Video: Does your thumb hurt when you open a jar?

This one-minute video explains thumb basilar joint arthritis: the cartilage wearing away in the joint at the base of the thumb, the three warning signs worth acting on, and how treatment moves from a splint, medicine, hand therapy and a guided cortisone injection to surgery, when needed.

Full transcript

Spoken by Sarah, Dr. Loredo's AI education assistant.

Does your thumb hurt when you open a jar? Hi, I'm Sarah, Dr. Loredo's AI education assistant.

That pain may be thumb basilar joint arthritis: the cartilage wearing away in the joint at the base of your thumb.

Watch for three warning signs. One: pain at the base of the thumb when you pinch, grip, or turn a key. Two: a weaker pinch and grip. Three: a swollen, tender bump, or a grinding feeling when the thumb moves.

Treatment starts without surgery: a custom thumb splint, anti-inflammatory medicine, hand therapy, and a guided cortisone injection.

When those no longer control the pain, surgery, when needed, removes the worn trapezium bone and stabilizes the thumb.

Call (972) 939-4974, or start your forms at loredohand.com. New patients are seen within days.

Questions patients ask

What is thumb basilar joint arthritis?

Thumb basilar joint arthritis, also called thumb CMC arthritis, is wear and loss of cartilage in the carpometacarpal joint at the base of the thumb, where the thumb metacarpal meets the trapezium bone of the wrist. The joint carries a heavy load during pinch and grip and is one of the most common sites of hand arthritis. It affects women more often than men and typically presents after age 40.

What are the warning signs of thumb basilar joint arthritis?

Pain at the base of the thumb with pinching, gripping, or twisting a key or jar. Pain that worsens with writing, sewing, opening pill bottles, or turning a door handle. Weakness of pinch and grip. A swollen, tender bump at the base of the thumb. Grinding, clicking, or a grating sensation with thumb motion, and stiffness on first use in the morning that loosens with activity.

How is thumb basilar joint arthritis treated?

Treatment starts without surgery: a custom thumb spica splint, anti-inflammatory medication, targeted hand therapy, activity modification with ergonomic tools, and image-guided corticosteroid injection into the CMC joint. Many patients manage thumb CMC arthritis for years with these measures. Surgery enters the conversation when conservative care no longer controls pain, when injections lose their effect, or when the joint limits activities you want to continue. All modern surgical treatments remove the worn-out trapezium bone and stabilize the thumb; Dr. Loredo's primary approach is a suture suspensionplasty that does not harvest a tendon. Surgery, when needed, is scheduled at the first available opening after your evaluation.

Who treats thumb basilar joint arthritis near Southlake and Dallas-Fort Worth?

Dr. Pedro Loredo, MD, board-certified in General Surgery (American Board of Surgery) and Hand Surgery (American Board of Plastic Surgery), at Loredo Hand Care Institute, 431 E State Hwy 114, Suite 380, Southlake, TX 76092. The practice serves Southlake, Grapevine, Colleyville, Keller, Hurst, Bedford, Euless, North Richland Hills, Dallas and Fort Worth. New patients are seen within days. Call (972) 939-4974. Se habla español.

Read the full thumb basilar joint arthritis condition page · Video: trigger finger