If you have thumb arthritis, you know that there comes a point when it’s no longer just an annoyance. Gripping hurts. Pinching hurts. Even something as simple as turning a doorknob becomes a calculated move.
By the time most people consider surgery, they’ve usually tried everything else — bracing, medications, injections — and the pain is still calling the shots.
At Central Jersey Hand Surgery, our surgical treatments focus on one goal: restoring your function while relieving your pain. We can do this in a few ways, depending on the condition of your joint and how advanced the arthritis is.
Here are three of the most common surgical approaches and how they work.
This is the most widely performed surgery for advanced thumb arthritis — and for good reason.
In this procedure, our experienced surgeons remove the trapezium, a small bone at the base of your thumb that has become worn and painful. Once that bone is gone, your joint no longer grinds bone-on-bone, and voila — the pain is gone.
However, removing the bone creates a new challenge: stability.
That’s where the second part of the procedure comes in. We use a nearby tendon to reconstruct the ligament and support your thumb. We may also place part of that tendon into the space where the bone used to be, acting as a cushion to keep the bones separated.
We typically use this procedure for moderate-to-severe arthritis when pain is persistent and function is significantly limited.
It’s considered the “workhorse” procedure because it balances pain relief with long-term function.
In some cases, instead of relying entirely on a tendon graft, our surgeons use modern stabilization techniques to support the thumb after removing the damaged joint surfaces.
For example, one approach involves suspending the thumb metacarpal with sutures or internal support systems to hold it in the proper position. This helps prevent your thumb from collapsing into the space left behind after we remove the trapezium.
We may use these techniques alone or in combination with other procedures.
Newer variations of suspension techniques have shown strong outcomes in maintaining thumb position and function over time.
For more advanced cases, we focus on fully reconstructing the joint.
This may involve removing damaged joint surfaces and replacing them with either soft tissue (like a tendon graft) or, in some cases, a prosthetic implant. Our goal here is to create a smoother, more functional joint that allows for improved movement without pain.
As we mentioned, some procedures combine elements — removing part or all of the trapezium while reconstructing the joint with soft tissue or implants to restore motion and spacing.
Together, these improvements can make your everyday movements feel smoother and far less painful.
The right procedure depends on several factors, including:
Our team of specialists helps you understand everything involved so you can make the best decision.
If thumb pain is limiting what you can do or how you do it, call Central Jersey Hand Surgery in Eatontown, Toms River, or Freehold, New Jersey, to schedule an appointment and find out which treatment plan is right for you.
