Surgery for Thumb Arthritis

Surgery is very effective, says Cleveland Clinic orthopaedic surgeon Joseph Styron, MD, PhD. But he warns that with the most commonly performed procedure there is a long recovery period. It doesnt instantaneously feel better after surgery. In the first six weeks, people tend to have even more pain than before the surgery. After that they start to feel better, and by 12 weeks they are happy and relieved that they had the surgery, says Dr. Styron.