Has anyone here ever had skiers/gamekeepers thumb (broken thumb with ligament tear) ?

horseygirl123

horseygirl123

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Feb 10, 2007
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I really wasnt sure where to put this, so i hope its ok on this board!!

I crashed my car last week and fractured my thumb and tore the ligament (told it was skiers/gamekeepers thumb), I have got it in a cast and have to go back in 3 weeks for another x-ray to see how it is healing and to see if i need surgery or not.

Its only been a week and i am already missing riding my horse, the thought of another 6weeks-3 months is really depressing me to say the least !!

Has anyone else ever had this injury and resumed riding?
If so how long did it take till you could ride 'properly' ie school, jump, compete etc ??

Please tell me its not tooooooo long :D
 
Ligaments take up to about 3months to heal...

Really depends on the horse. The problem is braking! Lack of streght and stability in the thumb to hold reins properly I think you will find the biggest most common risk...

Its called skiers thumb because it happens to skiers when they are using poles, and they crash and have the pole between thumb and index and the thumb gets wrenched back... I guess yours was wrapped around the steering whell if you where driving? Or round the gearstick?
 
No advice but OUCHIE... I came off my moped many, many years ago (when the world was black and white :p) and wrenched back my right thumb - no fracture but even now there is still a weakness there.....
 
I put on a thread about this a few months back in May I think. Mine dislocate and go over backwards very easily and I had to pack to move house. GP gave me tubigrip which didnt work, my carpel tunnel brace was not working, so with advice on here, I looked up www.physioroom.com and got a thumb brace for skiers thumb.

I have got lots of hypermobile joint and just work round it. With thumb, II put brace on for carrying food buckets with handles on side, as you brace your thumb on it when you pick it up and that hurts. I also put rope on the stable, tack and hay room door so when I have slid the bar, I can pull the rope to open, helps a lot in winter when doors are swollen.

Also put big triggerclips from old rugs on haynet string so makes it easier than doing knots.

I wear it all the time now at the yard, especially when leading and getting dragged to grass, helps it not go backwards but still hurts.

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks for the replies :)

I'm guessing I will need some kind of splint or support for many months yet :rolleyes:
I injured it on the steering wheel, with the force of the impact it wrenched my thumb back.
Hmmmmm I think I might need to arrange 'cover' over the winter months then for the horses. Luckily they will be living out (field shelter being built this week :D) so at least I wont need to muck out stables ;)
 
Not really the right sort of answer but when I tore a ligament in my wrist and had a cast on my lower arm and over my thumb (thumb splice I think it is called) I competed affiliated dressage. At one show it was a bright pink cast and blue for another test. Had to get premission to ride with out a glove and the judges said yes both times.
Due to a bone infection following the surgury I had to repaire the ligament I have lost most of the grip in one hand and all the movement in the wrist. The reason I share this sad story is I still have two big dressage horses, I do not have any real help other than when I am working away. I do have to use adjustments such as looped reins but next month I will be competeing my horse in the regional Pet Plan Area finals.
So what ever the injury, problem or complications YES YES YES you can come back from it and ride or be with horses and ponies again.
Follow your physio and what your body can and can't do and your heart will lead you back to riding as soon as you are able
Good luck and be patient.
 
I had what could only be called a backward's skiers thumb from a fall off a horse. I was in a cast from the tip of my thumb to my elbow for 3 months.

2 weeks after the fall I was back on the horse (only took two weeks because of a cracked rib). I just made sure they put the cast on so that I could hold the reins.

After not healing for over a month they decided I needed to see a hand surgeon. the little "butterfly wing" on the joint was not only pulled completely off but was turned sideways so it couldn't heal properly. I'm now the proud owner of a titanium screw in that thumb.

I still have some ROM issues but it only prevents me from making a fully closed fist so no kickboxing for me unless I wear gloves.

I had hand therapy for several weeks post-op.

no post of mine would be complete without photos:

017_xray_with_screw_anatomy.jpg
 
ouch, sounds painful :eek:

I'm now into my third week with cast on, due to go back next monday to see how its healing, so hopefully i will have the cast off and its back to normal ..... or is that a bit too optimistic :D

Could someone tell me what to expect when my cast is off? How will they know if the ligament has healed, as x-rays wont show ligaments ???
 
horseygirl123 said:
Could someone tell me what to expect when my cast is off? How will they know if the ligament has healed, as x-rays wont show ligaments ???
Click to expand...

Most likely they won't *know* they will just assume since you've had it immobilized for a certain amount of time that it's had time to heal. They can also probably wiggle your thumb a bit and depending on how loose it feels they can tell if it's healed or not.

I had those gortex lined casts on that you can shower in, so when they took those off it was a slimy dead skin mess. Seriously gross to see how much your body sheds skin you don't normally notice it until it's forced to not shed. I think it took me a good week or more of scrubbing to get all the gross skin off.
 
elise said:
I had those gortex lined casts on that you can shower in, so when they took those off it was a slimy dead skin mess. Seriously gross to see how much your body sheds skin you don't normally notice it until it's forced to not shed. I think it took me a good week or more of scrubbing to get all the gross skin off.
Click to expand...

erwww not looking forward to that part!!

If i look down my cast at the back of my hand its all dry scaley and yellow, very attractive indeed .... and VERY itchy !!!!!

**** goes offf to find something to poke down cast and have a good scratch :p ******
 
This happened to my eldest when he was around 3yrs old. He was walking through the front room with a box of ice pops in his hand. Tripped and fell. Took him to the hospital who diagnosed skiers thumb. Told he may need an op and to keep his thumb upright. So off we trotted with his thumb upright for weeks. Went back to the hospital for a check up. Load of doctors and surgeons in the room (can't remember why). They all looked at it had a conflab and then said "He is double jointed"

Not much help I know but do feel sorry for you
 
Hi
Try to get a MRI scan of your thumb, its the best way to assess ligamental injury and if you need surgery. Some hospitals have little mini scanners specifically intended for small body parts like thumbs and often you only have to wait a couple of weeks for them (if NHS).
Good Luck
 
i did the same sort of thing whilst doing cross coutry, my horse stopped at a jump and i fell onto her neck, my thumbcame out of it's socket and through the tendon and ligaments, it wasn't pleasnt! :eek: it took 3 months in a splint type cast thingy and over a years worth of physio, and still doesnt work, could've had surgery but may not have made a differnce so didn't bovver with it. It never stopped me ridding, i carried on jumping the day after, and was still ridding my motorbike :D
 
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