{"id":7748,"date":"2019-07-03T05:42:59","date_gmt":"2019-07-03T05:42:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=7748"},"modified":"2021-11-09T14:27:03","modified_gmt":"2021-11-09T14:27:03","slug":"14-common-signs-of-a-sprained-thumb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/14-common-signs-of-a-sprained-thumb\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Common Signs of a Sprained Thumb"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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There are more than 200,000 cases of sprained thumb in the United States each year. A sprained thumb is an injury to the ligament or tissue that connects the bone at the base of the thumb. It occurs when the thumb is overextended or torn when a lot of stress is put onto it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certain sports can cause a sprained thumb, such as tennis, football, and basketball. It can be self-treated unless it\u2019s serious, which will need to be seen by a primary care doctor. When you have a sprained thumb there are eight common signs to look out for.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A sprained thumb doesn\u2019t last long. It can last from a few days to weeks. As long as you treat it as soon as you find out it\u2019s sprained. The longer you wait, the more pain you will be in and it could get infected, which will cause you to need antibiotics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Pain is a common sign of a sprained thumb. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The pain is felt in the thumb area and whenever you move it backward. For instance, if you have a job that requires you to use your hand, it may cause pain because even though you may not use your thumb, you have to use your other fingers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The thumb sometimes moves backward on its own. When this happens, you will experience pain. In order to keep from the thumb having to move backward, you can put a splint on it. The splint will keep the thumb in place and allow it to heal in the process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever you feel pain take an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as Tylenol<\/a>. It should stop the pain in a few minutes. It is a good idea to only take them as directed. Taking too many at once can cause side effects, such as drowsiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Swelling is a common sign of a sprained thumb. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The swelling of a sprained thumb will cause you to be unable to grasp objects. Compression will reduce swelling and pain in the thumb. When you compress it, you can place a splint over it as well. That way the splint will help keep it in place while the compress will reduce pain and swelling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you compress your thumb, make sure to not wrap the elastic bandage around too tightly. It could cause more swelling <\/a>and pain. Once the swelling goes down, take off the bandage. You may want to take the bandage off at night to allow your thumb to breathe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of the time while you rest, the swelling could go down on its own. In the morning, wrap it back up if the swelling is still there. Be gentle with your thumb while wrapping it as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Bruising is a common sign of a sprained thumb. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A bruise <\/a>on the thumb is a cause for concern. The bruise may be tender to touch. Placing ice, compression, and rest will allow the bruise to heal quicker. Once the bruise has healed it will change color. You won\u2019t be able to do any physical activity while your thumb is bruised because the bruise may get worse and be painful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important to give the thumb time to heal. Just because the bruise starts to fade away doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s healed all the way. If it\u2019s almost healed, you can begin to feel pain in the thumb along with bruising. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Give the thumb plenty of time to heal. There is no rush to go back to playing your chosen activity. If you rush, you\u2019ll just prolong the healing process when it could have been healed a long time ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Weakness in the thumb is a common sign of a sprained thumb. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The thumb is weak because the ligament <\/a>and bone are injured. The ligament and bone work together to allow your thumb to move back and forth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When your thumb is weak the best thing you can do is to rest and place it over it. Place a splint over the thumb and rest it as much as possible. The splint will keep your thumb from moving when doing other activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it\u2019s not in a splint, ice it. Ice it for 10 minutes every hour. After icing, place the splint or compress back over the thumb. It will feel uncomfortable at first with the splint or compress on, but it will help to heal your thumb sprain. Your thumb will start to gain back its mobility after letting it rest for a while. The longer you let it rest, the better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Cold feeling to the thumb is a common sign of a sprained thumb. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There is no blood circulating to the thumb. Placing ice on it will help to get the feeling back into your thumb. When you have a cold feeling in your thumb you may be enticed to place heat over it. That\u2019s not a good idea because the joints <\/a>and ligaments need cold therapy, not hot therapy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rest your thumb and apply a cold compress to it. The feeling should come back to your thumb after a while. It will be painful as well as cold, so you want to take care of the sprained thumb at this time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the feeling comes back into your thumb, you\u2019ll need to put a splint over it to make sure that you don\u2019t disturb it. That way it can heal and you don\u2019t have to worry about hitting it against anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Delayed onset muscle soreness is a sign of a sprained thumb. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This can happen after doing a physical activity for the first time. Your muscles <\/a>aren\u2019t used to the stress you put on them. A lot of times you won\u2019t feel the soreness until the next day.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a sprained thumb, you won\u2019t feel the soreness until days later. For instance, if you played tennis the day before and injured your thumb, you won\u2019t feel the soreness from it until the next day. The soreness that you feel will be intense. You won\u2019t be able to move your thumb because of the soreness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can rub cold topical analgesic cream on the sprained thumb. Place a compress on the area, but not too tightly. The muscle soreness will go away in a few days. Once it goes away, don\u2019t try to go back to doing the activity too quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Tenderness of the sprained thumb is a common sign to look out for. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Whenever you touch the thumb area, you will experience pain. The best you can do is take Tylenol or Ibuprofen<\/a>, rest, and ice the thumb. Tylenol and Ibuprofen will help with the pain. Only take what is recommended on the bottle.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only way to rest your sprained thumb when it\u2019s tender is by placing a splint over it. It will be painful when you place a splint over it. Take your time when placing a splint on your sprained thumb. That\u2019s why it\u2019s best to wait until the pain medicine kicks in before messing with your thumb. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t use a splint, you\u2019ll need to be careful about how you use your hand. If you happen to hit the thumb on something, you\u2019ll experience pain. Even if the thumb is tapped lightly, the pain will still be there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Joint stiffness is another common sign of a sprained thumb. