Thumb Arthritis: Understanding Base of Thumb and Hand Osteoarthritis and What May Help

Opening jars is usually the first sign of arthritis in your thumb or whole hand. The grip suddenly protests at the base of the thumb and soon the same deep ache turns up when turning a stiff key, wringing a cloth, pinching a plug from a socket or pruning using secateurs. This is base of thumb arthritis, osteoarthritis of the joint where the thumb meets the wrist and it is one of the most common hand and arm complaints from midlife onward, particularly in women. Often it presents with arthritis in the finger joints, the familiar bony knuckle changes of hand osteoarthritis.

Two things are worth noting. First, this is wear in a hard-working joint, not a disease spreading through your body. Second, the evidence for simple management is good and suggest using exercises, joint-care habits and perhaps a splint.

“He is professional, efficient and thorough”

“I can happily recommend Leslie. He is professional, efficient and thorough. He first treated me many many years ago and I have never looked back. He is a lovely guy showing a lot of interest in each individual client which is really what you need from a practitioner whose hands you put your health…Leslie is exceptional. Thank you for looking after me.”

Torben H

What is thumb arthritis?

The base of the thumb is a small saddle-shaped joint (the carpometacarpal or CMC joint) that gives your thumb its remarkable range: opposition, pinch, grip, span. That versatility comes at a price because pinching concentrates force through this one small joint, much more pressure than is applied at the fingertips. Over decades the cartilage lining thins and the joint becomes irritable, producing pain at the thumb’s base, a weakening pinch and sometimes a squared, bony appearance at the wrist end of the thumb. In the wider hand, osteoarthritis shows up as firm bony swellings at the end and middle finger joints ( the Heberden’s and Bouchard’s nodes), which often look more dramatic than they feel once the initial phase settles. As with every arthritis, the X-ray is not the verdict: joint changes are extremely common on the scans of people with no pain at all and management follows your symptoms and function, not always the scan picture.

Showing the location of the thumb joint and how thumb arthritis impacts the hand

Explore our shoulder and arm guides

Shoulder and arm pain: the main guide

Shoulder

Elbow, wrist and hand

Tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow
Carpal tunnel, cubital tunnel and desk-related arm pain
De Quervain’s tenosynovitis
Thumb arthritis (you are here)

When arm pain starts in the neck or shoulder girdle

Related guides

Other areas of the body

Bones and joints

what causes it

Time, load and a genetic predisposition, in varying mixtures. The thumb base does heavy mechanical work throughout an ordinary life and from your fifties onward its cartilage increasingly shows it, with women affected more often, particularly around and after menopause.

Genetics also have a hand in this: hand osteoarthritis runs in families and if your mother had the knuckle nodes, the odds for you will rise. Previous injury to the thumb or wrist, a fracture or a ligament sprain, can bring it on earlier and occupations or hobbies built on repetitive forceful pinching, from hairdressing to needlework to decades of using secateurs in the garden will contribute.

What does not cause it is knuckle cracking, cold weather (which aggravates arthritis but does not create it) or continuing to use your hands normally. Staying active with the hands does not wear the joints out faster; it keeps the muscles that shield the joints doing their job.

Symptoms of thumb arthritis

The signature symptom of arthritis is a deep, sometimes burning ache right at the base of the thumb where thumb meets wrist, provoked by pinching and gripping: jars, keys, door handles, taps, buttons, secateurs. Pinch strength declines, so you notice that things may get dropped and normal uses of your hands change. Mornings often start stiff for a few minutes, bad or uncomfortable weeks follow busy hands and in later stages the joint can look squared or enlarged.

Distinguishing it from other hand conditions is straightforward with an examination. De Quervain’s tenosynovitis hurts higher, along the thumb-side edge of the wrist and stabs with lifting rather than pinching, typically in a younger group. Carpal tunnel syndrome tingles at night in the thumb, index and middle fingers rather than aching with use. Pain with pins and needles spreading down from the neck belongs to the neck rather than the hand. Where it hurts and what provokes it usually answers the question of diagnosis.

a graphic explaining thumb arthritis and location of the pain, the causes and symptoms and how chiropractic might help

Thumb base osteoarthritis showing the location of the pain, the causes, symptoms and how chiropractic might help alleviate symptoms

How I can help

Nothing reverses the cartilage change and no practitioner can claim otherwise. But the evidence for making an arthritic thumb hurt less and do more is better than most people expect.

European guidance puts education, hand exercises and a splint at the first with topical anti-inflammatory gels preferred over oral ones, steroid injections are generally not recommended for the thumb base and surgery is a last resort.[1] A recent network meta-analysis found multimodal care and hand exercises produced clinically important short-term pain relief with hand exercises improving grip strength by roughly twenty-one pounds and a rigid thumb splint delivering the best medium-term pain and function results.[2][3] Exercise-based programmes have their own supportive meta-analysis behind them.[4]

In short: simple things, done consistently will work for your hand arthritis.

My role is implementing that programme. That means confirming the diagnosis and ruling out other causes; teaching a short daily routine of thumb and hand exercises pitched to your starting point; guiding splint choice and when to wear it, typically for provocative tasks and flares rather than all day; easing the associated muscle and joint soreness through the thumb, hand and forearm with gentle hands-on care and working through joint-protection tactics with you. Jar openers and lever taps are useful, wider grips on tools spread the load and two hands beat using one thumb and are all small effective habit changes that can make a difference. Flares are managed, progress is measured in what your hands keep doing and if your case ever reaches the point where a surgical opinion is sensible, I will support that conversation with your GP.

