Regain Your Grip on Life. Relief for Thumb Base Pain. 

Pain at the base of your thumb can make every task a challenge, from the simplest pinch to the strongest grip. This common form of arthritis can steal your strength and independence. We offer advanced surgical solutions for Carpometacarpal (CMC) arthritis, designed to eliminate pain and restore the power and dexterity you rely on every day. 

The Most Important Joint in Your Hand. 

The joint at the base of your thumb, the Carpometacarpal (CMC) joint, is a marvel of engineering that allows for an incredible range of motion. It’s the reason you can oppose the thumb to the fingers for pinching, touch your thumb to your little finger, manipulate small objects, and grip things powerfully. Unfortunately, this constant hard work also makes it one of the most common sites in the body for wear-and-tear arthritis, leading to debilitating pain and weakness. 

Why Does the Base of Your Thumb Hurt? 

CMC arthritis is a form of osteoarthritis. Most commonly , the smooth cartilage that cushions the joint wears away over time, causing the bones to grind against each other. This leads to a set of very recognizable symptoms: 

• A deep, aching pain at the base of your thumb, often the first and most prominent symptom. 

• Sharp pain when you try to pinch, grip, or twist objects. 

• Swelling, tenderness, or a noticeable bony bump over the joint. 

• A progressive loss of strength, making it difficult to open jars or hold heavy items. 

Modern Procedures for a Pain-Free, Functional Thumb. 

Arthroplasty (Joint Reconstruction) 

• The gold standard and most common surgery for advanced CMC arthritis is an Arthroplasty, or joint reconstruction. In this highly effective procedure, the small, arthritic wrist bone (the trapezium) that forms the base of the joint is removed. To create a new, pain-free cushion, Dr. French then uses a portion of a nearby, non-essential tendon to suspend the thumb and fill the space. This reliably eliminates the bone-on-bone grinding, providing excellent pain relief while preserving motion and strength. 

Augmentation Arthroplasty

• Newer advances in secondary stabilizers for joints after surgery are available. The arthritic trapezium is excised and the thumb base is anchored to nearby structures to prevent its migration out of position and to stabilize it.  Options include an Internal Brace®, mini tightrope®, and various types of bone anchor systems. Dr. French is highly selective on what he recommends for use based on solid research, a proven track record for a device, and 100% avoidance of conflict of interest with any product manufacturers. 

CMC Joint Fusion

• Before tendon graft arthroplasty came into practice in 1986, the standard of care to treat CMC arthritis was joint replacement with silicone joints or a thumb fusion.  For patients such as young manual labourers who put high forces into their gripping activities, the CMC fusion provides the most solid, reliable, and long-lasting solution with quickest recovery. Some range of motion is lost but there is thumb base motion that occurs through neighbouring joints that make this still a very reasonable choice.

CMC Total Joint Replacement

• Many types of implants have come and gone during Dr. French’s 20+ years in practice. None have made “sense” and have not been supported by evidence. While always striving to remain current, Dr. French has not used any of these previous designs.  However, a newer design, the Mäia Prosthesis from Europe is showing great promise as a potential option. Dr. French is still exploring the risks and benefits to patients but this option may be available soon.  

The Art of Preserving Strength, Stability, and Motion. 

The ultimate goal of thumb arthritis surgery is to achieve a difficult but essential balance: eliminate pain, ensure the thumb is stable with good range of motion, and restore strength. Achieving this “trifecta” of outcomes requires a high level of skill and a deep understanding of the complex mechanics of the hand. Dr. French’s is  a Harvard-trained reconstructive specialist who performs  these procedures to give you a strong, stable, and pain-free thumb for the long term.