Ending the pain, getting strength back when thumb arthritis develops

WYNNEWOOD, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- When arthritis affects the thumb, it makes everything from getting dressed to making a meal miserable. Now, a Main Line Health specialist has surgery that can help those who've reached the end of the line.

"It's difficult to open a jar, open a bottle, button a blouse," says Sandy Geathers of Wynnefield.

Sandy was in pain every time she used her right thumb. She struggled for several years before getting to Dr. Phil Petrucelli at Lankenau Medical Center.

They tried a brace, then cortisone shots, but the relief didn't last. She had hoped to avoid surgery.

"The pain got to the point where I came in, I just threw my hands up, and said - I'm ready," says Sandy.

Dr. Petrucelli says the hand has 27 joints, and like knees and hips, all are lined with cartilage.

"The cartilage provides that smooth surface for them. With arthritis, over time, you lose that cartilage. And what you eventually get are the bones grinding against each other," he says.

With pain comes a loss of strength, and over time, a bone can slide out of the joint.

The doctor's first step is a brace to immobilize the base of the thumb and prevent the grinding. He also uses oral anti-inflammatory medications - and the spice turmeric.

"They've done a lot of scientific studies that have shown that it has anti-inflammatory properties," says Dr. Petrucelli.

If those and cortisone shots fail, it's time for surgery.

"A trapeziectomy - Where you go in and remove that arthritic bone entirely," he explains.

Dr. Petrucelli keeps the thumb in its space with a special suture anchored to the bone below your index finger.

"Studies have shown there's about a 92% success rate," he says.

The challenge is the three to four month recovery: one month of completely immobilizing the thumb, then two months working on range of motion and strength.

Sandy says it was all worth it.

"The pain is gone. I can do the things that I couldn't do before, things that you take for granted," she says.

She's now going through preliminary treatments for arthritis in her left thumb. She hopes surgery won't be needed, but she's ready for it, if it is.