Arthroscopic Procedure Patches Up Arthritic Thumb | Arthritis Information

LAS VEGAS, Nevada—The most common type of hand arthritis, osteoarthritis (OA) of the base of the thumb, can often be repaired with an arthroscopic patching procedure that requires only two tiny incisions and replaces the wrecked cartilage with a little collagen cushion that eventually biointegrates into the joint, according to Scott P. Steinman, MD, Professor or Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.

Dr. Steinman described the new treatment in a press briefing at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2009 meeting.¹

“The most common area in the hand for arthritis is the joint at the base of your thumb, and it can produce quite debilitating pain,” Dr. Steinman said. He noted that any procedure that would be proposed as an alternative to the traditional open-incision approach to treating thumb OA should be minimally invasive, should not alter the native anatomy much, and should address the central problem (in this case the arthritis).

Bleeding bone brings healing elements into thumb joint

Previous non-arthroscopic procedures have typically changed the basic anatomy of the wrist by totally or partially removing parts of the bone. Dr. Steinmen and colleagues have replaced that approach with arthroscopic carpo-metacarpal (CMC) interposition arthroplasty in many cases.

1. Steinman, S. A new treatment for thumb arthritis. Press briefing presented at the AAOS 2009 meeting, Las Vegas, February 26, 2009.