Wrist and hand

Thumb base osteoarthritis

Mechanism: Cartilage loss in the saddle joint between the trapezium and the first metacarpal. On pinching that joint carries forces many times the pinch force itself, which explains its vulnerability.
Recognition: Pain at the thumb base on pinching, turning a key and opening a jar, with tenderness on the joint line and later a visible widening. The grind test provokes the pain.
Course: One of the most common hand complaints after fifty, and considerably more common in women. As with osteoarthritis elsewhere, complaints correlate weakly with what the radiograph shows.

Structures