New Surgical Denervation Procedures offer Joint Pain Relief

Thumb (CMC) Denervation

Base of thumb pain is one of the most common ailments in the hand and wrist. Thumb pain often arises from osteoarthritis at the carpometacarpal joint (the base of the thumb). This pain is often seen with griping and pinching, such as opening a jar or turning a key.

Treatment options include both surgical and nonsurgical management. Nonsurgical management includes bracing, anti-inflammatory medications, activity modification, and hand therapy. Corticosteroid injections are often used for temporary pain relief.

Traditional surgical management consists of removal of one of the bones that is rubbing against the thumb bone. This small bone, the trapezium, is removed, and the hand is reconstructed.

A new surgical technique has been developed, called denervation. In this technique instead of removing the bones of the hand, the surgeon simply identified and sweeps the nerves away from the joint. By doing so the patient no longer feels the joint pain.

The benefit of denervation was recently seen in a clinical trial published by Dr. Hustedt. In the trial patients treated with denervation had equivalent short term pain control with quicker recovery times, less complications, and reduced costs. Patients in the study had return of function at 3.5 weeks instead of 4.5 months for arthroplasty. A video describing the findings was recently published online.

To discuss if denervation may be right for you, make an appointment.