Please help thumb sprain won't heal?

Question

Hi there,

I had a question posted and didn't get any responses. Am I the only person who has ever had a sprained thumb? I'm nearly crying I'm so upset.

After 8 weeks my thumb still hurts, I can't use my computer spacebar without an issue and it's very swollen. My doctor said to keep the brace off and start using it. I can't squeeze things using my thumb and I can't open the top off of a pop bottle. PLEASE HELP! Am I doomed or is this EVER going to heal?

Answer 1

Follow up:  A little tenderness is normal. However, you shouldn't feel any pain like the pain you felt near and around the time of injury.  If you can say to yourself, its not a bad or it's about 20%, then give it 2 additional weeks.  But keep it safe from re-injury.  If you say it hurt over half, I say go see an MD for the Sec Op.  It can't hurt so it's the best option u have aside from doing nothing.

Which leads me to this:  If just can't go on, and you know it's something more, I say go anyways.  U know ur body better than any1 else.  So to that I say, go!!

forgive spelling--rushing this one.

I do hope u feel better!!!

-pete

is it sprained?  Was there an xray to confirm there's no break?  Could there be a dislocation at the joint?

If I didn't know any better, I'd suspect you broke it, and now it's trying to heal in a position that of course isn't normal.  Then you keep insulting the area with movement.  It never really heals.  On top of that, everytime you do something that hurts it, it's like you're starting all over.

Ice and heat can still be used after it hurts or after you've done something to make it hurt.  These however are only temporary now.  When you first hurt yourself, using heat/ice is essential to reduce inflammation and keep blood circulating.  Now it's just used for a little inflammation and to numb the pain.

Usually, when something is sprained or fractured, the only treatment is splinting it to another finger or using a thumb splint (these extend to your palm).  You do the splint with analgesics and/or anti-inflammatory meds like Motrin.  Take this with food of course.  Later, as the pain lessens, it's time for physical threrapy.  You need to strengthen the thumb just like any other body part to function like it used to.  

There's a process and sometimes it can be lengthy.

Stay away from any activity that causes you to use the thumb until you're almost pain free and you have been properly diagnosed.

...and if it's been this long and  your still in so much pain, I'd suggest getting a second opinion.  You may need another xray.  Maybe the first one didn't reveal a fracture.  Sometimes, hairline fractures are very hard to see.   And it doesn't take much of a fracture to hurt like h**l.

Who knows?  They might have to set your thumb back in place if it's healing incorrectly.  And that aint cool :(