What are the signs and symptoms of Osteoarthritis of the Base of Thumb?
The most common symptom is a deep, aching pain at the base of the thumb. The pain is aggravated with activities involving thumb pinch, opening jars, turning door knobs, keys and writing. Pain can also become constant and the loss of pinch and grip strength can occur. In more severe cases, the joint can move out of position and cause a “bump” at the base of the thumb, which may limit your ability to extend the thumb and causing the next joint up to hyperextend to compensate. X-rays help to confirm the diagnosis but very often, symptom severity is noted to not always correlate directly with the joint’s appearance on x-ray.
