Symptoms
A distinction must be made between conservative and surgical therapy of the rapid thumb. Conservative therapy: Conservative therapy is based primarily on sparing the affected tendon and taking anti-inflammatory medication. Injecting cortisone into the tendon sheath of the affected tendon can also help to treat the disease and improve the symptoms.
Especially in early stages of the disease with a clear, known cause, conservative treatment methods often help very well. If conservative therapy is not successful, surgery should be considered. Surgical therapy: Surgical therapy of a fast-acting thumb can usually be performed on an outpatient basis and usually achieves a highly satisfactory treatment result.
During the operation the ring-shaped ligament, which is partly responsible for the rapid movement of the thumb, is cut. Whether or not surgical therapy is appropriate in individual cases is best assessed by the attending physician after comprehensive diagnostics. Depending on the degree of progression and causative symptoms of the rapid thumb movement, different treatments can help to improve the symptoms or even treat the cause of the disease permanently.
Conservative treatment can usually help in the early stages to prevent the progression of the symptoms as well as alleviate them. It is important to take care of the affected thumb to prevent the body’s inflammatory reaction from getting worse. Surgery of the thumb is a relatively short procedure, which can usually be performed on an outpatient basis.
The hand is locally anesthetized and made “bloodless” by a plexus anesthesia or regional anesthesia. Now the surgeon exposes the ring-shaped ligament through which the flexor tendon of the thumb is moved. The ligament is severed and the tendon is checked for proper movement.
Then the surgical wound is sutured and a bandage is applied. After the operation, the hand should be raised to prevent swelling. Any pain that occurs after the operation can be treated with painkilling medication.
It should be noted that activities that put a lot of strain on the thumb should only be performed again after about 2 weeks. The application of a tape usually plays a subordinate role in the therapy of the quick thumb. This is due to the underlying cause of the disease.
Tape bandages are normally used for muscle tensions and are intended to help relieve muscle tension or promote blood circulation in the affected area. However, since the problem of a quickening thumb is not related to a muscle injury or tension, a tape cannot have any effect in terms of improving the symptoms of a quickening thumb. The application of the tape can be useful if it is gentle on the affected finger.
By sparing the finger, the knots can partially recede and the symptoms of a quickening finger can improve. Before applying a tape bandage, a physician should discuss the possibilities of treating the thumb. Thus it can be that in the context of a conservative therapy the application of the tape bandage with accompanying protection of the thumb makes sense.
This topic might also be of interest to you:
- Taping fingers – how it works
- Tape bandage
The clinical picture of a rapid thumb typically occurs at an advanced age and is very rare in children and infants. An exception is the congenital form of the disease, which also leads to a rapid thumb. The disease known as Pollex flexus congenitus is usually noticed a few weeks after the birth of the child.
The thumb is usually in a flexed position and cannot be stretched by the child or when the parents try to stretch it. A conservative therapy has no chance of success with this form of the disease. In some cases, however, the clinical picture regresses spontaneously, which is why surgery is generally recommended only after about 6 months. The operation is similar to that for affected adults, as the severing of the ring-shaped ligament also leads to successful therapy in children.
