Broken Thumb

[TheCharityShop]

Unfortuneatley i had a nasty incident in which i fell awkwardly and bent my thumb on my right hand right back, i now am unable to apply any pressure with it which is a big problem as i cycle regulary and pushing the gear lever forward is an impossibility

Has anyone any suggestions as to change gears safely, at the moment i have to reach over we my left hand which is very unstable

 

[wheres_my_beard]

Unless you absolutely have to ride, give your hand a chance to heal, and don't ride your bike, or stick with left handed gear changing in the mean time.

Edit: what shifters are you using? You could always find a nice gear that suits most of the ride and pretend you have a singlespeed...

 

[Cyclist33]

yeah, WAIT!

really if it's a thumb you should get it checked out.

Stu

 

[spence]

I did this a couple of years ago at Woburn, fell and dug my right thumb in the ground while the rest of me carried on forward, bending it right back. Very painful! On getting it checked it turned out to be Gamekeeper's thumb (also known as skier's thumb or UCL tear) which is a tear to the ulnar collateral ligament along the side of the thumb which controls movement and provides strength. Surprising how much we use our thumbs, for instance couldn't turn a key, do up buttons and use a shifter. Considered alternatives, ie grip-shift but just stayed off the bike for a while as just holding the bars was painful. Actually how I ended up buying a road bike (not used much now ) as it was easier to control with the different hand positions and levers.

Six months of physio and a wrist strap with a metal strip up the back of the thumb to provide support got me on the mend, didn't resort to surgery but came close. It still hurts today (30 months) with visible wastage and a lump. I don't have the grip I used to. The consultant actually said breaking the thumb is less painful and more recoverable.

Get it checked out.

Good luck.

 

[supercooper]

It could of been worse , It could of been me

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Get it checked out before you do anything else. If it's broken then get it fixed and lay off the bike for a while. If it isn't take advice on the healing process and do as suggested. Pop the bike in a middle rear gear and use the front shifter so you in effect have a three speed (ratio) bike.

 

[TheCharityShop]

Thanks alot everyone for all the replies, very much appreciated, i've tried laying off riding my bike but the pull is too great, im attempting to get around in a neutral gear but i live in a fairly hilly area so it is a problem
im getting it checked out tomorrow as i have no movement in it at all and i feel pretty vulnerable riding about as it is

 

[2Loose]

Thanks alot everyone for all the replies, very much appreciated, i've tried laying off riding my bike but the pull is too great, im attempting to get around in a neutral gear but i live in a fairly hilly area so it is a problem
im getting it checked out tomorrow as i have no movement in it at all and i feel pretty vulnerable riding about as it is

Good. I could sort of use my hand after what I thought was just a bruising, but because of my hand usage I had shifted the bones. My hand took a lot longer to heal after it had been pinned.

Moral: Get it checked asap - it'll heal a lot quicker if there is a problem and they treat it quickly. If there isn't a problem, get back on it!