting happened. A group of workers who processed banknotes started reporting thumb problems. The company health doctor noticed a pattern. This led to the study we are discussing today.
Who Was Studied in This Research?
According to this study, researchers looked at 195 workers. All of them worked with banknotes at some point in their careers. Some still worked there. Others had moved to different jobs.
Here is what the researchers did. They carefully looked at each person’s work history. They wrote down how many months each person spent doing certain jobs. Some jobs involved counting money by hand. Other jobs used machines to process banknotes.
Then every person got checked two ways. First, a doctor examined their hands and thumbs. Second, the doctor took special pictures called x-rays to look inside the joints. This combination gave a clear picture of who had rhizarthrosis and how bad it was.
Who Were These Workers?
Let us look closer at the people in this study.
| Group | Average Age | Percent with Rhizarthrosis |
|---|---|---|
| Female Workers | 52.3 years | 27% |
| Male Workers | 53.2 years | 17% |
Notice that more women had thumb arthritis than men. This matches what doctors see in the general population. Women get rhizarthrosis more often than men.
What Did Researchers Find?
Here is where it gets interesting.
Studies indicate that workers who processed banknotes for 10 years had a much higher risk. The numbers showed their odds went up by 53 percent compared to less exposure. That is a big increase.
This finding is important. It suggests that doing repetitive hand movements at work can increase your chance of getting thumb arthritis.
What About Age and Gender?
The study also confirmed what doctors already knew. Age matters a lot. Older workers had more thumb arthritis than younger ones. Gender matters too. Female workers had higher rates than male workers.
But even after accounting for age and gender, the work itself still increased the risk. This tells us that banknote processing adds extra risk on top of normal aging.
Why Was Manual Counting Different?
Now comes a surprise. One job stood out to the workers themselves. They called it manual counting. Workers described this task as very hard on their thumbs. They said it felt like the most strenuous work for their hands.
But when researchers looked at the data, manual counting did not show a significantly higher rate of rhizarthrosis. This was unexpected.
You may be wondering why this happened.
The researchers do not give us a complete answer. But we can think about a few possibilities. Maybe manual counting uses the thumb differently than other tasks. Maybe workers did not do this job long enough for damage to build up. Or maybe the overall exposure to all banknote work matters more than one specific task.
This reminds us that what feels hard is not always what causes the most joint damage over time.
What Does This Mean for You?
According to medical evidence from this study, repetitive manual work can increase your risk of thumb arthritis. This is the first study to look specifically at people who process banknotes.
The results call for better workplace health monitoring. Companies should watch for early signs of thumb problems in workers who do repetitive hand tasks. Catching problems early can prevent permanent damage to the thumb joint.
If you work with your hands every day, pay attention to your thumbs. Do they hurt at the end of your shift? Do you have trouble gripping or pinching? These could be early warning signs.
About This Site
This website simplifies medical science for people dealing with thumb pain and rhizarthrosis. We read published scientific articles and translate them into plain language. Every fact comes from real research studies. We never make up information or give personal medical advice. We invite you to explore more articles on our site to learn what science says about thumb arthritis.
Common Questions
Does work really cause thumb arthritis?
According to this study, repetitive manual work like banknote processing does increase the risk of developing rhizarthrosis. After 10 years of full time exposure, workers had 53 percent higher odds of getting thumb arthritis. Age and gender also play important roles.
How common is thumb arthritis?
Research shows that between 10% and 30% of people over age 60 have rhizarthrosis. In this study of banknote workers, 27% of women and 17% of men had the condition. The workers were in their early fifties on average.
What jobs are risky for thumbs?
This study looked specifically at banknote processing workers. Jobs that involve repetitive thumb movements, gripping, pinching, or twisting may carry similar risks. If your work strains your thumbs every day for years, you may have higher risk.
Can thumb arthritis be prevented?
The study suggests that workplace health monitoring can help prevent irreversible damage to the thumb joint. Catching problems early and making changes to reduce strain may help. However, this study did not test prevention methods directly.
Final Thoughts
This research gives us new information about work and thumb arthritis. It shows that people who process banknotes for many years face higher risk of developing rhizarthrosis. The risk goes up with time spent doing this work.
The study also confirms that age and being female increase risk. But work adds extra risk on top of these factors.
If you have thumb pain, talk with your doctor. Early attention can make a big difference. Keep track of what makes your thumbs hurt and what helps them feel better.
Remember that this is just one study. More research will help us understand how different jobs affect thumb health.
Important Notice
This article shares information from a scientific study. It is not medical advice. It does not replace talking with your doctor. Every person is different. If you have thumb pain or worry about arthritis, please see a healthcare professional who can examine you and give personalized guidance.
Research Source
This article is based on research by Verrijdt, G., De Landtsheer, Anaïs, Mellen, A. M., and Godderis, Lode, published in 2018.
You can read the original study here:
https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2018-icohabstracts.786