Broken thumb: Symptoms, treatment and recovery

 A thumb fracture or broken thumb is a break in 1 of the 2 bones that make up the thumb. 

Symptoms of a broken thumb

How to tell if your thumb is broken

Treatment for a broken thumb



It’s not always easy to tell if an injured thumb is broken or sprained, that’s why it’s important to see a doctor or go to the emergency room if there’s a chance that you’ve broken your thumb. 

## Symptoms of a broken thumb

The exact symptoms you may notice if you have a broken thumb can depend on the part of your thumb that’s affected, the direction of the break and if it’s an open (the broken bone sticks out of your skin) or closed fracture (the broken bone doesn’t stick out of your skin).

But, common symptoms of a broken thumb include:

- pain
- swelling
- bruising
- trouble moving the thumb as normal 



::: body-ad-desktop
zones:: 232632,232448,232640
types:: 163
disclaimer:: AD
typeFilter:: native_ad
adCount:: 1

:::


::: body-ad-mobile
zones:: 232632,232448,232642
types:: 5,163
disclaimer:: ADVERTISEMENT
typeFilter:: display/native_ad
adCount:: 1

:::
## How to tell if your thumb is broken

A doctor may suspect a broken thumb based on your symptoms and how you injured your thumb, but you will usually need an [X-ray](/health-library/medical-exams/x-ray) to confirm the diagnosis.



::: body-ad-mobile
zones:: 232632,232448,233460
types:: 5
disclaimer:: ADVERTISEMENT
typeFilter:: display
adCount:: 1

:::
## Treatment for a broken thumb

If you think you’ve broken your thumb, you can do a few things to help your symptoms while waiting to see a doctor. These include:

- taking painkillers – avoid non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) until a doctor says it’s OK to take them
- removing any rings from the injured hand
- not moving your thumb – try taping it to the finger next to it to keep it still
- holding ice wrapped in a cloth against your thumb for 15 to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours to reduce the swelling
- holding your thumb up (if possible) to help reduce the swelling

Medical treatment may include: 

- numbing your thumb with local anaesthetic before straightening it back into its normal position
- holding your thumb still – e.g. by putting it in a splint or cast
- giving you a tetanus injection or antibiotics (if there's a cut) to prevent infection
- surgery, in some cases – e.g if you’ve got nerve damage or many breaks in the bone 

error

 There was an error when submitting your feedback – have a screen break then try again in a few minutes.

Oh no, something’s gone wrong

ANY COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS?

initial

This isn’t helpful

This isn’t relevant

Something is wrong

This isn’t accurate

Please select one.

loading

success

We're listening – we use your feedback to improve your experience, and make our content more helpful.

Thank you for your feedback

References

Dr Lauretta Ihonor

Dr Ann Nainan

Article information

All of Healthily's articles undergo medical safety checks to verify that the information is medically safe. View more details in our <a href="/safety" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">safety page</a>, or read our <a href="/legal/editorial-policy-principles" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">editorial policy</a>.

 A thumb fracture or broken thumb is a break in 1 of the 2 bones that make up the thumb. It’s not always easy to tell if you’ve broken your thumb, but here are the common symptoms of a broken thumb and how it’s treated.