Osteoarthritis of the Thumb

Osteoarthritis (OA) refers to the deterioration of the cartilage between two bones. This causes the two bones to then rub against one another causing high levels of pain. Osteoarthritis is common with aging and can form between any two joint in the body but it is more common in certain locations. One of those locations is the thumb. In the thumb the first metacarpal meets the trapezium in our wrist and this is known as the carpometacarpal joint. When OA develops these two bones rub against one another causing pain, swelling, limited motion, and feelings of weakness when using the hand. In physical therapy we cannot necessarily reverse the osteoarthritis but we can still use various techniques and interventions to help relieve pain and help you return to performing your daily activities without symptoms. We provide manual treatment to help promote more space between the bones so it is not as painful, and we work to strengthen and stretch the muscles that surround the joint to alleviate the amount of force going through the joint. This also helps reduce symptoms.  Treatment for osteoarthritis of thumb tends to produce excellent results in physical therapy. Please see below for examples of techniques we use to treat osteoarthritis of the thumb in our clinic. If you would like to schedule an appointment please reach out to us.