Novel surgery to spare a woman agonising hand pain is the latest illustration of the innovation central to our programme of Transformation and Reform.
The operation on patient Helen Young’s arthritic thumb was carried out at University Hospital Wishaw by Miss Sally-Anne Phillips, Consultant Hand and Wrist Surgeon, and her fellow Orthopaedic Surgeon Mr Nick Miller, supported by their wider team.
Before the op, Helen couldn’t button her clothes, open a jar or even squeeze her toothpaste tube. She’d been unable to touch her thumb to the tips of her fingers but can now fully flex her hand.
Surgeon Sally-Anne (pictured top right) said: “It’s wonderful to see how well Helen is doing after the surgery, which is called a carpometacarpal joint replacement.
“It’s like a little hip replacement, removing an arthritic joint at the base of the thumb and putting in a small metal and polyethylene implant.
“It can improve the strength of people’s ‘pinch grip’ and reduce pain, although the surgery is not suitable for everyone with an arthritic thumb.
“Thumb arthritis affects women more than men, often around perimenopausal age. That’s perhaps because of the reduction in oestrogen, a family history of arthritis, an underlying condition or because women’s joints have more elasticity than men’s, making them more prone to injury.
“The traditional surgery for the condition is removal of the trapezium – the bone at the base of the thumb. The British Society for Surgery of the Hand is now studying whether carpometacarpal joint replacement is an alternative option that gives better outcomes for patients.”
Patient Helen, 50, from Airdrie, said: “I struggled to put my clothes on and button them, I couldn’t squeeze the toothpaste onto my toothbrush and I wasn’t able to wash the dishes or use a hairdryer while brushing my hair.
“The problem started four years ago and there were many tears of frustration. I once found myself weeping because I simply could not manage to hang up a wet towel.
“The pain in my thumb and the lack of movement in my hand meant I could drive but I couldn’t pull on the handbrake – I had to get colleagues to do that when I parked at work.”
Helen found it particularly upsetting that her beloved dog, Rafa, was impacted by her condition, which afflicts more women than men.
She explained: “When I took Rafa for a walk I could put on his harness but I couldn’t unclip it when we got back. It was uncomfortable for him to stay in it until someone came to take it off.”
She’s managed to redecorate four rooms in her house since the operation on her left thumb three months ago.
She said: “I was in a big bandage for three weeks after the surgery so it was a nervous moment when it was removed and I found out if it had worked.
“I used to have pain at an eight out of 10 level but now I rarely get any discomfort in my thumb.
“I have a manual job that involves a repetitive flicking of my left thumb so it had become increasingly painful. I was delighted when I was offered the implant operation because painkillers and steroid injections only helped temporarily.”
She’s overjoyed with the results and husband Kevin, 55, son Mitchell, 25, and daughter Abi, 20, are also relieved to see her escape her grinding pain.
Helen also has the same condition in her right thumb, which made two-handed tasks even tougher before her left one was fixed.
She’s aiming to have the same operation on her right hand and has given a big thumbs-up to the work of NHS Lanarkshire’s orthopaedic surgeons and their wider team.
