I fell in the shower seven weeks ago and hurt my hand and thumb. It still hurts alot and atill swollen and bruised. I fell on an outstretched hand. I got soap in my eyes and as I tried to turn around I slipped while I had both hands on the wall. My right one in back of me and my left on the side of me and as I fell, both hands went all the way down until I reached the tub surround. My left thumb bent inward underneath my left hand when I hit the tub surround. The pain immediately begun and it was awful.

I was attempting to scratch my lower middle back with my thumb and I felt a little pop about midway up my forearm. Now my thumb won't fully extend in, for instance, the hitchhiker's pose. I can still grip with it, and there's no pain, but I can no longer extend it.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Early treatment of acute injuries like this usually have a good prognosis and a good outcome. Both injuries require cast immobilization and will heal at about the same rate. Sometimes bone fractures heal faster than ligamentous injuries.

Return of wrist and thumb motions and function may require some rehab, though. When ligaments are torn or the joint capsule is disrupted, then more extensive reconstructive surgery may be needed.

I injured my thumb about 2 months ago and thought it was dislocated because it was swollen and hard at the base ..... after several dr's looking at it ..it was decided that it was not dislocated but severely strained. it was put in a thumb spica which it hasbeen in for 5 weeks ...the thumb is still intermittently swollen but remains hard (bonelike) at the base with limited movement and painful to use. Coudl there be something more wrong that has not been diagnosed ?

In June 2007, I had CMC excision arthroplasty. For three months, everything went well. After the third month, I began to experience increasing pain and swelling. Now eight months later, x-rays show that the bone has migrated and is now pressing into the trapezium in an odd position. The pain is intense and movement is substantially limited. How common is this kind of migration, and what are the odds that further surgery will resolve the pain?

I had my trapezium bone removed July 19th and I have not had a good recovery. I have a large amount of swelling in the heel pf my palm and my entire thumb. I continue to have sharp pain and a constant dull ache. I have develpoed a cyst at the second thumb joint and my doctor is at a loss as to what to do. Does anyone have any suggestions or has anyone experienced the same problem. He sent me back to work 6 weeks after surgery. I work in a chemistry lab and my work involves tedious hand manipulations. At this point I do regret having the surgery. I welcome any help. Thanks

It sounds like you are describing a condition referred to as skier's thumb. The thumb gets bent out and back so far that the ulnar collateral ligament of the thumb is injured. The ligament can be torn partially or completely. A complete tear is called a rupture.

In this study, Dr. A. Badia from the Miami Hand Center reports the results of arthroscopy used to treat 12 cases of unstable Gamekeeper's thumb. This condition is called gamekeeper's thumb because Scottish gamekeepers commonly injured their thumbs as a result of their job. It is also referred to as skier's thumb because it is a common injury among downhill skiers. All 12 patients were college athletes injured while playing sports.