You use your thumbs hundreds of times a day without giving them much thought.
Then arthritis sets in.
Suddenly, opening a jar hurts. Turning a key takes effort. Pinching, gripping, buttoning a shirt, or even holding your phone reminds you just how much work that small joint does.
If splinting, activity changes, or other conservative treatments aren’t providing enough relief, you may wonder what comes next.
At Central Jersey Hand Surgery, one option may come from an unexpected source: your own blood.
Platelet-rich plasma, better known as PRP, doesn’t work like a traditional pain reliever.
Your blood naturally contains platelets, which you probably know for their role in clotting. But platelets also contain proteins and growth factors involved in your body’s response to injury and tissue repair.
PRP therapy concentrates those platelets and delivers them directly to the area we want to treat.
To prepare PRP, we draw a small amount of your blood and place it in a centrifuge, which separates and concentrates the platelet-rich portion. We then inject that concentrated plasma into the affected area.
In other words, PRP uses something your body already makes rather than introducing a manufactured medication into the joint.
Thumb basal joint arthritis affects the carpometacarpal, or CMC, joint where your thumb meets your wrist. This little joint has a very big job.
Its unique shape allows your thumb to rotate, pinch, grasp, and oppose your fingers. Those movements also place considerable stress on the joint over a lifetime. As arthritis wears away the smooth cartilage that cushions the bones, everyday movement can become increasingly uncomfortable.
PRP allows us to place a concentrated dose of your own platelets directly into the problem area.
The goal isn’t to magically rebuild worn-away cartilage. Instead, PRP may help influence the local healing environment, reduce arthritis-related symptoms, and improve how comfortably you use your hand.
Anti-inflammatory medications can help control symptoms. Corticosteroid injections can reduce inflammation and provide temporary relief. Splints and hand therapy can protect the joint and help you use your thumb more comfortably.
All of these treatments have an important place in arthritis care.
PRP gives us another nonsurgical option with a different mechanism. Rather than simply numbing discomfort, it uses a concentrated preparation of your own platelets and their naturally occurring growth factors to support the body’s biological response in the treated area.
Research into PRP for thumb arthritis continues to evolve, and studies have reported improvements in pain and hand function in many cases.
PRP may be worth discussing if your thumb arthritis interferes with everyday activities and more basic conservative measures haven’t provided enough relief.
It may also appeal to you if you’re looking for additional nonsurgical options before considering a procedure. However, PRP isn’t automatically the right treatment for every aching thumb.
Your symptoms, the severity of your arthritis, the condition of the joint, your overall health, and the treatments you’ve already tried all help us determine which approach makes the most sense. The goal isn’t simply to offer the newest treatment. It’s to choose the right treatment for your thumb.
If an aching thumb is making you rethink every jar, key, button, and doorknob you encounter, call Central Jersey Hand Surgery in Eatontown, Toms River, or Freehold, New Jersey, to schedule an evaluation. We can determine what’s causing your symptoms and whether PRP is right for your treatment plan.
