Sick Leave After Surgery for Thumb Carpometacarpal Osteoarthritis: A Population-Based Study

Purpose: Patients undergoing surgery for thumb carpometacarpal (CMC1) osteoarthritis often require sick leave owing to postoperative immobilization, pain, and decreased function. Our goal was to evaluate the amount of sick leave after surgery for 2 common CMC1 arthroplasty procedures. Methods: Using registry data from the Skåne region of southern Sweden, cross-linked with employment data showing person-specific sick leave, 2 cohorts of CMC1 surgical patients, between ages 40 and 59 years, were examined. These comprised all persons undergoing soft tissue arthroplasty and prosthetic implant arthroplasty from 2004 to 2012 identified using International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, and surgical codes. These subjects were analyzed against an age- and sex-matched reference population cohort. Results: Surgical cohorts of 326 and 169 subjects undergoing soft tissue and prosthetic CMC1 arthroplasty, respectively, were compared with reference populations of 1,110 and 574 persons. Surgical subjects had a pronounced increase in sick leave in the first 2 months after surgery, followed by diminishing days of leave over time. Mean sick leave time after soft tissue arthroplasty was 202 days in women and 170 days in men. Following prosthetic arthroplasty, mean sick leave was 177 days in women and 188 in men. When we excluded those with documented sick leave in the month before surgery (owing to preoperative CMC1 disability or other medical issues), the mean postoperative sick leave decreased to 137 days in women and 125 days in men after soft tissue arthroplasty compared with 109 and 94 days in women and men after prosthetic implant arthroplasty, and this difference was significant. There were no differences in the length of sick leave between sexes and no correlation with age. Conclusions: Soft tissue arthroplasty and implant arthroplasty for patients with CMC1 osteoarthritis are both associated with substantial sick leave time, indicating the impact of surgery on return to work. There were no differences in sick leave by sex or age. Type of study/level of evidence: Prognostic II.