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Anyone have experience with suspension arthroplasty for CMC joint?
Bones, Joints & Muscles | Last Active: Jun 3 9:22am | Replies (30)Comment receiving replies
Please be patient with yourself. You are right, that for a tiny bone, this is really has a major impact. Overuse was the culprit with my pain as well, on both hands - I had the button on the first, the wire on the right, and both are doing great years later.
It does get better, and not having to worry about dropping things or being in pain is great. I also used a paraffin dip to ease the stiffness and pain in my thumbs - ask your OT if you can try it before therapy starts.
Is your hard brace custom made by the OT?
If it is a hard brace "off the shelf" they can soften and adjust it until it fits more comfortably. If not, they can find another brand, type or size of splint that is more comfortable, or custom make one for you from heat-malleable plastic.
If it is custom made, they can adjust it (even at every session if needed) until it is right. One of mine is very odd-looking because they had yo create a bulge in it so it did not rub on the incision area. Make sure you use your hand with it for several minutes after any adjustment before you say "It's okay" - and it may need to be adjusted as you progress.
And always wear a sleeve inside any brace to protect your skin - I use fingerless spandex gloves instead of the flimsy stuff they provided and washed them each night.
I am YEARS out from my surgeries on both thumbs, and still use the splints today to protect my thumbs when doing heavy work - digging, shoveling, pounding...
Good luck, and please let me know how you are progressing.
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@sueinmn Hi Sue, enjoyed reading all your posts. I'm scheduled for surgery June 9: Combination: CMC arthroplasty/trapeziectomy/suspensionplasty w/tendon transfer and
MCP arthrodesis/fusion
2.5 years of cortisone shots in both thumbs are no longer effective. The right thumb is a little ahead of the leaft in terms of pain level with activity. I hold a fork and write with my left but my right is dominant for strength, precision, everyday activities, etc.
I'm finding that I'm more worried about this surgery than others I've had (breast lumpectomy, sinus surgeries; hysterectomy; cervical spine fusion) and can only think it's because of the long recovery (I live alone and very independent so dread being reliant on others too long.) Also worried about the pain med for the first 2-5 days is what I read. My understanding is that most people need an opioid. I don't take codeine because of nausea/vomiting once. I had a morphine pump in hospital once and also had to stop due to the above. The surgeon recommended tramadol and would add zofran if I had nausea. I have lots of detailed info from input into ChatGPT - all very helpful from Pre-op preparations for one handed living for several weeks to 3-6 months on. I will stay with a sister and her husband for the first week if necessary. Hope to be able to go home and maybe resume my client telehealth calls (I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.) I don't see a lot in the comments about the pain meds used and for how long before switching to Tylenol. Can you say anything about this? I'm worried that the Tramadol is not strong enough. My sister tolerated oxycodone for knee replacements. What was your experience if you don't mind? Thank you!