Thumb Arthritis

Yes. Tendon conditions such as trigger finger or DeQuervain’s tenosynovitis can cause thumb pain. Carpal tunnel syndrome can also cause pain in the thumb.

While the joint does not regrow normal cartilage, the pain associated with the arthritis sometimes becomes less with time as the arthritis progresses and the joint becomes more stiff. The decision to pursue surgery is not based on the severity of X-ray findings, but rather on the severity of your symptoms.

Your doctor will examine your thumb and wrist and obtain X-rays. Your exam findings and X-rays will be helpful in determining if your pain is from arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome is usually associated with numbness and tingling in addition to pain. Thumb arthritis is usually just painful. It is possible to have both carpal tunnel syndrome and thumb arthritis.

There are many factors such as severity of the arthritis and activity levels that affect how long cortisone injections provide relief but on average people get relief for 3-6 months after the injections.

Many people with thumb arthritis also have knee arthritis and may have had relief with viscosupplement injections such as Synvisc, Euflexxa, or Suppartz in the knees. Unfortunately, these have not been shown to be better than corticosteroid injections for thumb arthritis and are much more costly. Therefore, they are not generally used for thumb arthritis.

Several studies have been done to evaluate the effectiveness of stem cell therapies for thumb arthritis with varying results. Insurance companies do not yet cover these treatments.

Nothing has been shown to definitively change the course of thumb arthritis. There have been some promising studies suggesting that some exercises to strengthen the muscles around the thumb can be helpful in stabilizing the joint and reducing the wear on the joint. Some people get relief with supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin but scientific studies have not shown much effect of these on the progression of arthritis.

How aggressive to be treating thumb arthritis is dependent on the severity of your symptoms and how they are interfering with your life and daily activities as well as how they can be controlled with non-operative treatments. There is no harm in waiting to have surgery for thumb arthritis. The results of surgery are not worse if you wait until the arthritis has progressed.

This is not usually recommended.  The procedure involves wearing a splint on the thumb and wrist and having both hands immobilized at once makes daily activities very difficult.  Patients with arthritis in both thumbs usually wait 2-3 months between the two surgeries.

This depends on the nature of your work and the willingness of your work to accommodate light duty. Low demand activities such as clerical work can often be resumed within a week or two after surgery. Returning to unrestricted, high demand activities can take up to 3-6 months after surgery.