…pushing calf compression off over my ankle. Thumb bent back from the elasticity of the compression!

What is there to help protect my dodgy calf muscles from injury, has now rendered me unable to ride, possibly.

But, given that the trails are dry and I must make the most of it, any suggestions for strapping / recovery to help me ride wednesday night…

I injured my thumb last year. Took a couple of months to recover but then I’m really old. Tried various gels & creams but nothing helped much. Fortunately it was my left thumb so I just operated the left shifter with my right hand.

any suggestions for strapping / recovery to help me ride wednesday night…

Gripshift 🙂

…pushing calf compression off over my ankle. Thumb bent back from the elasticity of the compression!

What is there to help protect my dodgy calf muscles from injury, has now rendered me unable to ride, possibly.

But, given that the trails are dry and I must make the most of it, any suggestions for strapping / recovery to help me ride wednesday night…

I feel your pain…

I’ve done it too but we had spent two weeks in Scotland and on the way home thought a cheeky trip to Glentress on the way back was a great way to end a superb two weeks.

As I went to push the car boot down a wasp launched at me and like a big fairy in probably a camp david walliams fashion I missed the boot firmly and pushed my thumb out of its socket and it went straight back in again! The pain of a sprained thumb! Urgh! Never felt anything like it.

As for riding well I wimped on and basically just stayed in the granny ring. We have a stash of painkillers. Maybe try some co-codamol and ibuprofen to subdue the sprain for a bit.

Alternatively… 🙂

I dislocated my finger wrapping an elastic band round an inner tube. Couldn’t ride for two weeks…

I got a kick from a cow that whipped my thumb right back. The pain was ridiculous. Past the tipping point of nauseating. I thought bones had broken but along with a truck load of bruising I’d instead ripped or strained one of the small tendons on the inside of the thumb. I got given a neat little Velcro splint from the local Minor Injuries Unit that has allowed me to get back to work but 4 weeks on I still have a fair bit of pain shifting gear, giving foot massages and writing.

I know nothing about compression clothing but I can fully recommend Frome miu

http://www.physioadvisor.com.au/12460050/thumb-taping-thumb-strapping-strap-thumb-phy.htm

Arthritic thumb here – gripshift, and about to experiment with an ergo control bar end, that’s the hammerhead design.

I have used gaffer tape and it worked fine.

Singlespeed.

Those thumb tendon injuries are nasty. My physio made me have an x-ray as they can sometimes pull a piece of bone off when they detach. Don’t know what more they could do about it though. A splint and bandaging is good, if only to stop you trying to use it accidentally.

The agony of doubling your thumb back trying to get on a stiff tyre… Good god.

Caught mine behind dropper remote in an over the bars incident on Saturday – it’s been agony since and, whilst the swelling has subsided somewhat, it’s a weird colour at the minute.

Seriously considering a trip to the local small injuries unit to have it looked at.

I managed to do both thumbs last year! (Go me!!!)

The first one went back indoor surfing…yes, really.
The second one went back on a stupid crash on wet grass.

Taping as above and ibuprofen by the handful will allow you to ride if you absolutely have to but really you should be RICE-ing it etc.

I found that my thumbs haven’t quite the same since but a switch to Jones bars certainly made life more comfy!

Thanks all (especially for all your other disaster stories – although none seemed to involve drinking)

Not too bad today – lots of purple and swollen, but I think all the icing last night and compression has kept the swelling down. Can actually grip things now. Still a bit sore, mind.

Going to thoroughly tape and protect for weds, but ain’t nothing going to stop me riding the moors when it’s dry and fast like it is now. 🙂

@RoterStern – I wondered when someone would suggest singlespeed. 🙂

I think a few of you need to google ‘mallet finger’, just in case.

Once fell off on the second corner of the first lap of a Sleepless and smacked my thumb, 2.05pm.

Next 24 hours was not very fun, every small bump on the trail produced an expletive from me, which got some funny looks from the other riders.

Thumb joint (first one) stayed enlarged for a couple of years although the pain faded after about 6 weeks.

I did mine last summer in the Alps. On the pas porte du soliel miles from where we were staying in morzine so had no option to ride on without shifting. The doctor there have me a small thumb brace that Velcros around your hand and wrist. Just about fitted under a glove (with thumb cut out). Enabled me to carry on riding for the rest of the week and the splint enabled me to change gear without too much trouble. Back in the UK turned out I had broken and torn a tendon. Healed eventually but a year on I still have an enlarged thumb knuckle and reduced movement.

So icing and strapping has meant that despite a bit purply blue, it was ok to ride this morning.
Beautiful morning, sun, cold, riding well.

And then…

Puncture. Road bike tyre. Sprained thumb.

I had to laugh. I haven’t had a road bike puncture for about 8 years. Then 2 days after spraining my thumb I then have to try roll the tyre off one and a half handed…

Ho hum. Sh1t happens.