Skiers Thumb Surgery- when can I ski again?

[TammySki]

Hi ski ladies! So bummed, took a little fall last weekend and the way I landed caused complete UCL tear in my thumb with stener lesion so no option but surgery for repair :(
The fall didn’t even hurt but when I went to pick up my pole my thumb couldn’t move and the pain was excruciating. I’m so sad bc we have paid for a ski lease cabin to be out here with our kids every weekend and any days off. Skiing literally is my happy place so I’m a bit devastated. Anyone have experience with this surgery and recovery time in terms of when I can ski again?

 

[ski diva]

No advice here, but so sorry to hear about your injury. Wishing you a fast and full recovery.

 

[TammySki]

No advice here, but so sorry to hear about your injury. Wishing you a fast and full recovery.

Thanks!!

 

[Briski]

Also no advice, but seems like with right thumb support and no poles you could be back at it soon! Tell the dr how important it is for you to ski.

 

[Jenny]

Again, no advice here, but sympathy for the injury and missing ski time!

I don't think @mustski had surgery but I seem to remember a thumb injury from a couple/few years ago - maybe she’ll have something helpful.

 

[scandium]

Oh no! If you are willing to ski without poles, I suspect it might be sooner with a good thumb support...

 

[TammySki]

Oh no! If you are willing to ski without poles, I suspect it might be sooner with a good thumb support...

Yeah, maybe just use the left pole! I guess the bigger concern is falling on it after surgery so only easy groomers I assume ‍

 

[scandium]

Yeah, maybe just use the left pole! I guess the bigger concern is falling on it after surgery so only easy groomers I assume ‍

I would say no poles at all - having one is likely to unbalance you more, I'd think you are now likely to injure the other side. And it forces you to really think about skiing with your feet and lower body.

 

[TammySki]

I would say no poles at all - having one is likely to unbalance you more, I'd think you are now likely to injure the other side. And it forces you to really think about skiing with your feet and lower body.

Great point!

 

[mustski]

Again, no advice here, but sympathy for the injury and missing ski time!

I don't think @mustski had surgery but I seem to remember a thumb injury from a couple/few years ago - maybe she’ll have something helpful.

I’ve injured my thumb twice - first time was skiers thumb but no surgery. It was 8 weeks recovery with a brace. The orthopedic brace wouldn’t fit in any ski gloves so no skiing. The second time was a break but recovery was quicker. I was able to move to a smaller brace after 3 weeks and skied the rest of the season. It will be as much an issue of comfort and fitting the hand in a ski glove as anything else. Poles are optional in groomed terrain.

 

[WaterGirl]

My tendon is loose in my thumb, according to my Hand Dr. who I saw for another reason, "IF" I had rested it for a few weeks in a splint I would not have such elasticity. Just saying always good to let things heal up. And PT for fingers and hands is a real thing. FWIW I don't use pole straps on a regular basis. Surfing bigger days where I end up duck diving a lot makes my thumb tendon swollen. I end up KT taping it for extra support. You may want to KT tape when you return to skiing.

 

[Vvskis]

I'm sorry to hear it! It's been many years since I wrecked my thumb on the ski slopes. to this day, I do not hold my poles correctly. because I don't want to risk injury again since I injured my right hand. I grip my poles with my thumb aligned next to my first finger. Obviously, I'm not an expert skier! But it works for me. :-)

 

[Briski]

Nice short video on how to hold poles to prevent skier’s thumb, though I’ve had it once or twice holding poles properly.

 

[TammySki]

I’ve injured my thumb twice - first time was skiers thumb but no surgery. It was 8 weeks recovery with a brace. The orthopedic brace wouldn’t fit in any ski gloves so no skiing. The second time was a break but recovery was quicker. I was able to move to a smaller brace after 3 weeks and skied the rest of the season. It will be as much an issue of comfort and fitting the hand in a ski glove as anything else. Poles are optional in groomed terrain.

Thanks for the reply! I do think that the surgery is actually going to help me get back faster bc it will be better stabilized and so doc said I can move my thumb and heal faster. I haven’t had surgery yet, but I skied the last two days with current brace that’s on there (with doctor’s permission) and it’s been ‘okay’ (some easy runs are better than no runs in my opinion!) but i am nervous about it. Finding a glove was challenging! What you said totally make sense.

 

[TammySki]

I'm sorry to hear it! It's been many years since I wrecked my thumb on the ski slopes. to this day, I do not hold my poles correctly. because I don't want to risk injury again since I injured my right hand. I grip my poles with my thumb aligned next to my first finger. Obviously, I'm not an expert skier! But it works for me. :-)

Yea, I think I will look at falls differently now (I used to never be too worried about falling since I tend to be a careful skier and not super fast- so it never really hurt when I went down). I don’t use straps but I’ve heard that you have to consciously let go of the poles to help reduce chance of this type of injury. I must have still been holding on!
Thanks for the tip!

 

[TammySki]

My tendon is loose in my thumb, according to my Hand Dr. who I saw for another reason, "IF" I had rested it for a few weeks in a splint I would not have such elasticity. Just saying always good to let things heal up. And PT for fingers and hands is a real thing. FWIW I don't use pole straps on a regular basis. Surfing bigger days where I end up duck diving a lot makes my thumb tendon swollen. I end up KT taping it for extra support. You may want to KT tape when you return to skiing.

Sorry to hear!! And you’re right that sometimes just taking it easy and letting it heal is the only way to be safe With my severity of tear, surgery is the only option and I guess that should help with restoring strength of ligament. It’s quite painful right now so hoping for a good outcome.

 

[Jenny]

When I had my dislocated thumb it was wrapped and then braced for 6? weeks, I think it was. Then OT for a few weeks after that. Car accident was in September, so that ski season I wore my brace (which was small, I still have it if you want to see a pic). I decided to wear it all season, just to be safe. Just got a bigger pair of mittens with a gigantic gauntlet so I could cinch it up around my arm and did fine.