Care for Arthritis

If you have pain in your thumb, wrist or knuckles, you may have arthritis. Our hand surgeons can help relieve your pain

When the joints in your hands become inflamed, it's called arthritis. This condition can cause pain, swelling and stiffness. The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Osteoarthritis results from wear and tear on your joints and is most often caused by aging and heredity. It also can occur years after an injury to your hands. To treat osteoarthritis, our hand surgeons begin with nonsurgical options, such as rest, splints and medications, and then consider surgical options, including joint fusion or replacement.

Osteoarthritis often affects the joint at the base of the thumb, which gets constant stress with years of use. This problem responds well to surgery. Our surgeons remove the affected bone and reconstruct the joint with a piece of tendon from your wrist.

Rheumatoid Arthritis is most common in the wrist and finger knuckles. Cells that line and normally lubricate the joints become inflamed and swollen, damaging the connective tissues. It can cause the joints to ache and throb and eventually become deformed. It makes opening jars and other simple activities difficult to manage.

There is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, but proper treatment can help you live a long, productive life. We offer surgical procedures that include joint fusion, joint replacement or removal of damaged bone. These procedures often help correct deformities, relieve pain and improve function.

ARTICLE TOOLS: