If you are having trouble grasping objects or pinching due to your thumb & have accompanying pain, swelling, stiffness or tenderness please contact your doctor about Basilar Joint Arthritis.
Basilar Joint Arthritis also known as CMC Arthritis, is the most common arthritis of the hand. As with any arthritis the first sign that people notice is pain, tenderness and stiffness with use. Pain is usually located at the base of the thumb anytime you grip and pinch. This joint is what allows the hand to complete many of the complex thumb movements that allow overall hand function. Over time with age and repetitive use the cartilage is worn away. Without the cushioning that the cartilage provides the joint becomes rough and begins to grind causing even more joint damage.
Preventive Measures
- Reduce or eliminate any repetitive movements that involve pinching, twisting, or tight clenching of your hands.
- Contact your provider for hand therapy, your therapist will do a lot of training on various joint protection techniques.
- Splint the hand in order to support the joint.
When to Consider Seeing a Hand Surgeon
“Dr. Stucki and Dr. Linford are our orthopedic surgeons here at Mountain West Orthopedics and two of the best doctors I have ever worked with.” Dr. Stucki has specialized in the hand and upper extremity, I recommend seeing Dr. Stucki early and at the point that hand pain is limiting your everyday hand functioning. Dr. Stucki most likely will take an x-ray in order to determine the severity of the arthritis and then recommend the appropriate interventions based on the findings. If the arthritis is caught early enough his recommendations could include conservative management for joint protection, splinting for prevention, and or surgical intervention.
Overview of Surgery and Hand Therapy
The basilar joint is comprised of two bones the metacarpal and the trapezium. During a Ligament Reconstruction Tendon Interposition (LRTI) procedure the trapezium is removed. The surgeon then harvests a nearby wrist tendon, rearranges the tendon and secures it in the hole that was left by the removal of the trapezium. This rearranged tendon then will provide the cushion for the arthritic thumb joint.
Hand therapy is a vital part of the recovery process following a LRTI procedure. Patients are usually referred to hand therapy 2-4 weeks post op depending on your doctor’s recommendations. Hand therapy includes a three-part process:
- Working on protected range of motion and protection with splinting to allow healing
- Restoring normal hand mechanics and fine motor coordination and then strengthening.
- Discharged to a home program at 10-12 weeks with a full recovery.
Call us today at: 307-885-5870 if you have noticed that it has become difficult to open jars, hold a drink, use buttons/zippers and simple motor tasks that were once routine become too painful to attempt.
Billy Kennington, MOT, OTR/L, CHT
- Certified Hand Therapist & Masters of Occupational Therapy
- There are only 19 Certified Hand Therapists in the state of Wyoming & Billy Kennington is the only CHT in Star Valley and Southwest Wyoming.
