# UCL Tear/Skiers Thumb



## Lothar Othp (Jun 5, 2005)

I think I tore my UCL in a crash last week. Went down hard. My HRM download went from 22.3mph to zero instantaneously...so I hit pretty damn hard. Anyway, lots of thumb pain & decreased ROM immediately afterward. A little swelling, no discoloration. A week later, still have decreased ROM & pain.

*Anyone else have this/recover from this. What can I expect?*

(I haven't sought medical attention yet :nono: because I thought it would get better...it hasn't, and I was afraid I'd be forced off the bike for recovery :madman: )

LO


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## pinkheadedbug (Aug 16, 2006)

No discoloration is good. It will get better slowly. Probably pain-free and normal ROM in about 2-3 months is my guess. If you get discoloration it means there was a bleed and the ligament tore -- definitely longer.

I had a bad skier's thumb last year with lots of bruising and it still hasn't fully healed. I did the other thumb about 2 mo ago in a second crash, no bruising, and it's close to being healed.


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## Lothar Othp (Jun 5, 2005)

pinkheadedbug said:


> No discoloration is good. It will get better slowly. Probably pain-free and normal ROM in about 2-3 months is my guess. If you get discoloration it means there was a bleed and the ligament tore -- definitely longer.
> 
> I had a bad skier's thumb last year with lots of bruising and it still hasn't fully healed. I did the other thumb about 2 mo ago in a second crash, no bruising, and it's close to being healed.


Thanks for the info. I'm just over 3 weeks out. My ROM is close to normal, but still painful. My pinch strength still isn't back. I was going to see a ortho guy but maybe I'll give it a little longer.

LO


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## robdamanii (Sep 27, 2005)

The thumb is one of the hardest to heal properly due to excessive movement and relatively poor vascularization. 

Some good taping techniques to limit the ROM to a pain free ROM is a good start.


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## Lothar Othp (Jun 5, 2005)

*Thanks*



robdamanii said:


> The thumb is one of the hardest to heal properly due to excessive movement and relatively poor vascularization.
> 
> Some good taping techniques to limit the ROM to a pain free ROM is a good start.


I got a thumb splint from the ER:

http://onefastrph.blogspot.com/2007/10/injury-timeout.html

I stopped wearing it after 10 days, but started wearing it again since it seems slow to heal. I guess I'll keep it splinted a bit longer...

Thanks for the replies..

LO :thumbsup:


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