If arthritis in your hand or thumb is getting in the way of things you would rather be doing, come and talk it through. I offer a free 15-minute consultation, you can come in for a short no-obligation chat with no examination or treatment.

Book a free consultation

Or call for a chat on 01202 937568

red flags

Thumb and hand osteoarthritis develops slowly and is not dangerous. A few patterns alongside hand pain need a doctor first.

See your GP promptly if joints become hot, red and swollen, especially in flares affecting several joints with morning stiffness lasting over half an hour, since inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid disease needs different treatment and benefits from early diagnosis; if a single joint is suddenly exquisitely painful, swollen and warm, which can be gout or infection; if pain follows a fall onto the hand, which needs a fracture excluded; or if you have unexplained weight loss, night sweats or feel generally unwell alongside new hand symptoms. Numbness, weakness or clumsiness spreading through the hand is a nerve question rather than a joint one and should also be assessed.

your first visit to Bournemouth Chiropractic

If opening jars, turning keys and using secateurs are becoming problematic daily issues, a chiropractic assessment will confirm what is going on and set up a plan that protects what your hands do.

Your first appointment starts with what your hands are required to do for you, gardening, golf, grandchildren, keyboards and how the pain affects your daily life. The chiropractic examination locates the tenderness precisely, tests pinch and grip, distinguishes the thumb base from De Quervain’s, carpal tunnel and referred neck pain, and checks for any features suggesting inflammatory arthritis that would need your GP. You leave with an explanation, a starting exercise routine and an agreed plan. There is more detailed information on the your first visit page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a chiropractor help with thumb arthritis?

A chiropractor cannot reverse the arthritis, no practitioner can. What I provide is the guideline-backed first line: hand exercises, splint guidance, joint-protection strategies and care for the associated hand and forearm symptoms, the combination shown to reduce pain and rebuild grip strength.[1][2] If your case needs your GP or a hand surgeon, I will tell you.

Will exercises make my thumb worse?

Done sensibly, exercise will not make arthritis worse. Hand exercise programmes reduced pain and improved grip strength in pooled trials.[2][4] The muscles around the thumb are its shock absorbers and keeping them strong protects the joint. The skill is in the starting regime, which is exactly what we work through together.

Should I wear a splint and which kind is best for arthritis in my hand?

Often yes, a splint helps your hand for certain moments. The evidence favours a rigid thumb-base splint for medium-term pain and function, worn for provocative tasks and flare periods rather than permanently.[2][3] Soft supports suit some people for comfort during lighter work. I will help you choose and fit one if need be.

What about a steroid injection for the thumb base?

Current European guidance generally does not recommend steroid injections for base-of-thumb arthritis, reserving consideration for painful flares in the finger joints instead.[1] If your pain is severe and persistent, that decision belongs with your GP and I will support it, but the evidence puts exercises and splinting first for good reason.

Will I end up needing hand surgery for thumb arthritis ?

Surgery for thumb-base arthritis exists and can help severe cases, but guidance positions it firmly as the last resort after conservative care has been given a trial.[1] and most people never do need surgery. The majority manage well long-term with exercises, sensible habits and a splint for the demanding days.

Whatever may be behind your thumb arthritis, come and find out

Thumb arthritis is known to build up gradually at the base of the thumb and the ache or stiffness that comes with it often makes everyday things like gripping, turning a key or opening jars hard. A proper assessment is often the right starting point, so I'd happily see you to find out what's going on. During your consultation I'll give you an honest opinion on how it's best managed.

Thumb and hand arthritis is one of the many reasons people come through my door here at Bournemouth Chiropractic.

For some people, chiropractic care alongside the wider management of thumb arthritis is a well-tolerated option worth exploring and I'll explain clearly what I think may help in your particular case, focusing on keeping the joint moving and comfortable rather than promising a cure. If I think you'd be better served by your GP or a specialist, I'll help point you in the right direction.

Call, message or email, whatever's easiest and we'll take it from there.

Book an appointment Message on WhatsApp

Or call for a chat on 01202 937568

References

[1] Kloppenburg M, Kroon FP, Blanco FJ, et al. 2018 update of the EULAR recommendations for the management of hand osteoarthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2019;78(1):16-24. https://doi.org/10.1136/annrheumdis-2018-213826

[2] Thakker A, Ramchandani JP, Divall P, Sutton A, Johnson N, Dias J. What are the most clinically effective nonoperative interventions for thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis? An up-to-date systematic review and network meta-analysis. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2025;483(4):719-736. https://doi.org/10.1097/CORR.0000000000003300

[3] Marotta N, Demeco A, Marinaro C, et al. Comparative effectiveness of orthoses for thumb osteoarthritis: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2021;102(3):502-509. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2020.06.012

[4] Karanasios S, Mertyri D, Karydis F, Gioftsos G. Exercise-based interventions are effective in the management of patients with thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Healthcare (Basel). 2024;12(8):823. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12080823

Medical Disclaimer

The information on this website is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it a substitute for diagnosis, treatment, or guidance from a qualified healthcare practitioner. If you have any health concern, please consult your GP or another appropriately qualified clinician. Chiropractic treatment isn’t suitable for everyone. Suitability is assessed at your initial consultation, with referral to another healthcare professional made where appropriate. Treatment outcomes vary between individuals, and no guarantee of results is made or implied.

Practitioner: Leslie Budzynski D.C. | Doctor of Chiropractic | GCC registration: 00043 | BCA membership number: 0072