Acute Gamekeeper's Thumb: Quantitative Outcome of Surgical Repair

Ten consecutive patients with 11 complete ulnar col lateral ligament tears who had early surgical repair were evaluated at an average of 42 months' followup. The mean arc of motion at the metacarpophalangeal joint at 50.9° was less than the 73.7° seen in the uninjured thumbs. At the interphalangeal joint, the mean arc of motion in the injured thumb was 101.6° compared with 112.6° on the uninjured side. Ulnar laxity was de creased slightly compared with the contralateral thumb (14.0° versus 15.3°) and radial laxity was 10.3° on both sides. The mean grip strength and key pinch were simi lar between the injured and uninjured sides: grip strength was 32.3 kg in the injured thumbs and 34.0 kg in the uninjured; key pinch was 8.1 kg in the injured thumbs and 8.8 kg in the uninjured. Good stability with slight decrease in motion was obtained in our patients.