Skier's Thumb?

smootharc said:

I NEVER ski with my pole straps on....EVER.

Click to expand...

Same for me... I've always wondered about the safety of having your poles strapped to you... for me if i wipe out, I'd rather not have 2 metal sharp objects attached to me.

Hmm... this might make a good poll thread. "Straps or no straps"

boston_e said:

Same for me... I've always wondered about the safety of having your poles strapped to you... for me if i wipe out, I'd rather not have 2 metal sharp objects attached to me.

Hmm... this might make a good poll thread. "Straps or no straps"

Click to expand...

Currently my method is to use a strap on one pole and no strap on the other. This is because the year before last while skiing powder stashes at fairly high speed on the edge of a slope at my local Ski Bradford one pole got caught in netting between that trail and the bunny area; fortunately the pole was designed so that the strap and top of the handle broke free of the rest of the pole, rather than my arm ripping free of the rest of my body ... Being a fundamentally cheap bastard, I have yet to replace these poles, and I've also yet to lose the strapless one (even in multiple falls in deep snow last week at Magic).

stop sitting on it

I keep trying to take pictures of my thumb because it is perfect for this thread. It is many lovely shades of green and purple, with just the right amount of swelling thrown in for good measure. But the pictures come out crappy so II'm not unwrapping it again for a while.

I don't use the straps on my poles and I cannot imagine this injury being any worse than it already is. Maybe I would have trashed the other one as well?

CreekyKnees said:

Not sure on how you are holding your ski poles. The best way to hold your poles to reduce the chances of injuring your thumb is to put your hand through your strap than grab the strap between your thumb and finger and than grab the handle on the pole. It's as if you are holding the strap and the pole at the same time. The reason this works if you take a fall and let go of the pole your entire hand will be free from the ski pole.

I found this on YouTube....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuUBKKsXHTg

Click to expand...

Thanks for this post. Didn't realize there was a right way to hold poles to avoid injuries. It certainly makes sense when you think about it. I now have a new thing to pay attention to when I ski.

I broke my thumb last year while skiing, and a few other bones. I will never ski with a strap on again. Had a cast on for about 3 months. When the cast came off took another 3 months to get to 90%. Still not back to 100% yet.

The funny thing is that the DR from the ER room in Ogden Utah who treated me had the same problem. I knew I was in good hands... no pun...

2Planker said:

Wromg - The term is GAMEKEEPERS Thumb, and that is a totally different injury from skiers thumb. The name goes back hundreds of years - long before downhill skiing...

Both skier's and gamekeeper's thumb need proper evaluation and usually immobilization or they may not heal. N0 thumb = No Fu.

Go see the MD, preferably an orthopedic hand specialist

Click to expand...

For whatever its worth.
When I had this injury, I was living with a MD doing her sports medicine residency with Dr. Harry Haratounian at Mt. Snow's clinic (Deer(field) Valley??)

Anyway, I was told the hyper extension injury now called Skiers Thumb USED to be called Gamekeepers Thumb because folks who kept game birds would kill them by wringing their necks causing the same damage as falling while holding the ski pole(pole=neck?).

She's in a splint for a month. Skiing and other less significant activities are allowed. Fracture, and a partial tear of one of the ligaments (anterior crucial? I forget...)

I'll be re-evaluating my pole straps, that's for sure. I just have such a horrible track record of having them stick in the snow whenever I'm polling a traverse. I should probably just suck it up and go back for them, given the flatness of said traverses.

The most comman skiers injury

I've never heard of a correlation of pole straps and skiers thumb injury.I've have numerous thumb injuries and all were from reaching to the ground on a fall and that thumb just naturally protrudes and sticks in.Very painfull.Both my thumb knuckles closest to the hand are permanently enlarged by 2 from their normal size.Most sprains will heel themselves over time.The problem is that you will always hit the sprained thumb on something and feel the pain again.My sister did sever her tendon totally and required surgery to reattach.That was many months healing.I've skied with skiers thumb after taping it up for support.

Just to expand on those details, MJ; I have a fractured distal phalanges -- the "tip of the thumb" bone where it connects to its neighboring bone. Some serious thumb jam. The fracture is on the outside, where the collateral ulnar ligament attaches. There's a tear/small rupture of the ligament where the bone crushed it. The diagnosis is Skier's Thumb! With an added fracture thrown in, its a little double whammy -- but its healing fast and I really am not in alot of pain. The bruising cleared in about a week with icing approximately twice daily.

I'm in a splint for a month so the thumb can rest. Its amazing how much we use the tip of our thumbs for!!! Turning the key in the Suby ignition, for example...and typing..and numerous things I do at work!!! The splint is a large, hard plastic "overthumb", its very protective...I'm sure you all can think of many creative names for it..:<)