Hand/Wrist Injury

[zucher11]

About 4 weeks ago I was riding home from a bike workout and got hit by a car. It was a low speed collision, and I only suffered scrapes, bruises, and what I thought was a sprained thumb. The pain in my thumb subsided over the next 24 hours and moved down from the lower knuckle of my thumb into my hand, and wrist. It seemed to get better over the next two weeks. Since then, the pain has gotten progressively worse. When I push, pull or use my thumb for any activity, I get shooting pains into my lower arm. It is not swollen, but the meaty party of my hand, where it meets my wrist is painful to the touch. Recently, it has gotten stiff at night. After 4 weeks, I'm getting worried that I might have a small bone broken. Any thoughts?

[Heidi]

Hi
A fracture is a possibility. The only way to know for sure is getting an x-ray. I would go to your family Doctor as a starting point and try to get referred for one. The scaphoid is a commonly injured bone in the wrist which really should be checked out as it frequently has problems healing:
http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/front/wrist_forearm/fractured_scaphoid.php
Of course there may not be a fracture at all and it may be a soft tissue injury. But at least if you have an x-ray you will know for sure.