Advice from a Certified Hand Therapist: Thumb Arthritis
Do you feel aches and pains specifically at the base of your thumb? Do you find that the pain becomes worse when performing certain types of pinching, grasping, or gripping? Have you been experiencing stiffness, weakness, or a loss of motion at the base of the thumb? If any of these describe your symptoms, you may have osteoarthritis of the thumb, also known as basal joint arthritis or thumb arthritis.
Osteoarthritis is a joint condition where the cartilage between the bones deteriorates or wears down over time. Over a person’s lifespan, the joint at the base of the thumb can be subjected to a considerable amount of force through daily activities such as writing, opening a jar, or buttoning a shirt. The continued stress and demands of these activities can lead to inflammation, and eventually osteoarthritis. Some people are genetically predisposed to this condition. Trauma to the thumb, anatomic anomalies, or increased laxity can also be contributing factors to osteoarthritis in this joint. It can occur in both women and men, although it is more common in women.
The joint at the base of the thumb is one of the most important joints in the hand. Many different ligaments support the joint allowing the thumb to move in a wide arc of motion during functional activities. Pain, weakness, stiffness, and instability in this joint can be debilitating and significantly affect hand and upper extremity function. Symptoms can range from flare ups causing pain at rest without any activity, to complaints of pain only with excessive pinching activities. If the condition is advanced, there may even be joint stiffness, or contractures present which limit the amount of movement available in the joint.
I have these symptoms, now what?
Pain at the base of the thumb can mean a variety of things - it is important to see a qualified physician to diagnose your condition to make sure that what you are experiencing is indeed osteoarthritis of the thumb. Upon confirmation of diagnosis, your physician may recommend immobilization with a thumb or wrist brace, a steroid injection to help with the pain and inflammation, and/or a course of hand therapy, depending on the needs of each specific person.
How can hand therapy help me?
A certified hand therapist (CHT) will provide a comprehensive evaluation in order to determine the best plan to manage your symptoms. The CHT can recommend or fabricate an orthosis if immobilization is required. They will develop a plan of care with you that may include exercises to improve thumb stability and decrease pain by strengthening the muscles around the inflamed joint. They can also provide you with ways to protect your joints, such as with joint protection techniques and adaptive equipment to improve function, and can also offer modalities and soft tissue techniques to alleviate pain, decrease stiffness, and help return you to functional activities.