Our thumbs have been credited with separating man from beast and allow us to accomplish many daily activities, such as unscrewing lids from jars, typing, chopping vegetables, or grasping a pen. Unfortunately, those who suffer from Basilar joint arthritis, the most common arthritic condition of the hand, lose the ability to perform necessary daily tasks. When the cartilage that protects your bone joints wears away, bone rubs against bone and inflammation occurs. Symptoms include a painful aching at the base of the thumb as well as limited ability to pinch the thumb and index finger together. Several factors can contribute to this painful thumb condition, including being overweight, the natural aging process, or repetitive use of your thumb. Women in their 40s and 50s are most commonly affected, but both genders can suffer from the condition. If you experience pain, swelling, or stiffness at the base of your thumb, it is best to seek advice from a qualified physician.
Depending on the severity of the case, several basilar joint arthritis treatments can be used to manage the pain and treat the condition. For less severe cases, treatment often involves using a splint to support the joint, ensure proper positioning, and let the joint rest so that it can heal. Oral anti-inflammatory medication such as Ibuprofen or painkillers such as Tylenol are also often prescribed in mild cases. If splints and over the counter (OTC) medications don't work, anti-inflammatory steroid injections may be recommended.
Unfortunately, thumb basilar joint arthritis is a degenerative and progressive disease, which means that it will get worse with age. In Los Angeles hand surgeons often resort to one of two types of surgery: arthroplasty, also known as joint replacement, or arthrodesis, commonly referred to as joint fusion. If opting for finger surgery Los Angeles experts will either permanently fuse the bones together, which reduces pain but results in decreased flexibility, or your surgeon will remove the joint and replace it with a graft from one of your tendons. Many patients report that replacing the joint with a graft relieves pain and results in greater, if not fully restored, flexibility of the joint.
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