Thumb Arthritis: Causes, Symptoms, Risk Factors, Diagnosis and Treatment

The carpometacarpal (CMC) joint, which is the base of your thumb, is formed as the cartilage at the tips of your thumb bones ages. Thumb arthritis due to age is a prevalent condition.

Doing everyday tasks like opening jars and turning door knobs can be challenging due to thumb arthritis's intense pain, edema, and decreased strength and range of motion. Splints and medicine are typically used in conjunction with treatment. One may need surgery for severe thumb arthritis.

Causes Of Thumb Arthritis

Aging is a common cause of arthritis in the thumb. Thumb arthritis can also result from previous trauma or injury to the thumb joint.

The ends of the bones in a typical thumb joint are covered in cartilage, which serves as a cushion and permits the bones to move smoothly against one another. The smooth cartilage that covers the tips of the fingers deteriorates and becomes rougher in those with thumb arthritis. Friction and joint deterioration arise from the bones rubbing against one another.

Bone spurs are visible lumps on your thumb joint that protrude along the edges of existing bone, and they can grow as a result of joint trauma.

Also Read: Fractured Wrist: Causes, Symptoms, Risk Factors, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prevention and Complications

Symptoms Of Thumb Arthritis

Pain is the most common and early symptom of thumb arthritis. Thumb pain may occur at the base of the thumb when you grasp, pinch, grip, or apply force with your thumb.

Additional signs and symptoms could include:

• Discomfort
• Inflammation
• Edema around the base of your thumb
• Decreased force while holding or compressing objects
• Decreased range of motion
• The thumb joint's base seems bigger or more bony.

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Risk Factors Of Thumb Arthritis

Several situations can cause thumb arthritis to develop:

• Female sex.
• Older than forty years.
• An overweight condition.
• Several inherited diseases, including deformities of the joints and stiffness of the joint ligaments.
• Fractures and sprains involving the thumb joint.
• Diseases like rheumatoid arthritis that alter cartilage's typical structure and function. Though not as much as other hand joints, the CMC joint can develop rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of thumb arthritis.
• Jobs and activities that overstress the thumb joint.

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Diagnosis Of Thumb Arthritis

Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms and check your joints for lumps or obvious swelling during a physical examination.

Your physician may apply pressure to your joint by manipulating your thumb against your wrist bone. A grinding noise or discomfort may accompany this movement, indicating that the cartilage has likely worn down and the bones are rubbing against one another.

The following imaging methods, which often involve X-rays, can identify thumb arthritis symptoms:

• Spurs on bones
• Cartilage damage
• Joint space loss
• Avoid overworking your joints.

If splints and medicine prove ineffective, your physician may suggest injecting a long-acting corticosteroid directly into your thumb joint. For a brief period, corticosteroid injections can lessen pain and inflammation.

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Treatment Of Thumb Arthritis

Surgery might be suggested by your doctor if you are not improving with prior therapies or if you have trouble bending and twisting your thumb. Selections consist of:

• Joint fusions (arthrodesis): The afflicted joint's bones have fused permanently together. Although the fused joint is not painful when bearing weight, it is not flexible.
• Osteotomy: To help with abnormality repair, the fractured joint's bones are straightened.
• The removal of the trapezius: There is an absence of the trapezium, one of the bones in your thumb joint.
• Replacement of a joint (arthroplasty): One option for replacing all or part of the damaged joint is a tendon graft.

Your thumb and wrist may require a cast or splint for up to six weeks following surgery. You can receive physical therapy to help you restore your hand's strength and range of motion when the cast is taken off.

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