Similar to getting a new knee or hip to relieve severe arthritis, a growing number of people are getting a thumb joint replacement. The surgery itself is very intricate because of the small space.

When you give a thumbs-up and notice your digit bends backward at an unusually dramatic angle, you’re witnessing what medical professionals call “distal hyperextensibility” — though most people know ...

Most people would think that a problem of the thumb joint would not be a big concern and that having pain in the thumb would really just be another sign of aging, wearing out and degenerative disease ...