Stephen K. Tham is an Orthopedic Surgeon based at St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne in Fitzroy, VIC, Australia.
In day-to-day practice, he looks after people with hand and wrist problems, especially where arthritis has started to affect how the joint works. Over time, pain can make everyday tasks harder. Things like opening jars, gripping a kettle, or writing for long periods can become frustrating and sore.
Many of the patients he sees have osteoarthritis, including arthritis that affects the thumb base. When the thumb joint wears down, it can lead to pain at the side of the thumb, weakness when pinching, and stiffness that doesn’t really improve on its own. At times, people also have rhizarthrosis, which is another way of describing arthritis at the base of the thumb.
Stephen also treats issues that involve the scaphoid bone in the wrist. One example is scaphoid non-union, where a previous fracture doesn’t heal as expected. This can cause ongoing wrist pain, reduced movement, and a feeling that the wrist is not as stable as it should be.
Depending on what’s going on, treatment may include surgery. A key procedure in his practice is a trapeziectomy. This surgery removes the trapezium bone at the base of the thumb, which can help reduce pain from arthritis and give the thumb a better chance to move more comfortably. It’s often considered when thumb joint arthritis has become persistent and affects daily life.
Stephen’s approach is practical and focused on getting people back to the things they want to do. He considers how symptoms are affecting function, not just how it looks on a scan. In many cases, that means talking through options, including what might help with pain and day-to-day use, and what changes if surgery is needed.
For people dealing with long-lasting thumb pain, osteoarthritis flare-ups, or a wrist that never fully settled after an injury, having a clear plan matters. At St Vincent's Hospital in Fitzroy, Stephen K. Tham works with patients who want a calm, grounded conversation about hand and wrist conditions, and the next steps forward.
