Specialist surgery. Specialist hand therapy.

Conservative management, joint protection and splinting

For many people the first step is not surgery. A specialist hand therapist assesses how arthritis affects your grip, pinch and everyday tasks, and offers joint protection advice, activity adjustments and exercises. A specialist thumb splint, often made or fitted individually, can support the joint during painful activities. Some patients find this is enough; others return to discuss surgery if pain and limitation persist.

Preoperative assessment and optimisation

If thumb joint replacement or another operation is being considered, hand therapy assessment before surgery helps establish a baseline. Measurements of strength, movement and function, together with an understanding of your work, hobbies and goals, inform both the surgical decision and the rehabilitation plan. Where a splint, exercises or other preparation would help you recover better, this can start before the operation.

Preparation for surgery and rehabilitation planning

Before surgery you should know what to expect afterwards: how long you will wear a splint, when exercises begin, how soon you can use the hand for light tasks and what your return to work or driving may involve. Agreeing this plan in advance, with the surgical and therapy teams working together, makes recovery clearer and allows arrangements to be made for patients who will be recovering away from Manchester.

Postoperative splinting, exercises and rehabilitation

After thumb joint replacement the thumb is protected while the wound heals, usually with a splint. Your therapist then guides you through graded exercises to restore movement, followed by strengthening as healing allows. Grip and pinch strength generally continue to improve over the months after surgery. Timescales are individual, and your therapist and Mr Naqui adjust the plan to your progress.

Coordination with hand therapists closer to home

Mr Naqui works with specialist hand therapists to coordinate care for patients travelling to Manchester for thumb surgery, including an established pathway for patients from Northern Ireland. Where appropriate, local therapists can support assessment, preparation and postoperative rehabilitation, with communication between the surgical and therapy teams.

If you are travelling from elsewhere in the UK, tell the team where you are based when you enquire so that therapy arrangements can be discussed alongside your consultation and any surgery.

Hand therapy is provided by independent specialist therapists at the hospitals where Mr Naqui treats patients, at The Alexandra Hospital and Spire Manchester Hospital in Manchester, and Cheshire Hand Clinic in Warrington, and by therapists in other regions. They are not employed by this practice, and which therapist you see depends on where you are treated.