Scaphotrapeziotrapezoid joint

The joint between the scaphoid and the trapezium and trapezoid, immediately proximal to the thumb-base joint. Arthritis here, alone or with the trapeziometacarpal joint (pantrapezial arthritis), has traditionally favoured trapeziectomy, which removes the trapezium from both joints; recent series report good results of joint replacement in selected thumbs.

Related terms

• Anatomy

  Trapezium

  The most radial bone of the distal carpal row, articulating with the first metacarpal at the trapeziometacarpal joint. Forms the radial wall of the carpal tunnel together with the scaphoid.

• Treatment

  Trapeziectomy

  Removal of the trapezium so that the worn thumb-base joint no longer exists; the space fills with scar tissue and the thumb settles slightly. The standard operation for painful thumb-base arthritis, with good pain relief in about four in five people at five to eighteen years; pinch strength does not return to normal. Adding a tendon sling or spacer makes little or no difference.

• Condition

  Thumb-base arthritis

  Wear of the cartilage in the saddle-shaped joint between the trapezium and the base of the thumb metacarpal. The commonest site of hand arthritis after the fingertip joints, more frequent in women and with age; it causes pain at the base of the thumb on pinching and gripping, and in late stages a zigzag deformity. X-ray severity correlates poorly with symptoms.

Articles mentioning this term

1. FESSH preparation · 2 October 2026

   Thumb-base osteoarthritis: trapeziectomy versus arthroplasty

   Trapeziectomy versus joint replacement for thumb-base osteoarthritis: ligament anatomy, Eaton staging, the randomised trials, implant survival and salvage.

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