Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Thumb Collateral Ligament Injuries, most commonly ulnar collateral (UCL), are athletic injuries that lead to a decrease in effective thumb pinch and grasp. Diagnosis relies upon thumb MCP radial-ulnar stress exam and MRI studies.
After Your Surgery for Thumb Ulnar Collateral Ligament Repair. Self-‐care and follow-‐up. Dressing and Wound Care. After surgery, you will be in a bulky dressing (bandage) with a plaster splint that covers your thumb, wrist and forearm. The splint is similar to a cast. The splint cannot be removed and must be kept dry.
Dr. Steven Shin at the Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedic program has developed an internal brace augmentation technique as a method for repairing thumb ulnar collateral ligament tears (UCL), a game-changer for athletes who want faster, better healing.
The indication for thumb UCL surgery is debated. Many surgeons will consider surgery if a patient manifests clinical signs of a complete UCL rupture or if nonsurgical treatment for a partial tear fails.
UCL repair surgery, or Tommy John surgery, is a procedure to treat an injury to the UCL, the soft tissue that connects the bones of the thumb and provides stability to the thumb joint.
The addition of suture tape augmentation for the thumb MCP UCL repair gives clinicians the peace of mind and confidence to accelerate all aspects of post-surgical rehabilitation including range of motion exercises, strengthening and sport-specific retraining to successfully and safely return their athletes by 5-6 weeks post-surgery.
You have had surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament of your thumb which involves reconnecting the ligament to the bone to restore its stability. Following the ligament repair you will be in a cast for 4 weeks, and then you will start regular hand therapy to improve movement, strength and function.
The authors’ recommended postoperative treatment and return-to-play (RTP) algorithm after thumb ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) repair in athletes. The recommendations in this flowchart represent our experience in consideration of the data reviewed in this study. MCP, metacarpophalangeal.
Results. Twenty-four patients were identified as having had a primary repair (without reconstruction) of a chronic UCL thumb injury (>6 weeks) from July 1977 to March, 1996. Three patients were deceased and 8 were lost to follow-up. Twelve of the 21 (57%) of the living patients (Table 2) were available for follow-up.
Surgery is usually required for injuries of the thumb UCL characterized by: (i) Stener lesions; (ii) displaced unstable bony avulsion; (iii) chronicity; (iv) acute tears with gross instability; and (v) associated volar plate injury.