Anyone here ever dislocate a thumb? I'm not asking for advice please don't post any.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

I dislocated my thumb doing some sparring. It's been almost 5 weeks and it's still twice the size of the other thumb. Range of motion is still quite limited and it still hurts like a son of a #$%^*. Just wanted to hear some other experiences. Thanks in advance.

David

[Trajan]

1. Stop typing ....

Go to the doctor ....

Seems a Medic would know the answer to this question already ....

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

3. I've already been to a hand surgeon, I just asked for personal experiences.

It doesn't hurt to type.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. I have no experience with this...

But as a retired RN, I'd suggest that after five weeks, you see your doctor.

It sounds as though it could use some medical intervention.

It sounds sprained; why have you waited so long?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

4. I saw a hand surgeon within 2 days. I'm just looking for personal experience...

to see how people recovered, what steps they took and how long it took them.

[704wipes]

7. long ago when I was 14 - playing touch football

And I was on the clock at a summer job too, but it was working in a business my aunt and her husband owned, so they knew there was some goofing around on the clock, and the pay wasn't very good either and by the way a I recommend NOT working for relatives....but

Anyway the dislocation hurt like hell, and was way ugly. It seems I recall being mostly over it in 5-6 weeks, certainly was no longer swollen. There may have still been a small amount of sprain type pain.

[ZombieHorde]

5. Since you seem to need advice...

I am 57% sure eating the flesh of a human baby cures dislocated thumbs. Definitely worth a try.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

9. Thanks for the laugh.

[metapunditedgy]

6. Busted a thumb joint sparring, but didn't pay much attention since I had a broken rib.

I remember feeling it pop out during sparring, but it popped right back in. Then it swelled up for a long time, and took many months before it felt right again. When I thought to ask the doctor about it much later he said I should have told him sooner and checked to see if it had healed badly. But it wasn't broken, healed fine.

I was in my mid-30s at the time, so maybe my body still remembered how to heal up.

I got another bad hit on my hand by the ring-finger knuckle. It swelled up so bad that I did go to the ER to see if it was broken. But it wasn't. That took probably a month or two to heal right, but now it's fine.

Since you asked.

Edit: this does not necessarily mean that you will be fine, and if you think your hand might be seriously damaged, seek medical advice.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

10. The main problem is golf. I'm on the verge of posting some low scores.

I'm playing the best I ever have. If I go back to the surgeon it is certainly a cast for 6 weeks. He threatened last time. I'm trying to decide if I can wait until december.

[tabatha]

13. Well, it could be golf now and then never again

or golf not now, but later, and then forever.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

14. Exactly that's why i wondered about others peoples experiences.

Golf doesn't bother the thumb that's the problem. A cast will definitely bother it.

[PDJane]

8. yeah, several times.

a result of hyper mobility (what they used to call double-jointed). The thing used to hurt, swell, and heal fairly quickly within a few weeks, but as I got older healing was slower and came at a cost. I am now sixty, the hyper mobility is still there, I now have arthritis, and I wear a short thumb spica splint (aka a goalie splint) to keep the thumb from popping out. It's mostly unnoticeable, it does work, but if I had had the blasted thing much earlier, life would likely have been easier.

[pnwmom]

11. My mother did. Be very careful

if a doctor ever suggests putting it in a splint. My mother, who had a double jointed thumb (a loose ligament), let the doctor put on a splint. When it was taken off several weeks later, her thumb had frozen (permanently) into the dislocated position.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

15. I popped it back in place when it happened.

The range of motion issues are from the swelling. Thanks for the input though. Sorry about your mom's experience.

[SidDithers]

12. Had Gamekeepers Thumb from getting slid into at 2nd base...

spent a few weeks in a splint and then about 8 weeks of physio. Had a nail board loaded with 100 clothes pegs. Squeeze each clothes peg to take it off, squeeze each one to put it back on. They also had a fake cow's udder that I had to "milk" to build up grip strength. Thankfully there was no long lasting affects on my golf game. I'm still a shitty golfer.

Good luck :)

Sid

[mopinko]

16. does an avulsion fracture of the pinky count?

that was fun. slipped on the stairs and bent it backwards. it was around x-mas time, so i resisted doing anything about it. finally saw the doc after the holidays. 6 weeks, and it was a throbbing purple sausage. saw the hand surgeon. he order physical therapy. after 6 weeks of that i could include it in a grip, so it was doing what i needed. it was still a little bent. the doc wanted to do surgery then to straighten it out, but i was not gonna go through another 6-8 weeks of pt. it works well enough for me.