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Medical Author:

Justin Strittmatter, MD

Coauthor:

Charles Preston, MD

Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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If the doctor determines that the patient has a skier's thumb, then referral to an orthopedic or hand surgeon will be the next step in care. The orthopedic surgeon will determine when the thumb needs to be reexamined. At that time, the patien'ts options for surgical versus nonsurgical therapy will be discussed.

Typically, partial injuries to the ulnar collateral ligament are immobilized for several weeks, while complete rupture of the ligament usually requires surgical repair.

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