Osteoarthritis of the Thumb

Thumb osteoarthritis is a common condition in older adults. By age 50, the prevalence is about 8% in men and 25% in women—and it increases with age, with meta-analysis data suggesting that by age 80, approximately 39% of women have radiographic signs of thumb base OA.

Conservative treatment is widely acknowledged as first-line care for thumb CMC OA, including occupational and physical therapy, particularly to help initiate splinting and exercise programs.

With conservative treatment roughly 4 out of 5 cases can be managed successfully without surgery.

Given the relatively high prevalence and importance of conservative intervention,  it is critical that even generalist OTs be aware of its presentation and the basics of assessment and treatment.

This course intends to do just that: equip the generalist therapist to watch for, assess, and treat thumb OA—and perhaps most importantly, know when to refer on. We’ll be joined by hand therapist Preston Lockwood.

1. You will be able to identify the basics of occupation-based assessment for thumb osteoarthritis.

2. You will be able to recognize the evidence backed therapy treatments for thumb osteoarthritis.

• Intro

• Discussion

  1. What drew you to OT and then hand therapy?

  2. Tell me about the patients with thumb OA you tend to see on your caseload? Are they there for that condition specifically? And what percentage of patients actually get conservative therapy?

  3. Today, we are specifically addressing beginner level therapy skills with thumb OA. What role do you see overall for the generalist or those just beginning to wade into therapy for conservative treatment of this condition?

  4. We have a full treatment guide for this condition, what would be your advice to a generalist trying to identify the key things to look for in assessment?

  5. What advice do you have to a beginner as they approach treatment?

  6. What common patient education do you do for this condition?

  7. What in your mind would be an ideal frequency and duration, and follow up for this condition?

  8. What red-flags are important to keep in mind for referral to a specialist?

  9. Thumb OA is just one of many common hand conditions- what needs to change in our profession over the next five years for us to improve our treatment of hand conditions overall?

• Live Q&A

• Closing

• Assessment and treatment of nonsurgical thumb carpometacarpal joint osteoarthritis: A modified Delphi-based consensus paper of the American Society of Hand Therapists

• Psychometric properties of body structures and functions measures in non-surgical thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis: A systematic review

• Incorporation of occupational based intervention into joint protection education for individuals with thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis: A case series

It is the policy of OT Potential to disclose any financial and non-financial interest the provider or instructor may have in a product or service mentioned during an activity. This is to ensure that the audience is made aware of any bias of the speaker.

OT Potential pays guest speakers an honorarium for their participation, either directly or to an institution of the speaker's choosing at their request. We invite guests whose expertise often comes from practices, programs, or building products in their field. Where a speaker has a financial interest in the subject of a course, we disclose it below so you can weigh it for yourself.

OT Potential's interest in this topic: We have no financial stake in this topic.

Speaker interests: Preston Lockwood has no financial interest in this topic to disclose.