Abductor pollicis brevis

Looks like

The surface muscle of the thumb ball, from the flexor retinaculum and wrist bones to the base of the thumb.

What it does

Moves the thumb forward away from the palm.

Keeping it well

Wastes early in carpal tunnel syndrome; flattened thumb ball needs assessment.

Related conditions

• Botulism
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• De Quervain's tenosynovitis
• Dupuytren's contracture & trigger finger
• Fibromyalgia
• Frailty & falls in older age
• Ganglion cyst
• Heat exhaustion & heatstroke
• Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
• Malnutrition & refeeding syndrome
• Muscular dystrophy
• Polymyalgia rheumatica
• Pseudogout (calcium pyrophosphate disease)
• Raynaud's phenomenon
• Repetitive strain & overuse injury
• Rhabdomyolysis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Sarcoma
• Sarcopenia
• Tetanus