Help with recent diagnosis of osteoarthritis in my thumb.

[Tolkienista]

I've had ongoing issues with my right thumb since May.
Started with pain/discomfort on my palm in the fleshy part below my thumb. Then in recent weeks moved round to the area on the front of my hand below my thumb.
Had a doctor's appointment on Thursday and within a minute of examining my hand she said it's osteoarthritis at the base of your thumb

To be honest I was shocked. Never had any issues with my joints. Not overweight, exercise regularly, eat well .....but here I am with a degenerative condition and I'm scared of what's to come.

Didn't get much in the way of advice, take painkillers when I need them, use ibuprofen gel
Keep my hands warm in winter. I did a few hours of gardening on Friday and my hand was sore afterwards. Took two paracetamol on Saturday & I was fine for the day. No painkillers today, but I did wince in the kitchen when I was unscrewing things, using a can opener etc. Ouch .

I really need any personal stories, advice, product suggestions etc
Thanks in advance

Forgot to add that I'll be 67 in two weeks.

It's generally hereditary. I've had it since I was 40. Like all osteoarthritis exercise really helps. Im a podiatrist so I use my thumbs to cut and clip all day long and it's improved my joint pain hugely.
I also use biofreeze which is very effective. You put it all over the joint, wait half an hour and the pain goes.
I did look into surgery but they can't guarantee Ill be able to do my job afterwards so Im not considering that until retirement.
There are also cortisone injections available if the pain gets really bad.
I also sew as a hobby, embroidery, and that really helps exercise the joints too.

Im 63.

I have this and I'm only 51, thanks to joint hypermobility. I use ibuprofen gel and chiro ice, which give some relief. Try to avoid excessive repetitive movements like typing and texting.

@Gettingbysomehow @Puffin12345 thank you both for your advice, that's a great start for me and it's always really helpful when a post comes from personal experience.

I have thumb arthritis.

There are some exercises to do to keep the thumb mobile. I think you can find them on the NHS website or the Versus Arthritis website.

I was referred to occupational therapy for hand and thumb brace fittings but you are not meant to wear the braces all the time as it can further restrict hand movement.

I also get 2 or 3 steroid injections per year into the thumb but doctors are reluctant to give them more than that as they can destroy the cartilage.

The OXO kitchen brand does easi grip items. I find them very good.

I wear a compression glove when mine is bad. I find it very effective.

@Herberty thanks for signposting websites, I'll definitely look them up.
At the moment pain generally isn't an issue, but it scares me that it will be in the future.
I need as much information as I can get moving forward.
Thanks for your advice.

Yes I'll have to look into that .
It's like a whole new world to me being newly diagnosed.
I am anxious about it all to be honest, but equally I want to be proactive too.

I’m 46 with the same, I self referred to physio and was given some exercises to help strengthen my hands. I am being seen again in 6 weeks. They are definitely helping. https://www.nhslanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk/patient-information-leaflets/hand-therapy/pil-osttmb-21-24171-l/

When you say you self referred to physio, how does that work in reality?

I wasn't offered any follow up appointment or any real advice going forward.
In fact I've learnt more on here than from the GP.

I'm 67 and have osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. It started about 15 years ago. It's intensely painful at times.
For the osteoarthritis in all my fingers and toes diclofenic gel helps as do compression gloves.

If you google physiotherapy self referral and your NHS region it should tell you what you need to do for your area. I’m not sure if it’s the same everywhere but where I live you fill in an e-form, within a week I got a questionnaire to complete, then about a week after that I was able to pre book my first appointment. From filling the online form in to first appointment was about 1 month.

I skipped the doctors and went straight for self referral, I thought it was carpal tunnel.

I’m 67 and I started developing osteoarthritis in my early forties in my fingers. My joints were beginning to thicken and become painful. I had an appointment with my GP who stated it was “fair wear and tear” and sent me on my way!

Thanks for your follow up post, that's really helpful.
Much appreciated.

Wow.
That's interesting.
There was me thinking I was the only one who'd got it in their 60's and now I'm finding out that people have been diagnosed decades earlier.

If it helps - I started taking Seven Seas Joint Care Omega 3 with glucosamine, chondroitin and vitamin D after the GP appointment. My hands are just a dull ache most of the time.

I cannot use a vegetable knife any longer - I cannot peel or chop anything and I find scissors a bit of a challenge. My DH does most of the cooking - but I can still bake cakes with the help of my food mixer and make bread.

I’ve had to give up driving as I cannot grip the steering wheel safely.

This does sound a bit negative but it has taken twenty odd years for me to get like this and you do just adapt and make the best of it.

Yes that does help thanks and you've lived with it for 20 years.
I've got a lot to learn about this condition and your post is enlightening.

Another one here who got this diagnosis in my 40s. I was given 6 physio sessions with a hand specialist which was good but essentially amounted to using squeezy things like stressballs and tennis balls, which does help, and taking painkillers as needed. I think it is hereditary as my mum and granny had similar, but no doubt phones and computing have exacerbated it. The physio also advised using voice-typing apps if it got worse but it’s not got to that point thankfully and has been manageable since. There are various tools to help with opening jars and such.

I don’t have thumb arthritis but had an op (privately) on my toe earlier this year. There’s a thread on it! It’s been successful and the pain has gone - the GP said wear and tear and didn’t even offer an injection (I had 2 privately). I’m mid 50s. I also had a hip replacement at 40.

Keep moving!

Sorry if this is a bit of a hijack but I get a lot of pain in a big toe joint which I have assumed is osteoarthritis ( I'm mid 70s).
I see posters are saying exercise and keep moving but the more I walk the more painful it is . Any advice?

I was a bit surprised when you said your age, OP! I assumed you were younger as you were so surprised and horrified by your diagnosis.

I was warned about wear and tear on my feet in my early 40’s, and have thickened knobbly finger joints now in my mid 50s. I thought it was normal.

Wax baths help with discomfort, I believe. The gloves people have mentioned.

The worst bit, for me, is the pain in the lumpy joints if I knock/bang it accidentally.

Exercise that isn’t weight bearing!

In the morning, before you get out of bed, warm it up with stretches, curls etc.
When it’s nice and lubricated and warmed up, put it on the floor to get up and do some more vigorous exercises- look up toe strengthening exercises.

Wearing a brace at night can help rest the joint. I also had some success with injections into the joint though there is some randomness in how many injections one should have per year.

There is an essay on the arthritis charity website about pain being in our head and some methods to approach it. I found this very useful.