Thumb Support
While injuries to the thumb joints are relatively common in sports such as skiing, basketball and cricket, osteo-arthritis is probably the biggest cause of pain and instability in the CMC and other thumb joints.
Splints are designed to relieve thumb pain by protecting, stabilising and immobilising the injured joint.
Thumb Braces and Supports
Injury to the thumb is a common occurrence in all ball sports which involve catching. It is also extremely prevalent in skiing, where the injury Skier’s thumb describes a rupture of the Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) at the Metacarpo-Phalangeal Joint (MCJ). This injury happens when the skier twists his thumb in the strap of the ski pole. This acute thumb sprain can damage the medial ligament of the thumb and results in severe pain in the knuckle. Innovative sports support brace manufacturer Push of Holland have designed the PSB Thumb Brace specifically for this skiing injury, but is also of use for other sports where injuries of this joint occur.
While a Thumb Spica or Thumb stabiliser may be helpful in thumb pain associated with sprains or degenerative injuries to the thumb, recent developments in bracing have revolutionised the treatment of the second most common cause of osteo-arthritis of the thumb joint Carpometacarpal CMC joint osteoarthritis
Successful bracing of this joint was difficult and tended to be performed using a custom moulded thumb splint, and personalised fitting. The release of the the Push CMC Thumb Brace a few years has become a silver bullet for the treatment of CMC1 osteoarthritis.