The invention provides
surgical methods, devices, apparatus, and systems for supporting the
thumb of a patient after basal
joint arthroplasty. The embodiments of the invention comprise at least one index metacarpal anchor, at least one
thumb metacarpal anchor, at least one sling for positioning the
thumb metacarpal anchor relative to the index metacarpal anchor, and at least one anchor
washer for tightening and securing the sling(s) without the need to tie the suture(s) components of the sling(s) into knots. Index and thumb metacarpal anchors comprise at least one bone-engaging element for engaging the respective metacarpal. The anchor
washer may incorporate one or more sling-engagement mechanisms. Increasing the number of sling-engagement mechanisms associated with the anchor
washer increases the surface area of the sling(s) and provides multiple sling elements to provide redundancy and increase the
pull force of the sling(s) attachment(s) used to
affix the thumb and index metacarpal anchors into a position relative to each other.