![]() Our patients benefit from our unique clinical setup with in-office hand therapists who can help you find the perfect splint for you.Īn Occupational therapist can also teach exercises which help manage some of the instability that occurs with thumb joint osteoarthritis. Our clinic alone has soft neoprene versions, generic plastic ones to stabilize the specific joint and custom versions that are the most immobilizing. (The Eaton classification is used to classify thumb CMC OA from radiographs with stage one describing the most early changes and level four noted the most severe.) The type of splint didn’t affect the patient outcomes, proving yet again that the worst splint is universally one that the patient wears home and then places on a bedside table. One study found 76% of patients with Eaton stage 1 or 2 reported improved symptoms with regular use of thumb splints any kind. Various splinting regimens have shown reliable improvements of pain especially in patients with early forms of the disease. Common medications include ibuprofen and naproxen, and there are even over-the-counter gels, like diclofenac, for patients who are unable to take pills. ![]() Other patients swear by warm water soaks in the morning and assistive devices like jar openers.Ī large family of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications exist, and many studies have proven their reliability in the treatment of hand arthritis. Many patients have found positive results with avoiding certain activities involving heavy grip and key pinching type motions. The goal of conservative management is to help alleviate the symptoms that result from painful inflammation as the joint wears out. Initial treatment for thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis largely starts with non-surgical options. So now the pain in the joint of my thumb sounds like arthritis but what can I do about it? Most patients are surprised when an activity or motion they have “done it a thousand times before” becomes painful.Patients also commonly have periods of normal use followed by days of debilitating discomfort.The pain can range from a dull night time ache all the way to severe depending on a variety of factors.Activities that use a heavy grip or pinch activity, like opening a jar or opening a lock while holding a key, are often the trigger.The pain can be dull in nature, occasionally sharp and stabbing, and may occur regularly or intermittently.Patients that present with thumb CMC OA often describe pain about the base of the thumb.You should be evaluated by a board-certified hand surgeon, such as one of our qualified hand specialists, if you are experiencing pain and loss of function in your thumb.) Symptoms of a Thumb Joint Condition: (Disclaimer: this blog is not meant to provide a diagnosis. How do I know if the pain in the joint of my thumb is due to osteoarthritis? Fortunately, there are many treatment options for thumb pain available to patients. It is so common that one Swedish study found that physicians diagnosed this problem in 1.4% of the entire population, with 78.5% of those affected being women. This form of arthritis is so widespread there are a variety of names for it including basal joint arthritis, thumb base arthritis, and thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) osteoarthritis (OA). One of the most common diagnoses in that small area is arthritis of the first (thumb) carpometacarpal joint. Many patients present to our surgeons at Proliance Hand, Wrist and Elbow with ongoing thumb joint pain.
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