Rheumatoid arthritis of the thumb is common with aging, but also becoming more frequent now that everyone seems to be texting and typing so many hours of the day. Thumb arthritis is characterized by calcification and swelling around the joint. This can cause severe pain and decreased strength and range of motion, making it difficult to do simple tasks, such as turning doorknobs and opening jars. Standard treatment generally involves a combination of medication and splints, sometimes people even opt for surgery. But doing some hand yoga can definitely help!
Arthritis in the thumb basal joint, which is at base of the thumb where it meets the wrist, is considered to be second in prevalence only to arthritis in the knee.
The thumb is generally a very mobile joint. It has the ability to move up and down, in and out and rotate and pinch, like the position we use to hold a phone or pen. The problem arises when we set our basal joint into the pinching position and keep it there while we use the second joint of the thumb to do everything else. We’ve basically paralyzed the basal joint without knowing it and when we don’t move it we lose it. The joint becomes calcified from non-use and then it swells. Voila! “Arthritis” is now present.
The yoga fix for this condition is to practice consciously opening your hand at the basal joint as wide as possible; stretching the thumb and pinky in opposite directions. Also using the other hand, or a table-top or a wall to gently stretch open the thumb joint will also be very helpful. Once the joint is no longer compressed, prana, blood, and oxygen will flow better through the area and the swelling can resolve itself and the calcification can reduce.