Can a Thumb Joint Replacement Really Help My Arthritis Pain?

If you have thumb pain from arthritis at the base of your thumb, you may have heard about surgery as an option. One type of surgery involves replacing the damaged joint with an artificial one. This study looked at how well one specific artificial thumb joint worked over several years.

Here are three important things this research found:

• Most patients were happy with their results and could use their thumbs again.
• The artificial joint stayed in place and working for most people.
• Some people needed another surgery, but this was not common.

In this article:

• What Did Researchers Study?
• Who Was Treated in This Study?
• How Well Could Patients Move Their Thumbs?
• How Strong Were the Thumbs After Surgery?
• Were Patients Happy With the Results?
• What Problems Happened?
• Common Questions
• What This Means for You
• Disclaimer
• Research Source

What Did Researchers Study?

Doctors wanted to know how well a special artificial thumb joint called the Maia prosthesis worked over time. A prosthesis is simply an artificial part that replaces a damaged body part. They followed patients for an average of about 56 months. That is almost five years.

You may be wondering why this matters. When your thumb joint wears out from arthritis, simple things like opening a jar or turning a key can hurt. Some people try medicine or splints first. When those do not help enough, surgery becomes an option.

Who Was Treated in This Study?

According to this study, doctors treated 22 patients between 2015 and 2017. Almost all of them were women. There was one man. The average age was about 60 years old.

Here is where it gets interesting. Doctors use a grading system called the Eaton-Littler classification to describe how bad thumb arthritis is. It goes from mild to severe. In this study, four patients had grade II arthritis. That means moderate damage. Eighteen patients had grade III arthritis. That means more severe damage.

How Well Could Patients Move Their Thumbs?

Research shows that patients could move their thumbs quite well after the surgery. Doctors measured how far patients could spread their thumbs away from their hands. This is called radial abduction. It is important for grabbing things.

The average movement was about 53 degrees. That sounds technical, but what matters is this. It was 89% as good as their other healthy thumb. That is almost back to normal.

Let us look closer at another measurement. Doctors also used something called the Kapandji score. This tests if you can touch your thumb to different parts of your hand. The average score was 9.5 out of 10. That was 98% as good as the other thumb. This means patients could touch their thumbs to almost all the same spots as before.

How Strong Were the Thumbs After Surgery?

Strength is another important measure. You need thumb strength to hold things firmly. Doctors tested two types of strength.

The first type is called key pinch. This is how hard you can pinch, like holding a key. Studies indicate the average key pinch strength was 4.7 kilograms. That was 79% as strong as the healthy thumb.

The second type is grip strength. This is how hard you can squeeze your whole hand. The average grip strength was 8 kilograms on the operated side. The healthy side was 10 kilograms. That means the operated hand was 81% as strong.

Were Patients Happy With the Results?

According to this study, patients rated their satisfaction at 8.8 out of 10 on average. That is a very good score. It shows most people felt the surgery helped them.

Doctors also used a questionnaire called the qDASH. This stands for Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand. It asks about how hard it is to do everyday activities. The average score was 25.8. Lower scores are better. This score suggests patients still had some difficulty but were much better than before surgery.

What Problems Happened?

No surgery is perfect. It is important to know what can go wrong. In this study, three patients out of 22 needed another surgery. That is a revision rate of 13.6%.

Two patients had dislocations. This means the artificial joint came out of place. One patient had loosening of the trapezium cup. The trapezium is one of the small bones at the base of your thumb. The cup is the part of the artificial joint that fits into this bone. When it loosens, it does not stay in place properly.

Research shows that no patients got infections. This is very good news. Infections can be serious problems after any surgery.

The survival rate of the implant was 86.4% after five years. This means that about 86 out of 100 artificial joints were still working well without needing replacement.

What Does the Learning Curve Mean?

The researchers said this surgery is technically demanding. That means it is hard to do. They also mentioned a significant learning curve. This means surgeons get better at it with practice. If you are considering this surgery, it may help to find a surgeon who has done many of these procedures.

About This Site

This website helps you understand medical science about thumb pain and rhizarthrosis. We read published scientific articles and explain them in simple language. Everything we share comes from real research done by doctors and scientists. We invite you to explore more articles on our site to learn about different treatment options and what research shows about thumb arthritis.

Common Questions

How long does an artificial thumb joint last?

According to this study, 86.4% of the Maia artificial thumb joints were still working well after five years. This means most patients did not need another surgery during that time. However, some artificial joints may need replacement eventually.

Will my thumb feel normal after this surgery?

Research shows that patients got back about 89% of their thumb motion and about 80% of their strength compared to their healthy thumb. Most patients were very satisfied, rating their happiness at 8.8 out of 10. Your thumb will work much better than before, but it may not feel exactly like it did before arthritis.

What are the chances I will need another surgery?

Studies indicate that about 13.6% of patients needed a second surgery. This means roughly one in seven people. The most common problems were the joint coming out of place or the implant loosening. No infections happened in this study.

Is this surgery right for everyone with thumb arthritis?

This surgery was done on patients who had moderate to severe arthritis and did not get enough relief from other treatments. Your doctor will help you decide if this is the right choice for you based on how bad your arthritis is and how much pain you have.

What This Means for You

If you have thumb arthritis that has not gotten better with medicine or splints, artificial joint replacement may be an option. According to medical evidence, most patients in this study could move their thumbs well and felt happy with their results after almost five years.

The surgery does have risks. About one in seven patients needed another operation. But no one got an infection, which is encouraging.

Talk with your doctor about whether this type of surgery might help you. Ask how many of these procedures they have done. Remember that every person is different. Your results may not be exactly the same as the people in this study.

You deserve to have thumbs that work without constant pain. Learning about your options is an important first step.

Disclaimer

This article shares information from medical research. It is not medical advice. It cannot replace talking with your own doctor. Only your doctor can examine you and recommend the right treatment for your specific situation. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making decisions about surgery or any medical treatment.

Research Source

This article is based on research by Correia, G.; Ribeiro, E.; Correia, R.; Ribau, M.; Varanda, P.; Ribeiro, J.; Rodrigues, L. F., published in Cureus in 2024.

https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.72888