This can happen if your ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) is completely torn. There are a few things you can do to try to prevent a thumb sprain, including: If mild (grade 1) and moderate (grade 2) thumb sprains are treated properly with rest and immobilization of your thumb, they usually heal well without long-term complications. Your thumb might not be as strong or work as well as before it was damaged. Following surgery, the thumb is padded and a splint is applied to promote healing. During the procedure, the thumbs carpometacarpal joint is exposed through a 2-inch incision, and then the trapezium is removed in its entirety. Compression can be applied with a firm elastic bandage around the finger. This artificial joint may be made of metal, plastic, silicone rubber, or your own body tissue, such as a tendon. Duke has been revolutionary in its use of advanced techniques to make the recovery from thumb arthritis surgery more rapid, says Ruch, a microvascular surgeon, noting that thumb arthritis surgery is the second-most common elective hand surgery at Duke. How Long In A Sling After Ucl Repair - BikeHike After undergoing a thumb arthroplasty, youll most likely experience some pain. The operation can take approximately 30 minutes. Thumb sprains usually happen when your thumb forcefully stretches too far backward away from your palm or in another awkward direction. After some surgeries, the hand may be immobilized for months at nighttime to enhance recovery. This is because severe sprains usually require surgery, which then requires you to wear a post-surgery splint or cast and do physical therapy. Tendon-to-bone healing is slower than bone fracture healing for two main reasons. SEBASTIAN KAULITZKI / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Getty Images. A thumb strain involves an injury to a muscle or a tendon, which is a tissue that connects muscle to bone. Increased complications in trapeziectomy with ligament reconstruction and tendon interposition compared with trapeziectomy alone. This can help avoid complications or healing problems you may not recognize. Sprained Thumb - OrthoInfo - AAOS [QxMD MEDLINE Link]. The affected ligament is completely torn or separated from . Kristen Gasnick, PT, DPT, is a medical writer and a physical therapist at Holy Name Medical Center in New Jersey. The gracilis tendon, a lesser groin tendon that inserts in the front of the knee. A small study in 2009 also showed that collagen might improve joint pain and swelling in people with rheumatoid arthritis . Duke researchers are actively looking at this discrepancy by analyzing retrospective surgical outcomes in men and women who have undergone surgery for thumb arthritis. Be gentle with movements at first; full movement can be expected to return in 1 to 2 weeks. Torn Ligament In The Thumb | Causes, Symptoms, Treatments And More Your IP address is listed in our blacklist and blocked from completing this request. A splint will also protect the repaired tendons. Tendon injuries often require surgery to reattach the two tissues together to relieve pain and restore the area to a full range of motion. Patients with a sedentary job can return to work in as little as one week, although their activities may require modification for several weeks. Duerinckx J, et al (2022). Basal joint arthritis affects women over 50 years of age 10 to 20 times more often than men. 2023 Dotdash Media, Inc. All rights reserved, Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Surg Neurol Intl. They also use synthetic spacers to sit between the bones. Thumb Surgery Offers Arthritis Relief, Quick Recovery Naram A, et al. Mayo Clinic Q and A: Recovery after surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome The splint is only removed when washing or doing post-operative wrist exercises. A portion of the damaged ligament is also removed and replaced with a piece of your wrist flexor tendon. Make an incision along the top of the metacarpal bone. Do not use lotions, creams, or ointments on the area unless your provider gives you the OK. A trapeziectomy has a high success rate. A trapeziectomy is a surgery used to treat trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis, also known as thumb arthritis. Pistorio AL, et al. Internal brace augmentation cuts that time in half or less. There are also newer techniques that use a wire or suture as a sling to support your thumb. 2021;86(6S Suppl 5):S622-S624. Immediately after surgery, a person should be able to move their finger or thumb.