HAND | THUMB ARTHRITIS TREATMENT
Thumb Arthritis Treatment and Surgery
When jars, keys and door handles have become daily negotiations, "it's just arthritis" isn't a plan. There's a real thumb arthritis treatment ladder; from splints to surgery, and honest advice about every rung.
Diagnosis
Examination & X-Ray
Injection
Same visit possible
Surgery time
Around an hour
Recovery time
Months, not weeks
Is this you?
Most people who come to us for Base of Thumb Arthritis Treatment say one of these things:
Jam jars have defeated me. Actual jam jars.
Turning a key or a stiff door handle goes right through my thumb.
There's a deep ache at the base of my thumb after gardening or knitting.
Pinching anything small has become weirdly weak.
The GP said it's wear and tear and to take paracetamol. That's it?
My mother's thumb ended up stuck like a hitchhiker's. I don't want that.
"Wear and tear" is the diagnosis, not the plan. Base of thumb arthritis has one of hand surgery's best-established treatment ladders, and most people are years away from needing the top rung.
THE WORKING JOINT
What is base of thumb arthritis?
Base of thumb (CMC or basal joint) arthritis is wear of the small saddle-shaped joint where the thumb meets the wrist, the joint that gives your thumb its remarkable range and takes remarkable load doing it: pinching a key transmits many times that force through this one joint. As cartilage wears, gripping, pinching and twisting become painful, pinch strength fades, and in later stages the joint can sit out of line. (snippet-target)
It's one of the most common arthritic joints in the hand, particularly in women over 50, and it is emphatically not the same as De Quervain's (a tendon problem in the same neighbourhood, different treatment entirely; examination separates them in minutes).
It's one of the most common arthritic joints in the hand, particularly in women over 50, and it is emphatically not the same as De Quervain's (a tendon problem in the same neighbourhood, different treatment entirely; examination separates them in minutes).
KNOW THE SIGNS
How bad is mine?
The progression is characteristic: an ache at the base of the thumb after gardening, knitting or gripping; then pain with pinch and twist (jars, keys, buttons, secateurs, needles); then aching at rest and at night; and eventually weakening pinch with a visible squaring at the thumb's base. Your daily-life inventory tells the story better than any scan: which tasks hurt, which you've quietly given up, and what you'd do again if the thumb allowed it.
An X-ray grades the joint, with one crucial caveat: X-ray severity and symptom severity often disagree. Rough-looking joints can be quiet, and mild-looking joints can be wrecking your days. Treatment follows your pain and your function, not the picture.
An X-ray grades the joint, with one crucial caveat: X-ray severity and symptom severity often disagree. Rough-looking joints can be quiet, and mild-looking joints can be wrecking your days. Treatment follows your pain and your function, not the picture.
We treat thumbs, not X-rays. A rough-looking joint with mild symptoms needs less than a mild-looking joint that's wrecking your days, and your plan is built on your life, not your imaging.
Apex Medical
Expert care for the
Hardest-working part of you.
THE TREATMENT LADDER
Splint, inject, and only then talk surgery
Splints and smart adaptations are genuinely effective early rungs: a well-fitted thumb base splint for loaded tasks, jar openers and lever aids without shame, and technique changes that spare pinch.
Steroid injection into the joint can settle a flared thumb for months at a time and can be repeated judiciously; relief varies with arthritis stage, and we'll be honest about expectations. Surgery, most commonly trapeziectomy (removing the small worn bone at the thumb's base, sometimes with a supporting suspension procedure), reliably relieves pain in the great majority, and demands the most honest sentence on this page: recovery is measured in months.
Splinting for weeks, useful function returning over two to three months, strength building for up to a year. Patients who know that beforehand are consistently glad they had it done; patients who weren't told are consistently cross. You'll be told.
Steroid injection into the joint can settle a flared thumb for months at a time and can be repeated judiciously; relief varies with arthritis stage, and we'll be honest about expectations. Surgery, most commonly trapeziectomy (removing the small worn bone at the thumb's base, sometimes with a supporting suspension procedure), reliably relieves pain in the great majority, and demands the most honest sentence on this page: recovery is measured in months.
Splinting for weeks, useful function returning over two to three months, strength building for up to a year. Patients who know that beforehand are consistently glad they had it done; patients who weren't told are consistently cross. You'll be told.
Consultant-led care
Led by a Hand & Nerve
Specialist You Can Trust.
Apex Medical was founded by Mr Kuen Yeow Chin, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and Clinical Lead for Plastic Surgery at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust. Hand surgery, including trapeziectomy, is one of his defining specialisms, and he is a member of the British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH).
Your consultation, your procedure and your follow-up are with the same consultant throughout: the surgeon who assesses your hand is the surgeon who treats it.
Your consultation, your procedure and your follow-up are with the same consultant throughout: the surgeon who assesses your hand is the surgeon who treats it.
Your clinical team:
Mr. Kuen Yeow Chin
Consultant Plastic Surgeon & Skin Cancer Specialist
Reconstructive surgery and advanced skin cancer treatment
Sarah Millward
Skin Cancer Nurse Specialist
Skin checks, mole screening, and early skin cancer detection.
