Thank you. My main issue with the thumb is stiffness, more limited movement in that upper joint and varying degrees of pain depending on what I've been doing. I think it's flared up lately because I've been doing a lot of gardening: cutting a lot of brambles and digging up the roots, also some planting.
It's quite recent, I've only had it since December (2023) - initially I though it was an infection related to a bramble thorn that grazed my thumb (nothing broke off, there's no foreign matter in the thumb) and with that in mind my doctor prescribed an antibiotic ointment (he didn't even mention arthritis!). It made no difference.
As mentioned in my first post, it was my physio who diagnosed osteoarthritis due to the two slightly red areas and obvious slight swelling at the sides of and across that upper joint. The slightly swelling is also more obvious because the creases in the skin aren't as visible on that thumb.
Funnily enough it had been easing off a bit this past week or two, it's the type of gardening that I've just switched to over the past few days which I think is causing the recent issues. I think that the excessive digging and pulling up of bramble roots has been the trigger.
I should also mention that the skin is sometimes sore too, specifically at the aforementioned red areas.
It's in my left thumb and I'm right handed so I'll need to adjust my way of working and hope that the right thumb holds up. Or just take a break for a few days (not easy, there's a lot of gardening that needs doing at the moment).