Dr. Benjamin Rogozinski

A surgeon with Knoxville Orthopaedic Clinic (KOC) is the first in East Tennessee to perform a revolutionary prosthetic thumb surgery that treats arthritis with minimal downtime. Dr. Benjamin Rogozinski noted that the surgery has been Europe’s gold standard for more than a decade. After the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it last summer, Rogozinski was selected to train in the procedure, one he believes will transform treatment for thumb arthritis in the United States going forward.

“Typically, when we do thumb arthritis surgery, you do a resection arthroplasty where you remove the small arthritic bone and manipulate a tendon to fill the space,” said Rogozinski, a hand, wrist, and elbow surgeon for KOC. “With this new surgery, you preserve the bone and replace the arthritic joint with a metal and polyethylene prosthetic that connects the bones like a mini hip replacement, so a surgical recovery that could take six months to a year is now in the six-week range with no splints or physical therapy.”

Rogozinski performed the first thumb joint replacement on Tammy Hall, a scrub technician who works with him at Knoxville Orthopaedic Surgery Center (KOSC), with great results.

Hall said she’d been dealing with increasing arthritis pain in both thumbs for about a decade, and it had become disabling. Hall could no longer hold trays, open bottles, or even grip a soda. Now, just three weeks after her surgery, she is almost completely pain-free and eager to fix the other thumb.

“The first week there was some pain and swelling, but since then, I’ve been doing great – I can hold a Coke and have grip strength back already,” Hall said. “I’m thrilled to have my life back, and I’m ready to do the other one.” Rogozinski had already performed successful elbow surgery on Hall.

“Dr. Rogozinski is awesome, and I’d trust him to do anything,” Hall said. Hall indicated she was eager to embrace the opportunity because of the quick recovery time that would enable her to get both thumbs done over the summer.

“This surgery is going to be a game changer for those suffering with thumb arthritis, especially for active workers who weren’t great candidates due to the durability of how these surgeries were done in the past,” Rogozinski said. “For those who worked with tools or in manual labor positions, it was a difficult path to get that hand strength back – this is going to change everything.”

Rogozinski touted the long-term study of the procedure and patient outcomes in Europe, which has shown durability and quick recovery without extensive therapy.

Estimates indicate that about 15 percent of adults over age 30 and two-thirds of women over the age of 55 suffer from thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) osteoarthritis, a condition where cartilage at the base of the thumb wears away.

Knoxville Orthopaedic Clinic (KOC) is the only orthopaedic provider in East Tennessee offering specialized thumb surgery, performed by Dr. Rogozinski at the Knoxville Orthopaedic Surgery Center. This orthopaedic-only outpatient surgery center, located in West Knoxville, delivers convenient and patient-centered treatment in a setting outside of a traditional hospital environment, ensuring a focused and comfortable experience for patients.