Orthopaedic surgeons see epidemic of thumb arthritis
April 4, 2012 in Arthritis & Rheumatism
(Medical Xpress) -- As baby boomers age, orthopaedic surgeons are seeing more and more patients, especially women, who suffer from debilitating arthritis of the thumb.
"It's a real epidemic," said hand surgeon Dr. Terry Light, chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation of Loyola University Medical Center.
Arthritis patient Lori Giacone of Indian Head Park, Ill., said that when she tried to do simple tasks such as pumping gas or turning a car key, she would feel a shooting pain "that almost took my breath away."
Light performed surgery to relieve the pain, first on her right hand and, five years later, on her left. Now, she is virtually pain free.
Patients with less severe cases can benefit from more conservative treatments, including splints, hand therapy and cortisone shots, Light said.
The thumb has three joints. Arthritis usually occurs in the carpo-metacarpal joint at the base of the thumb where it meets the wrist. The saddle-shaped joint allows the thumb to move in three planes. "The thumb is critical to everything we do," Light said.
Arthritis develops when ligaments connecting the thumb to the wrist stretch out. Because the joint no longer fits snugly, the smooth cartilage lining the surface of the joint wears away, leading to inflammation and pain.
Thumb arthritis makes it painful to do many routine functions, such as writing, turning door knobs, using scissors, unscrewing jar tops, gardening and racket sports. As arthritis progresses, the hand becomes less useful and the pain becomes constant.
Light said the first-line treatment is a custom-made splint that restricts movement, while still enabling the patient to eat and write. Anti-inflammatory cream, warm baths, hand therapy and exercises also can help. If those treatments do not provide relief, the next treatment is a cortisone injection to diminish joint inflammation. But repeated injections can accelerate cartilage destruction, so the injections must be spaced out.
Surgery is the final option. The surgeon removes part or all of the trapezium wrist bone in the part of the wrist that meets the thumb. This reduces the amont of surface for the thumb to rub against. "The goal is to relieve the pain," Light said.
Giacone said that before surgery, her hand was almost useless because she could not move her thumb without excruciating pain. Now, each thumb has about 90 percent of the function that it had prior to being disabled by arthritis, she said.
The only pain she feels now is a twinge on damp or cold days. "After surgery, the difference was like night and day," she said.
Provided by
Loyola University Health System
-
New surgical option for wrist arthritis
Feb 14, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Aggressive nature of hand osteoarthritis
Jun 14, 2007 |
not rated yet |
0
-
New medication, surgery may offer relief for patients with psoriatic arthritis
Jan 18, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
-
MRI techniques can detect early osteoarthritis
Aug 15, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
When that shoulder aches too much to move
Sep 07, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Motion perception revisited: High Phi effect challenges established motion perception assumptions
Apr 23, 2013 |
3 / 5 (2) |
2
-
Anything you can do I can do better: Neuromolecular foundations of the superiority illusion (Update)
Apr 02, 2013 |
4.5 / 5 (11) |
5
-
The visual system as economist: Neural resource allocation in visual adaptation
Mar 30, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
9
-
Separate lives: Neuronal and organismal lifespans decoupled
Mar 27, 2013 |
4.9 / 5 (8) |
0
-
Sizing things up: The evolutionary neurobiology of scale invariance
Feb 28, 2013 |
4.8 / 5 (10) |
14
-
question on coriolis effect with drag force
3 hours ago
-
Question of reflection and transmission of TEM wave in normal incidenc
8 hours ago
-
the rudyak-krasnolutski effective potencial
9 hours ago
-
Normal force for a lever model
11 hours ago
-
gravity is std. therefore can we rate a 'mass at height' by watts?
16 hours ago
-
Calculating on-axis elements of a solenoid
May 22, 2013
- More from Physics Forums - Classical Physics
More news stories
Enzyme-activating antibodies revealed as marker for most severe form of rheumatoid arthritis
In a series of lab experiments designed to unravel the workings of a key enzyme widely considered a possible trigger of rheumatoid arthritis, researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that in the most severe ...
Arthritis & Rheumatism
May 22, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
|
Sugar injections for knee arthritis may ease pain
(HealthDay)—Injections of a sugar solution appear to help relieve knee pain and stiffness related to osteoarthritis, a new study suggests.
Arthritis & Rheumatism
May 21, 2013 |
4.5 / 5 (2) |
0
|
Blame your parents for bunion woes
A novel study reports that white men and women of European descent inherit common foot disorders, such as bunions (hallux valgus) and lesser toe deformities, including hammer or claw toe. Findings from the Framingham Foot ...
Arthritis & Rheumatism
May 20, 2013 |
not rated yet |
0
|
New theory on genesis of osteoarthritis comes with successful therapy in mice
Scientists at Johns Hopkins have turned their view of osteoarthritis (OA) inside out. Literally. Instead of seeing the painful degenerative disease as a problem primarily of the cartilage that cushions joints, ...
Arthritis & Rheumatism
May 19, 2013 |
4.9 / 5 (8) |
0
|
Ultrasound findings can improve classification of RA
(HealthDay)—Compared to clinical diagnosis of synovitis, ultrasound-detected synovitis provides either improved sensitivity or specificity when used with the American College of Rheumatology/European League ...
Arthritis & Rheumatism
May 15, 2013 |
not rated yet |
0
Controlling mood through the motions of mitochondria
(Medical Xpress)—Regulating the distribution of power in neurons is done by a system that makes the national electric grid look simple by comparison. Each neuron has several thousand mitochondria confined ...
Motion quotient: IQ predicted by ability to filter motion (w/ video)
A brief visual task can predict IQ, according to a new study. This surprisingly simple exercise measures the brain's unconscious ability to filter out visual movement. The study shows that individuals whose ...
Multiple research teams unable to confirm high-profile Alzheimer's study
Teams of highly respected Alzheimer's researchers failed to replicate what appeared to be breakthrough results for the treatment of this brain disease when they were published last year in the journal Science.
ACP issues recommendations for management of high blood glucose in hospitalized patients
High blood glucose is associated with poor outcomes in hospitalized patients, and use of intensive insulin therapy (IIT) to control hyperglycemia is a common practice in hospitals. But the recent evidence does not show a ...
Scientists discover molecule triggers sensation of itch
Scientists at the National Institutes of Health report they have discovered in mouse studies that a small molecule released in the spinal cord triggers a process that is later experienced in the brain as ...
Researchers find common childhood asthma unconnected to allergens or inflammation
Little is known about why asthma develops, how it constricts the airway or why response to treatments varies between patients. Now, a team of researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College, Columbia University Medical Center ...