You grab a jar of pasta sauce and twist. Nothing. You adjust your grip, try again, and feel that familiar ache at the base of your thumb.
Eventually, you hand the jar to someone else.
It may seem like a small inconvenience, but when basal joint arthritis affects your grip and pinch strength, everyday frustrations can add up. Opening containers, turning keys, fastening buttons, writing, cooking, and countless other tasks suddenly require more effort — or hurt enough that you start avoiding them.
At Central Jersey Hand Surgery, we don’t just want to know whether your X-ray shows arthritis. We want to know what your thumb is keeping you from doing.
Your basal joint, also called the carpometacarpal (CMC) joint, sits where your thumb meets your wrist. Its remarkable range of motion helps you grip, pinch, twist, and manipulate objects.
That versatility also means the joint works hard.
With basal joint arthritis, the cartilage cushioning the bones gradually wears away. Pain, stiffness, swelling, and loss of strength can follow. Tasks that combine gripping with twisting — yes, that stubborn pickle jar — can put considerable stress on an already irritated joint.
You may notice the same problem when you turn a doorknob, wring out a washcloth, open a bottle, use scissors, pull a zipper, or turn a key.
These little struggles tell us that arthritis is beginning to affect your hand function, not just causing occasional discomfort.
You probably can’t eliminate every grip-and-twist task from your day. But you can change how much work you ask your thumb to do.
Start by making objects easier to grasp. A wider handle generally requires less force than a narrow one, so built-up handles on kitchen utensils, gardening tools, or pens may make everyday activities more comfortable. A rubber grip or jar-opening tool can provide leverage so your thumb doesn’t have to generate all the force.
Look for opportunities to use your whole hand — or both hands — instead of pinching tightly between your thumb and fingers. When possible, slide or lift objects with your palms rather than gripping them by their edges.
Gadgets are great — use them. An electric can opener, key turner, lightweight cookware, or easy-grip kitchen tool isn’t “giving in” to arthritis. It’s reducing unnecessary stress on a joint you use all day long.
A thumb splint or orthosis can also help stabilize the basal joint during activities that tend to trigger symptoms.
We may recommend hand therapy support, which could include an orthosis as needed during painful activities, along with joint-protection techniques, adaptive equipment, and exercises designed to improve stability.
That doesn’t mean immobilizing your thumb around the clock. The goal is to balance supporting an irritated joint with maintaining useful movement and strength.
Hand therapy can be particularly valuable here. We can look at the specific activities that are giving you trouble, teach you ways to do them with less stress on the joint, and recommend exercises or equipment suited to your needs.
Changing how you open jars is helpful. Organizing your entire life around your thumb isn’t.
If you’re routinely avoiding activities, asking for help with tasks you once handled easily, or experiencing persistent pain despite modifying your activities, it’s worth having your thumb evaluated.
At Central Jersey Hand Surgery, we base treatment for thumb basal joint arthritis on your symptoms, activity level, and degree of joint damage. Conservative options may include activity modification, anti-inflammatory medication, custom splinting, hand therapy, and corticosteroid injections.
And if those measures no longer provide enough relief and arthritis severely limits your hand function, surgery may become an option. Depending on your needs, a procedure may remove damaged joint surfaces, reconstruct supporting ligaments, or stabilize the joint.
Don’t wait until you can barely use your thumb before asking for help.
If basal joint arthritis is making cooking, dressing, driving, working, or enjoying your hobbies increasingly difficult, schedule an evaluation with Central Jersey Hand Surgery in Eatontown, Toms River, or Freehold, New Jersey.
Our hand and upper-extremity specialists can help you find ways to protect your thumb, reduce discomfort, and keep doing more of the things that make up your day.