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A stiff joint in your thumb is caused because there is an injury <\/a>to the joint. The thumb is unable to move because the joint is sprained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the thumb sprain isn\u2019t dealt with it can lead to arthritis. With arthritis, you will be limited in what activities you can do. When a flare-up occurs, you have to stop immediately because of the pain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applying ice to your stiff joint will help ease the pain and swelling. Exercising the thumb is not a good idea while you have a sprain. Let the thumb rest as much as possible. Since the thumb joint is stiff, it\u2019s best to not do anything that will cause pain, such as using your thumb to type. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep the thumb in one position at all times by using a splint. The splint will help the thumb to heal in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9. Tingling sensations are common signs of a sprained thumb<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After spraining your thumb, you can experience a variety of symptoms, depending on the severity of the injury. One of the more common effects of sprained thumb is a tingling sensation, followed by pain if you try to move it. The tingling sensation<\/a> typically occurs when you cause damage to the nerves in the thumb, causing a disconnect between your sense of feeling and the brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, the thumb tingles, and most people find that the sensation fades after a few minutes. The tingling sensation is typical in people with a mild sprain of the thumb, and it’s nothing to concern yourself over. In most cases, the affected individual receives a complete restoration of their normal feeling sensations in the thumb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you experience this sign of a sprained thumb, apply ice and see if the swelling goes down. If there is no change after 45-minutes of icing, you might be dealing with a dislocation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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10. Dislocation is a common sign of a sprained thumb<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dislocation <\/a>is a severe complication of a sprained thumb. When the thumb experiences trauma through force, it results in the thumb flexing in the wrong direction. As a result of the unnatural movement, the affected individual may tear the ligaments in their thumb, causing pain symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, in severe cases, the force on the thumb may be too much for the ligaments to brace against, causing a complete failure of the tendons and sinews supporting the thumb. In this case, the affected individual experiences a dislocation as the thumb jumps out of the joint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dislocation is incredibly painful, and they’ll require a doctor or someone else to pull the thumb back into the correct position. In most cases, the affected individual experiences a wave of relief after relocating the displaced thumb. A dislocation is a severe injury, and the affected individual requires treatment with painkillers and anti-inflammatories to stop the swelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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11. Pain in your wrist is a common sign of a sprained thumb<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many people that experience the onset of a sprained thumb find they also notice a contributing pain in their wrist. The thumb is one part of the hand, and this network of small bones will experience imbalances and pain symptoms if your thumb receives a sprain<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some individuals that experience a sprain find they start to develop problems in their wrists. The wrist might feel tight, or it might hurt when you flex it from side to side. These pain symptoms are directly related to the sprained thumb and the torn ligaments causing the pain symptoms. The torn thumb ligaments may cause pain in the affected area where they attach to the bone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Individuals experiencing wrist pain should consider wearing athletic support or splint to help them recover from the injury causing the pain. In most cases, it takes around 6 to 8-weeks to repair ligaments, but you should notice a considerable improvement in wrist mobility after the second week of your recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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12. Loss of mobility is a common sign of a sprained thumb<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many people that receive a sprained thumb experience some loss of mobility <\/a>in the digit. Your thumb consists of a network of ligaments that allow you to move it. When you experience a sprain in any of these ligaments, it reduces the ligament’s ability to contract and release. In most cases, the affected individual experiences pain symptoms when they try to use their thumb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In severe thumb sprains, the affected individual may notice a dark purple coloration appear below the skin. The color change is a sign of internal bleeding and bruising, and it takes a while for these injuries to heal properly. While you’re waiting to heal, you’ll notice that you get a little bit more of your mobility back each week during your recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In most cases, you’ll make a full recovery back to normal within six to eight weeks. While we all want to recover as fast as possible, taking time with your rehabilitation ensures you don’t reinjure your thumb, delaying your healing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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13. Diagnosing a sprained thumb<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In most cases, people that experience a sprained thumb don’t need to go to the doctor’s office. A sprained thumb will heal on its own, provided you rest it and protect it from re-injury. However, in some cases, the patient may experience a severe injury that requires medical attention. A dislocation is a good example of a thumb sprain that requires a trip to the doctor’s office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if you manage to relocate the thumb, it’s still a good idea to visit the doctor’s office for a diagnosis. When you’re at the doctor’s office, the physician <\/a>asks you about the accident’s details leading to the injury of your thumb. They conduct a light physical examination of your hands and wrist to check for any contributing damage you might not feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After finalizing the diagnosis, your doctor makes recommendations on treatment for the sprain. The treatment guidelines are individual to the injury, but most of them involve the same procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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14. Treating a sprained thumb<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Individuals that receive a sprained thumb may experience a different response to the injury, depending on its severity. A light thumb sprain hurts, but it’s nothing that needs to send you to the doctor’s office. The best option is to ice down the affected area for five minutes on and five minutes off. Continue this therapy for a few hours to reduce the inflammation in the joint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re dealing with severe inflammation and pain, consider popping a few anti-inflammatories <\/a>and OTC painkillers, like Advil, to help you through. In extreme cases, like dislocations, the affected individual may find themselves in their doctor’s office for a diagnosis. After the diagnosis, the physician makes their treatment recommendations based on their findings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most cases involve the use of OTC or prescription painkillers and anti-inflammatories to help the patient manage the symptoms. However, in severe cases, the doctor may require a CT scan or MRI to check for any other internal injuries they miss during the diagnosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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