Skier’s Thumb

What is skier’s thumb?

Skier’s thumb is an injury caused when a force pushes the thumb away from the fingers, resulting in pain, swelling and bruising in the thumb area. It is an injury of the soft tissue that joins the bones of the thumb together which is called a ligament.

Whilst the injury is commonly referred to as skier’s thumb and can occur during a skiing accident, it is not isolated to falling on the ski slopes. Other names for the injury include gamekeeper’s thumb, cyclist’s thumb, driver’s thumb and footballer’s thumb. The activity may differ but the nature of the injury is very similar in all incidents.

Skier’s thumb refers to acute injury of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) mostly occurring during sporting activity, whereas gamekeeper’s thumb refers to chronic stretching of the ligament where there is no specific injury and people experience loss of strength of pinching or gripping with their thumb.

Symptoms

Skier’s thumb is characterised by the following symptoms:

Pain at the base of the thumb
Swelling of the thumb
Bruising of the skin over the thumb
Inability to grasp between the thumb and the index finger
Tenderness along the index finger side of the thumb
Thumb pain that worsens with any movement
Pain in the wrist

Diagnosis

If you suspect you may have skier’s thumb, it is important to seek advice and have an assessment by a hand surgeon. To diagnose skier’s thumb, your surgeon will ask how the injury occurred and examine your thumb. You may need an x-ray to check that there isn’t an associated fracture of the bone where the ligament attaches.

In some cases, an ultrasound scan is needed to diagnose whether the injury is a partial rupture or a complete rupture of the ligament.

Treatment

There are two types of skier’s thumb:

Partial rupture

This is when the ligament is only partially torn through injury. When this happens, surgery is not usually needed. Instead, the hand is placed in a cast to completely immobilise the thumb for 6 weeks. Following this, a removable splint is applied for a further 2 weeks so that rehabilitation exercises can be started.

Total rupture

Surgery is needed in cases where the ligament has completely ruptured or has pulled off a piece of bone at its attachment. The procedure is performed as a day case under general anaesthetic. Your surgeon will repair the ligament using sutures or they will attach the ligament to the bone using a small titanium pin called a bone anchor.

Recovery

Following surgery your hand will be placed in a plaster cast for 4-6 weeks to keep the thumb immobilised. Your doctor will then apply a removable splint for a further 2 weeks so you can start to introduce rehabilitation exercises and gradually start moving your thumb again.

Activities that put stress on the ligament should be avoided for 3-4 months after surgery to give the ligament time to fully heal. You may also experience some tenderness and thickness on the inner side of the thumb, but this should subside within 12 months of surgery.

Whatever your hand or wrist condition is, we can help.

Mr Randeep Mohil provides clinics across Lancashire and Cheshire.

Please call us on 01625 466158 or email info@northwesthandsurgeon.co.uk

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Lancashire Clinics

The Beardwood Hospital, Blackburn
Clinic days: Monday evenings (alternate) and Thursday mornings
Website: The Beardwood Hospital
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Clinic days: Monday and Tuesday evenings (alternate)
Website: Ramsay Fulwood Hall

Ramsay Euxton Hall Hospital, Chorley Clinic days: Tuesday evenings (alternate) Website:Ramsay Euxton Hall

Cheshire Clinic, Northwich Clinic days: Friday morning (alternate) Website: The Cheshire Clinic

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Skier’s Thumb

What is skier’s thumb?

Symptoms

Diagnosis

Treatment

Partial rupture

Total rupture

Recovery

Whatever your hand or wrist condition is, we can help.

Get in touch