Many injuries can occur during skiing, of which the skier’s thumb is one of the most common injuries. It can be treated with kinesiology tape. Skier’s thumb is an acute trauma to the thumb joint, which is often a long-term and annoying injury. With the skier’s thumb, the ligament of the knuckle joint (MCP joint) on the inside of the thumb is stretched, weakened, or torn. This injury can also occur when playing ball sports because the ball flips the thumb backward at a high speed. The complaints can also be caused by trauma (accident or fall).
A gamekeeper’s thumb is the chronic form of a skier’s thumb. This is usually caused by prolonged, repetitive movements of the thumb. As a result, the capsule stretches, the thumb joint becomes unstable, which then can cause wear and tear.
Symptoms skier’s thumb
- An unstable feeling of the knuckle joint.
- Loss of power.
- In acute trauma, swelling and/or discoloration is visible.
- Pain on the inside of the thumb at the cockle joint (where the thumb begins) and pain while moving the thumb.
Treatment of skier’s thumb with CureTape
If the ligaments of the thumb joint are torn, surgery is necessary.
In the case of instability, osteoarthritis, a tear, or strain, CureTape® kinesiology tape can be applied in addition to the treatment to reduce pain and promote the recovery process.
Taping a skier’s thumb
Below a step-by-step explanation of how to tape this injury with two strips of CureTape® kinesiology tape can be found.
First strip: Cut a strip of 0.5 cm wide and about 15 to 20 cm long. Apply the base of the first tape, without tension, to the radial side of the thumb. Then, use the ligament technique to make a cross over the medial side of the first MCP joint and finish on the dorsal side.
Second strip: Cut a strip of 1 to 1.5 cm wide and about 25 to 30 cm long. Apply the unstretched base layer on the inside of the first MCP joint. Then apply the tape with a slight stretch over the palmar side of the thumb laterally, then apply the tape over the dorsal side of the thumb towards the back of the hand. Finally, apply the tape across the base layer of the fifth metacarpal to the palmar side of the hand joint and back to the base of the metacarpal-phalange (MCP)1. The tape strip now forms the number 8.
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Please note that applications provided on our website are not clinically proven. All mentioned applications are based on extensive evaluation and case studies with licensed physiotherapists and/or other health professionals.
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