{"id":89799,"date":"2026-04-17T08:24:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T14:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=89799"},"modified":"2026-04-14T09:22:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T15:22:30","slug":"thumb-arthritis-patient-recovers-quickly-after-new-thumb-surgery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/thumb-arthritis-patient-recovers-quickly-after-new-thumb-surgery\/","title":{"rendered":"Thumb arthritis patient riding high soon after becoming the first person in the American West to receive a new type of thumb surgery"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Delgado
Traceyren\u00e9 Martz Delgado gives a thumbs-up review of her Touch CMC 1 prosthesis which eliminated debilitating pain from thumb arthritis. Traceyren\u00e9 couldn’t give a simple thumbs up until she became the first person in the western U.S. to get a new type of thumb surgery. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first patient in the western U.S. to receive a new type of thumb arthritis surgery has a few simple words for others who may be pondering surgery to cope with pain and reduced grip strength.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t wait. You will be amazed,\u201d said Traceyren\u00e9 Martz Delgado, who received what’s known as a Touch CMC 1 thumb prosthesis<\/a> on her right hand on Feb. 16 at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The new surgery leads to much faster recovery times and less post-surgical pain than the traditional thumb surgery, which is known as CMC arthroplasty. CMC stands for the carpometacarpal joint at the base of the thumb.<\/p>\n

A team of orthopedic surgeons<\/a> led by hand surgeon Dr. Louis Catalano<\/a> performed Delgado\u2019s procedure in February and went on to perform the surgery for another four patients before the doctors left the operating room on that first day. The innovation had been a long time coming.<\/p>\n

\"Traceyren\u00e9
Traceyren\u00e9 recovered quickly after her surgery and experienced much less pain than before her surgery. Here, she shows how well her right thumb and hand have healed alongside an X-ray image that shows her new Touch CMC 1 implant. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Touch CMC 1 artificial thumb joint was developed and proven to work well in Europe<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Arthritis of the thumb\u2019s CMC joint affects an estimated<\/a> 7% of men and 15% of women \u2014 and as many as one-third of postmenopausal women. It hurts, it weakens your grip, and it can lead to deformity as the thumb recedes into the palm with arthritic joint degeneration. When supportive braces, over-the-counter pain relievers, ice, and steroid injections stop working, surgery is the best option.<\/p>\n

\"Traceyren\u00e9
Traceyren\u00e9 had trouble controlling her e-bike throttle with her thumb before her surgery. Now she loves crusiing on the Lakewood Gulch Trail near her home with her grandson Jermaine in tow. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Traditional CMC surgery works well, but it comes at a cost. There\u2019s pain for weeks after the procedure, recovery time is measured in months, and, often, there\u2019s diminished long-term strength and a slightly shorter thumb.<\/p>\n

European medical device company KeriMedical tackled the problem, and in 2018, its Touch CMC 1 Dual Mobility Trapeziometracarpal Prosthesis \u2014 the Touch CMC 1<\/a> \u2014 was approved in Europe. Since then, more than 150,000 European patients with thumb arthritis have had one implanted to replace a thumb-base joint.<\/p>\n

Based on the successes in Europe, experts at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted premarket approval<\/a> for the device in July 2025. The University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine<\/a> team then prepared to bring the new surgery to the Mountain West and did extensive training in France, Belgium, and Switzerland.<\/p>\n

Delgado, 58, says she was eager to become the inaugural UCHealth patient regardless, but the implant\u2019s track record in Europe \u201cmade me not think twice about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would have thought about the drawbacks,\u201d she said. \u201cBut knowing they had done 150,000 surgeries over eight years, why would I question that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Louis Catalano, left, and Dr. Fraser Leversedge, chief of hand surgery at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, perform the first thumb prosthesis surgery in Colorado. Dr. Mark Greyson, center, and Dr. Matthew Belton watch closely. Belton was set to operate on the second case and Greyson on the fourth case Monday morning, Feb. 16, 2026. Photo by Sonya Doctorian, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Limitations for Delgado grew as her pain increased<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Delgado was well motivated. Her thumb joints started to hurt about 15 years ago and started getting much worse over the past few years. She can\u2019t pinpoint an exact cause, but her hands and thumbs have served her well over many years. And she suffered wear and tear over time. Delgado volunteered as a firefighter and mountain rescuer in Idledale years ago. And she used her thumbs daily to count money as a credit union teller, where she now works as an assistant branch manager.<\/p>\n

