Think my lo has trigger thumb...anyone else?

[MrsWatson]

So, noticed today that my lo can't straighten her thumb!

Mentioned it to my friend who is a gp, and she suggested I take her to see our doctor.

A few googles later, it looks like trigger thumb, and wondering if anyone has any experience of this?

 

[MumToEva]

I'm a hand therapist, so I see it all the time at work, as well as having a mild case in one of my own thumbs. It's where the tendons that bend the thumb get caught in one of the tunnels that they normally pass through smoothly during movement. Sometimes it gets caught briefly, then comes free with a jerk and sometimes a audible pop/click, other times you have to manually straighten the thumb with the other hand. Sometimes it's related to short term swelling, so when the swelling goes away it goes away, other times it's something that you are stuck with. If it's a problem they can surgically cut the roof of the tunnel to allow the tendon to move freely, which is relatively minor hand surgery.

Not sure if that helps any?

 

[Tiger31]

Hi,

My little boy had the surgery to release his trigger thumb in July and it was a total success. He had been diagnosed in February and the consultant wanted to wait a few months to see if it rectified itself which is quite common in young children. His didn't so we had the op done. 40 mins in theatre and 10 days in bandage after.

It never affected him from feb to July as he just kept it bent so it wasn't painful. Worthwhile getting it seen to as it can cause problems in the future if not sorted but quite easy to fix in most cases.

Hope that helps x

 

[MrsWatson]

Thank you for your replies. I can't believe we hadn't noticed it before now! I feel so guilty! Been looking over photos right back to birth, and can't find one with a straight thumb, so we think she has always had it.

Booked an appointment with my GP this afternoon.

Do you think they will operate quickly as we suspect she has had it from birth?