Ask Dr Miriam

Q I’m 63 and I’ve got an awful pain at the base of my thumb. It gets worse if I write, lift pans or try to turnrn door handles. What do you think it is? A If you have no morning stiffness to speak of, I think this is probably osteoarthritis of the joint where your thumb joins your wrist.

This kind of arthritis is common in postmenopausal women. The joint has to work very hard performing all kinds of movements like pinching and gripping. The wear and tear makes it prone to osteoarthritis. By all means have a scan to clarify but in ththe meanwhile you ccan protect your joint by avoiding repetitive movements of yyour thumb and prolongedpro gripping, not holding heavy objects and using as large a grip as possible so your thumb doesn’t take all the strain.

Paracetamol and NSAIDs (ibuprofen) will relieve the pain, and use capsaicin cream 3-4 times a day.