By the time Delgado came to UCHealth in September 2025, she was dealing with two arthritic thumbs. When Catalano mentioned the Touch CMC 1 as an option coming soon, she was all-in.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m an all-in kind of person,\u201d Delgado said.<\/p>\n

\"\u00a0Jermaine
Jermaine with his grandparents. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But it\u2019s hard to be all-in when you\u2019re in pain. Counting and handling money at Canvas Credit Union in Arvada hurt. Typing and texting hurt. Wiping things down, sweeping, vacuuming around the house and making the bed hurt. Rather than just swiping or tapping on her phone\u2019s screen with her thumb, Delgado had to hold it in one hand and swipe with the other hand\u2019s index finger. She had to give up on doing origami. She had a hard time holding pans when cooking. She dropped things \u2014 drinking glasses especially.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have a full set of any kind of glasses anymore,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Perhaps worst, holding her baby grandson Jermaine hurt, and the lack of strength and instability she felt limited how often she did so.<\/p>\n

\"Traceyren\u00e9
Traceyren\u00e9 can pick up her cat much more easily now. She’s looking forward to getting surgery on her left thumb soon. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

No cast needed with new thumb surgery<\/strong><\/h2>\n

On March 19, just over a month after the Touch CMC 1 surgery, a faint inch-and-a-half-long scar ran along the bridge of Delgado\u2019s right thumb as that hand helped support 11-month-old Jermaine high on her hip.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been really cool to see the improvement so far,\u201d said Jermaine\u2019s mom, Maggie Delgado, as she observed the moment outside Delgado and husband Ray Delgado\u2019s Lakewood home.<\/p>\n

Rather than a cast or a big, hard splint, as is standard after a traditional thumb CMC arthroplasty, Delgado left the outpatient Touch CMC 1 procedure with her hand wrapped in gauze and an ace bandage. She took just two pills of the opioid pain medication Catalano had prescribed before switching to Tylenol. A month later, she only takes that after \u201ca really long, rough day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt no time was the pain worse than before the surgery,\u201d Delgado said.<\/p>\n

For six weeks after the surgery, she is to wear a thumb brace at night, mainly to avoid inadvertently rolling over on it. She\u2019s also doing rehab exercises involving different thumb motions on her own five times a day.<\/p>\n

\"Everyday
Everyday tasks, including working and driving, are easier for Traceyren\u00e9 after she had a new type of thumb arthritis surgery. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Back on the bike, thanks to a surgically repaired thumb<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Given her thumb\u2019s progress and a sunny day, Delgado to decided to take her e-bike out for the first time since the surgery. It\u2019s got pedal-assist, but there\u2019s also a half-twist throttle requiring gripping with the thumb and index finger of the right hand. This had been beyond her arthritic thumb\u2019s capabilities. Delgado\u2019s husband Ray had fashioned a workaround with duct tape and a thick hardware hairpin to let her control the bike\u2019s motor with her index finger. Now she didn\u2019t need the help, so Delgado carefully snipped it off.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of a sudden she wasn\u2019t in pain,\u201d Delgado said. \u201cIt kind of blows the mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jermaine
Jermaine loves cuddling and rubbing noses with his grandmother. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Delgado hooked up the bicycle trailer, and in went grandson Jermaine. With Maggie following on Ray\u2019s e-bike, they headed toward the Lakewood Gulch Trail, all smiles.<\/p>\n

Delgado described the Touch CMC 1 surgery as \u201ca really pleasurable experience.\u201d Now she\u2019s hoping to experience it again: Her left thumb begs for surgery too.<\/p>\n

Catalano and fellow hand surgeons and University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine professors\u00a0Dr. Fraser Leversedge<\/a>,\u00a0Dr. Matthew Belton<\/a>, and\u00a0Dr. Mark Greyson<\/a> have done about two dozen Touch CMC 1 surgeries since Delgado\u2019s on Feb. 16, with more to come. These patients\u2019 experiences have paralleled hers.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the patients are so happy so far,\u201d Catalano said in an email. \u201cLot less pain and much quicker recovery (as we hoped!)\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first patient in the western U.S. to receive a new type of thumb arthritis surgery has a few simple words for others who may be pondering surgery to cope with pain and reduced grip strength. \u201cDon\u2019t wait. You will be amazed,\u201d said Traceyren\u00e9 Martz Delgado, who received what’s known as a Touch CMC 1 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":89820,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,5],"tags":[167,320,183,4781],"class_list":["post-89799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-living","category-innovative-care","tag-clinical-trials","tag-joint-replacement","tag-orthopedics","tag-research-in-health-care"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThumb arthritis patient rebounds quickly after new thumb surgery - 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