Home care most frequently requires treatment of pain and immobilization to allow for proper healing. Home care is appropriate for a mild sprain. However, if your pain worsens or persists or you believe you have a more serious injury, seek medical attention promptly. Treatments for mild sprains can begin at home.
![jammed finger xray jammed finger xray](https://www.espn.com/i/trainingroom/hand.jpg)
Treatment options and prevention for sprained thumb In the case of a third-degree sprain, part of the bone may fracture and be pulled with the ligament (avulsion fracture). Third-degree sprain: This is a complete tear of a ligament or separation of the ligament from the bone.Second-degree sprain: This involves a partial tear of a ligament.First-degree sprain: This involves stretching a ligament too far.Sprain is an inclusive term covering different degrees of damage to the ligament in question. As stated above, the most common cause of sprain is an overextension of the thumb stretching or tearing the ulnar collateral ligament. Any force or action producing the correct pressure can cause a sprain. There is no single cause of a thumb sprain. People who spend time kneading dough, molding clay, or breaking objects using their palm as a lever may experience a chronic repetitive stress injury leading to a thumb sprain. Thumb sprains from chronic injury can occur in a similar fashion today for individuals who need to quickly crush or apply force to an object. The direction of force should press the thumb away from the palm. It occurs, however, when you damage the ligament through repeated stress on the ulnar collateral ligament of the thumb. Gamekeeper's thumb affects the same ligament as skier's thumb. Falling while skiing with your hand strapped into a skiing pole.Partially catching a ball and having it only contact the thumb.Common situations where this may occur include: In the case of a thumb sprain, stretching the thumb backward away from the palm is the most common movement that can result in injury if it is fast or forceful enough. tether) between the bones of the thumb.Ī sprain occurs when the ligaments that connect the bones are strained by a sudden and forceful movement. Joint dislocation: On X-ray, the joint will be slightly displaced or nearly dislocated because of the loss of the ligament (e.g.Pain will be addressed: Because of the pain involved in an examination like this, you may require an injection of a mild anesthetic to the joint.a procedure in which the thumb is manipulated as X-ray images are taken of it). Amount of stability lost can signify the severity of the tear: Usually, a complete tear will produce a significant loss in laxity or stability of the joint and can be diagnosed by physical exam, or in some cases, by a functional X-ray (e.g.This is, of course, if the ligament has been torn significantly or completely away from its points of attachment. Difficulty with grasping: This loss of movement can also make you unable to grasp or hold items between your thumb and forefinger, even when the pain has been minimized through medication.Ī loose or unstable joint can be caused by the absence of connections of the bones of the thumb by the possibly sprained ligament.This is often uncomfortable on a sprained thumb but is necessary to determine if a thumb is sprained, the severity of the sprain, and to rule out a fracture. To range a joint means to move it into certain positions to test the ability of the ligaments to stabilize a joint. Range of motion in relation to pain: Your physician will determine if the loss of movement is caused by pain or by a lack of functional ability to move the thumb by ranging the thumb her or himself.This can be secondary to pain, following swelling or bruising, which may occur concurrently with a sprain or due to loss of stability in the joint. hemophilia, anticoagulant medications).ĭamage to the thumb may cause limited movement of the joint. Bruises are self-healing unless you have an underlying condition causing you to bleed without natural coagulation (e.g. Whatever force applied to the thumb joint that caused the ligament to stretch, tear, or avulse a bone is also sufficient to fracture blood vessels within the hand and cause a bruise.
![jammed finger xray jammed finger xray](http://img.medscapestatic.com/pi/meds/ckb/39/19939tn.jpg)
Bruising: Bruising is common during sprain from acute stress.Determining if the pain is caused by a sprain requires a physical examination of the thumb and may require imaging. Swelling: This usually lasts for up to a week after injury and depends on the degree of damage to the tissue.The main symptoms of a sprained thumb include the following. Main symptoms, as well as other symptom specifics, are detailed below. It indicates damage to tissue but does not indicate which tissue may be damaged. Pain at the time of injury is common in cases of thumb sprain, but pain at the time of injury can occur with any injury to joints, muscle, ligaments or tendons (e.g.