Laura O'Hare
Skin Cancer Nurse Specialist
Skin lesion care, post-surgical recovery, and private dermatology services.
Jackie Brighton
Skin Cancer Nurse Specialist
Expert mole checks, lesion assessment, and aftercare for skin cancer patients.
Jennifer Povey
Skin Cancer Nurse Specialist
Skin care treatment, photodynamic therapy (PDT), cryotheraphy, and personalised patient care.
Mr. Kuen Yeow Chin
Consultant Plastic Surgeon & Skin Cancer Specialist
Reconstructive surgery and advanced skin cancer treatment
YOUR CARE, STEP BY STEP
How your Thumb Arthritis treatment works
Five steps, honestly laddered. Many patients live well for years on the middle rungs, and that's success, not delay; surgery waits for the moment the ladder runs out, and comes with the plainest recovery talk on this site.
A
Consultation
Examination plus an X-ray for grading; your symptoms and hand-use inventory matter more than the image.
B
The ladder honestly
Splint fitting and adaptations; injection where a flare needs settling, often same visit.
C
Living well on the middle rungs
Many patients manage well for years with splints and occasional injections, and that's success, not delay.
D
Surgery when the ladder runs out
Trapeziectomy: about an hour, day case, under regional or general anaesthetic; a cast or splint for the early weeks.
E
The long recovery supported
Hand therapy, staged strengthening, and reviews across months; pain relief arrives well before full strength, and both are worth the wait.
Transparent Pricing
Thumb Arthritis pricing
Fixed, transparent pricing with no hidden extras. Your exact quote is confirmed in writing at consultation, before you commit to anything, and includes your follow-up care.
Initial Consultation
A consultant examination that maps your cords, measures the bend at each joint and lays out your realistic options, including "not yet" if that's the honest answer.
£0
Injection price
Under 30 minutes under local anaesthetic, dividing the cord through tiny punctures. Fixed package including follow-up review.
£0
surgery package
Day-case surgery removing the diseased tissue, with dressings, splint where needed and follow-up included. Fixed all-inclusive package.
£0
Ongoing Care
Recovery & Aftercare
Trapeziectomy recovery deserves the plainest language on this page: a cast or splint for the early weeks, a useful hand at around two to three months, and strength building for up to a year, with pain relief arriving well before full strength. Hand therapy and staged strengthening carry the middle months, and review continues until you and your surgeon are satisfied. Patients who knew all this beforehand are consistently glad they had it done; you'll know.
Non-surgical patients live well on the middle rungs: a properly fitted splint for loaded tasks, adaptations without shame, and a flare plan of rest, splint and a well-timed injection. That's management succeeding, not failing.
Non-surgical patients live well on the middle rungs: a properly fitted splint for loaded tasks, adaptations without shame, and a flare plan of rest, splint and a well-timed injection. That's management succeeding, not failing.
Where to find us
Consultant-led care at Berkshire Grove Hospital
Apex Medical is based at Berkshire Grove Hospital in Maidenhead, with clinics also at the Parkside Suite.
Patients travel to us from Reading, Windsor, Slough, Marlow, Bracknell, London and across Berkshire, Surrey and Oxfordshire for consultant-led care in a regulated private hospital, without long waiting times. On-site parking is available.
Patients travel to us from Reading, Windsor, Slough, Marlow, Bracknell, London and across Berkshire, Surrey and Oxfordshire for consultant-led care in a regulated private hospital, without long waiting times. On-site parking is available.
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 9:00am to 5:30pm | Saturday by appointment only | Sunday closed
Phone
020 3871 5898
COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about thumb arthritis at Apex Medical
The arthritis may be common; the suffering is optional. Splints, adaptations and injections keep most people doing what they love for years, and surgery reliably relieves pain when the time comes. Acceptance without a plan is the only wrong answer.
A properly fitted thumb base splint, worn for loaded tasks rather than all day, reduces pain meaningfully for many patients. Fit matters; the pharmacy one-size rarely does the job.
Typically weeks to months, varying by stage; earlier joints respond longer. Injections can be repeated sensibly and are also useful for settling a flare before an event, a holiday or a gardening season.
The trapezium, the small worn bone at the thumb's base, is removed, eliminating the bone-on-bone contact that causes pain; often a tendon-based suspension supports the thumb. It's been the workhorse operation for decades because it works.
Very. Early weeks in a cast or splint, a useful hand at around two to three months, and strength building for up to a year. Pain relief comes first; patience buys the rest. We say this loudly because it's the single biggest driver of satisfaction.
Pinch strength after trapeziectomy typically rebuilds to a very functional level, though may not match a young healthy thumb; it will, crucially, be a thumb you can use without pain, which is the trade almost every patient gladly takes.
The same region hosts several conditions: De Quervain's (tendon), ganglions (cyst), and this (joint). Examination and an X-ray separate them in one visit, which is precisely what the consultation is for.
Patient Stories.
In our patients' own words
BOOK A CONSULTATION
Win the jam jar back
Whether you need a proper splint, a well-timed injection, or the honest conversation about surgery, one consultation replaces years of "just take paracetamol" with an actual plan.
Book a Consultation
Consultant-led private skin, hands and aesthetic care across Berkshire. Precise, caring and expert.