If you have received medical advice to the effect that you should wear a thumb brace or support (or stabilizer), you may be wondering how it will help treat your injury.
A thumb brace (or stabilizer or support) is used to support the thumb in order to allow sprained thumb ligaments to heal. You will usually wear this device to treat a sprain that results after you have fallen onto an outstretched hand. The result of such a fall could be overstretched or torn thumb ligaments due to the thumb being forced backwards and away from the palm. This type of injury is also commonly referred to as gamekeeper’s thumb.
Another type of injury that you may treat using a thumb brace is de Quervain’s syndrome. This is characterized by inflammation of the two tendons that control thumb movements. As with sprained ligaments, wearing a thumb stabilizer allows the tendons to rest and heal naturally.
Thumb instability is another problem that you can treat with your thumb brace.
Having explained the injuries that you can treat with a thumb brace, we should also explained what the brace cannot do. It cannot help heal more serious injuries such as a thumb fracture. If you think that you may have fractured your thumb, please visit your doctor for an examination. This is a serious injury that should receive professional medical attention as soon as possible.
Wearing a thumb brace helps to rest your thumb’s supporting ligaments and speed your path to recovery. However, it is just one of a number of things you should do to recover as quickly as possible.
Besides wearing a thumb brace, you can also help to relieve your thumb pain by taking the following steps:
Once your pain has started to recede, we would suggest consulting a physiotherapist for help in designing an exercise program to return your thumb to its original range of motion.
In closing, we will list a few commonly asked questions from those who are about to start wearing a thumb brace. We hope that our suggestions will help you return to full health as quickly as possible.
We would suggest following your physician’s advice on this question. However, our view is that you should try to wear your thumb brace as much as possible. The more time spent wearing it, the more rest you are giving to injured thumb ligaments or tendons and the quicker they are likely to heal.
Although you should again consult with your doctor, we would suggest wearing the brace at least until your pain has gone. You should expect to wear it for as long as 4 weeks. The key is to be patient and not remove it prematurely. If you do that, you risk aggravating thumb ligaments and tendons before they are fully healed, and your injury may then return.
Some of the other questions that you may have if you are contemplating wearing a thumb brace are:
If you have questions about the features of the thumb braces shown below, please ask and our customer service associates will be pleased to help.
However, if you need information about the nature of your injury, we would suggest consulting with your physician or other healthcare advisor.
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The Bio Skin Thumb Spica controls movement of your CMC and MP joints and protects your thumb against painful movements in order to promote healing. It does so while allowing you full use of your other fingers. No laces!
The Mueller Sports Medicine Thumb Stabilizer features an adjustable metal splint and a shock absorbing foam at the base of the thumb for comfortable fit.
The McDavid Thumb Stabilizer will help to immobilize your thumb joint during recovery from injuries such as Gamekeepers’ Thumb or de Quervains.
