# Carpometacarpal Osteoarthritis Pain of the Thumb Can Be Relieved by Commercial Beverage Carbonated Water

## TL;DR

Drinking carbonated water from commercial beverages can help relieve thumb joint pain caused by osteoarthritis.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that carbonated water from commercial beverages can effectively reduce thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis pain.

## Key findings

- Carbonated water immersion reduced thumb CMC pain from 73 mm to 0 mm in one week.
- Commercial carbonated water is a low-cost and accessible treatment for thumb joint pain.
- The treatment is suitable for home use due to its affordability and availability.

## Abstract

Thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) arthropathy pain is treated using carbonated water—a commercially available beverage. The right hand (affected side) was bathed once daily in carbonated beverage water (37°C) for 20 min. Prior to treatment, the visual analogue scale score of pain was 73 mm; 1 week after the treatment, it was 0 mm. Commercial carbonated water immersion was effective for thumb CMC arthropathy pain. Commercial carbonated water is inexpensive and easy to obtain, making it suitable for home carbonation therapy.