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Arthritis of the thumb joint, (also called the Basal joint or Carpometacarpal joint arthritis)  is the most common joint I see patients in the clinic for arthritis.

Main Complaint: Pain with opening doors and Jars. 

Remember, osteoarthritis of any joint is wear and tear, like worn out brake pads on a car.  There is no way to reverse this process.  Rest, splinting, injections may alleviate the pain, but are only temporary solutions.  

Once the pain in any joint affects your simple everyday activities, then it is time to consider having something done.

The traditional procedure of choice is to remove the trapezium bone and perform a reconstruction with the patients own ligaments or insert a spacer or "cushion."  

There are many different procedures described to specifically treat osteoarthritis this joint.  The one described below is the least invasive procedure, it does not require any removal of bone, and only very tiny incisions are made.   The recovery is faster and the goal is to alleviate pain.  

The surgical procedure is performed with an arthroscope (a tiny camera placed inside the joint).  The joint is inspected for wear and tear (see picture), debrided with a special shaver.  Sometimes the capsule surrounding by the joint is tighened with a heat probe.  Once the joint is cleaned, an allograft (tissue from either an animal or cadaver) is inserted into the space to create a cushion or "pillow" between the two arthritic bones. 

The procedures purpose is to alleviate pain in performing routing daily activities. Since it is a relatively new procedure, there are no long term studies.  I have an 85-90% satisfaction rate with this procedure.   If the procedure fails to alleviate pain, we have not burned any bridges and can convert that procedure to a trapeziectomy. 

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