View Full Version : The continuing saga of my thumb.
So last year on my thru-hike, a couple days south of Parisburg, VA a fell, landing on my hand and broke my thumb. It was in the fall so the trail was litter with leaves, and you couldn't see the rocks underneath them. Not knowing I broke my thumb I kept going. I did suspect something because I took 7 ibuprofen, but I thought it was just bruised. At each mail drop I'de say, "I wait till next town and see if it feels better." So after I finished I saw an orthopedist to check it out. He told me it was broken and I should have had surgery when it first happened but it looked as though I got lucky and it was healing properly on it's own. So it's been bothering me ever since and I got a second opinion today. He said that it is a "ulnar collateral ligament tear with bony aulusion(?) fracture." Acording to him I broke one of the ligaments and unless I have surgery I will have cronic pain in my hand. That's not the type of chronic I want in my life! So the surgery consists of taking a ligament from wrist and connecting it to my thumb. So has anyone out there had anything similar, and what can you tell me about. Also for any interested MD's outhere I can email you a copy of my X-rays.
Hammock Hanger
03-09-2004, 18:19
So last year on my thru-hike, a couple days south of Parisburg, VA a fell,
Pearisburg... What a scary place, I was diagnosised with a sewing needle in my foot there. My friend broke his leg there.....
HH
It must be the Parisburg Triangle of trail injuries.
Brushy Sage
03-09-2004, 23:03
The descent into Pearisburg seemed more threatening to me than anything I had encountered in GA, NC, TN or VA up to that point.
Kerosene
03-10-2004, 11:24
My wife broke her ring finger and tore the ligament from her upper knuckle. They performed surgery in early December to reattach the ligament and set the finger. This isn't quite the same type of injury as yours, but similar in some respects. The recovery period has proven to be a lot longer than we expected (she's 46). She's in the midst of some surprisingly intensive physical therapy 3 months later, and still has very limited mobility. I wouldn't be surprised if it took another 3 months for her to get to the point where she has reasonable mobility and isn't overly cautious about the finger. While perhaps not a debilitating injury, it certainly has disrupted our lives. She'd be hard-pressed to hike with such an injury, but then again, she's not really a dedicated hiker like you.
Kerosene,
Thanks for the info. Unfortunately since I didn't see a doctor right away, they are going to have to take a ligament from my wrist. I am still hoping to get out this summer but I will have to be very cautious.