Mum got special surgery after squeezing toothpaste became too painful

Helen Young is the first person in Lanarkshire to get an implant in her arthritic thumb, which has been described by surgeons as “like a mini hip replacement.”

The 50-year-old, from Airdrie, had been unable to button her clothes or open a jar due to agonising hand pain.

She was left in tears of frustration as her everyday life became a struggle due to her condition.

Helen found squeezing toothpaste painful (Image: Sourced)

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Helen said: “I struggled to put my clothes on and button them, I couldn’t squeeze the toothpaste onto my toothbrush and I wasn’t able to wash the dishes or use a hairdryer while brushing my hair.

“The problem started four years ago and there were many tears of frustration.

“I once found myself weeping because I simply could not manage to hang up a wet towel.

“The pain in my thumb and the lack of movement in my hand meant I could drive but I couldn’t pull on the handbrake – I had to get colleagues to do that when I parked at work.”

Helen can help her dog much more after the surgery (Image: Sourced)

Helen found it particularly upsetting that her beloved dog, Rafa, was impacted by her condition, which afflicts more women than men.

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She explained: “When I took Rafa for a walk I could put on his harness but I couldn’t unclip it when we got back. It was uncomfortable for him to stay in it until someone came to take it off.”

“I was in a big bandage for three weeks after the surgery so it was a nervous moment when it was removed and I found out if it had worked.

“I’d previously been unable to touch my thumb to the tips of my fingers but I can now fully flex my hand. I used to have pain at an eight out of 10 level but now I rarely get any discomfort in my thumb.

“I have a manual job that involves repetitive flicking of my left thumb so it had become increasingly painful.

“I was delighted when I was offered the implant operation because painkillers and steroid injections only helped temporarily.”

Helen's life has drastically improved (Image: Sourced)

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She’s overjoyed with the results and husband Kevin, 55, son Mitchell, 25, and daughter Abi, 20, are also relieved to see her escape her grinding pain.

Helen also has the same condition in her right thumb, which made two-handed tasks even tougher before her left one was fixed.

She’s aiming to have the same operation on her right hand and has given a big thumbs-up to the work of NHS Lanarkshire’s orthopaedic surgeons and their wider team.

The novel procedure illustrates the clinical innovation that is central to NHS Lanarkshire’s ongoing programme of Transformation and Reform.

The op, a day surgery, was carried out by Miss Sally-Anne Phillips, Consultant Hand and Wrist Surgeon, and her fellow Orthopaedic Surgeon Mr Nick Miller.

Sally-Anne said: “It’s wonderful to see how well Helen is doing after the surgery, which is called a carpometacarpal joint replacement.

“It’s like a little hip replacement, removing an arthritic joint at the base of the thumb and putting in a small metal and polyethylene implant.

“It can improve the strength of people’s ‘pinch grip' and reduce pain, although the surgery is not suitable for everyone with an arthritic thumb.”