How Long Do I Need To Wear My Thumb Brace?

cmccare - how long do i need to wear my thumb brace

Does this sound familiar….   You have thumb arthritis, you hurt your thumb or are recovering from surgery.  You’re searching for thumb pain relief and your health care provider recommended a thumb brace to keep you from moving it.  You’ve followed your doctor’s orders and worn your brace every day for an entire week and you still have thumb pain. You’re probably asking yourself — how long do I need to wear my thumb brace?

Don’t kid yourself. Pain doesn’t go away overnight. So, how long until you’re actually pain-free? The answer is…it depends.  Arthritis or an injury to a muscle, ligament or bone causes pain, swelling and discomfort. You need to heal and that means you need time…and patience.

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Wearing A Thumb Brace

Thumb braces are a simple, cost-effective way to reduce pain, provide support, improve movement and ease the stress on your joints. Wearing a brace can help eliminate your pain, but keep in mind you might need to wear it long-term or with other treatments such as medication, topical lotions and therapy. If you have arthritis, you may need to wear it for life –  when your pain flares up, during activities or at night.

How Long to Wear Your Thumb Brace

Most health care providers will tell you to keep your brace on for a few days to several weeks, depending on the location and the severity of your thumb problem. As healing begins and you start to feel better, you may begin working to regain normal range of motion, and strength while still wearing your brace during the day and at night.  Over time as healing progresses and pain subsides, you will be able to wean out of wearing the splint and eventually discard it all together. The goal is for you to return to full use of your hand and thumb.

Key Ingredient for Thumb Pain

Given how important your thumbs are to everything you do, the “no pain, no gain” way of thinking is only liable to delay your recovery and cause you more discomfort. A key ingredient for your thumb pain to feel better is wearing a brace that will protect it and help you get back to full function. Just give it time and chances are you will be pinching and gripping and texting using your thumb at full speed and strength once again.

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Our blogs are educational in nature and are not intended as a substitute for medical advice. Because your condition is unique to you, it is recommended that you consult with your health care provider before attempting any medical or therapeutic treatments. We are always happy to answer questions about products mentioned in our blogs, however, we cannot provide a diagnosis or medical advice.

 

13 comments on “How Long Do I Need To Wear My Thumb Brace?

  1. I am an Admin Assistant and my requires that I type almost for the full 8 hours that I work. My thumbs started hurting recently and I am considering thumb braces. Can I use these for my whole shift or should I take them off at times?

    1. Yolande, It’s great that you are considering using a thumb brace. Wearing a thumb brace is an easy way to reduce pain, provide support and improve movement to ease the stress on your joints. As we are not medical professionals we are unable to provide medical advice or diagnose health conditions. With that said, most thumb braces can be worn all day and night depending on your needs and comfort level. We recommend consulting with your healthcare provider who can provide the right guidance for you. If you have any questions about our thumb braces, please feel free to reach out to our customer support team at service@ohmyarthritis.com

  2. I received a thumb brace from my doctors’ office yesterday. I have CMC arthritis. The tech said “you can’t wear this too much”….I perceived it to mean I can wear it 24/7 if I wanted to. I did tell the tech I wouldn’t be wearing it when in the kitchen due to having to wash my hands frequently. When I got home & told my husband he said “it means for limited time during the day. Which of us is correct? Also I did receive 2 steroid injections in the same hand (which was quite uncomfortable).

  3. It’s important to be patient when recovering from thumb injuries. Thumb braces are always helpful with this and people should not rush through the process since it might worsen the injury if the braces are removed before a full recovery. Thank you for providing these great points about the duration of wearing thumb braces.

  4. My dr. says I have arthritis in both thumbs. I was given thumb braces, but I have pain in my left thumb area shortly after I start wearing my left brace even without any hand activity, so I can not even bare to wear the device. I have the directions for the braces & have “opened” the metal & press it to fit around my thumb, but no matter how I have retried to pressing it lightly or firmly, it still causes pain around the entire thumb base area even if I do not move my hand or thumb. My thumb hurts even if I rub lotion on my hands. I use gel when the area becomes very bad or at night before bed. I can’t rub in on, but I dab it on lightly & left it soak in & it helps but than anything I can do. Except I can’t prepare food with the gel on my hands. What can be causing the pain when I put on the left brace?

    1. Hello Susan, I’m sorry to hear you are still experiencing pain in your thumbs. Please know that while we can provide information on certain health conditions, we are not medical professionals and are unable to give medical advice. We recommend that you consult with a healthcare professional or a certified hand therapist who can examine your thumbs and provide alternative treatment recommendations and suggestions on another thumb brace that may be more comfortable for you to wear.

  5. I was suffering CMC joint still 3 weeks. Doctors said if I wear hand brace 3 week I would be fine.But my joint pain still have.What does solve this problem ?if know any one please help me

    1. Hello Ahmed, I’m sorry to hear you are still experiencing pain in your thumb. Please know that while we can provide information on certain health conditions, we are not medical professionals and are unable to give medical advice. Thumb braces are a simple, cost-effective way to reduce pain and ease the stress on your joints. Wearing a brace can help eliminate your pain, but keep in mind you might need to wear it long-term or along with other treatments. Healing is a process and can require time and patience. I hope you find relief soon.

  6. I was just informed by my doctor that I have thumb arthritis on my right hand. My doctor said to wear my brace at night, but should not wear it during the day. That will just stiffen the joint. Should you or shouldn’t you wear a brace?? I am so confused. Thank you.

    1. Karen, Thank you for your comments. Most splints and braces for arthritis or mild injuries allow some motion and do not have the same effect as wearing a cast. They are designed to be worn for certain activities or long enough to help relieve symptoms. The fact is, that while an injury or disease may lead to a loss of range of motion or strength, the use of a splint or brace won’t cause a permanent change. Given that a brace can prevent you from favoring one hand or foot over the other, it may actually lead to better strength and improved motion.

  7. Really, thumb brace is helpful for reducing your pain. But you have to use it for a certain period upon your doctor says.
    Thanks for the great information.

  8. I have subluxation in my thumb and have been told by the physio to use a thumb brace. I’ve bought a thumb brace but it doesn’t give much support to the end of the thumb muscle near the wrist. Us there another type of thum brace to buy?

    1. Hello Tina, I am sorry to hear about your thumb condition. From your comment, it sounds like you have been diagnosed with CMC Thumb Arthritis. We do have many thumb braces available that provide moderate to firm support for CMC Thumb Arthritis, including the CMCcare Thumb Brace, the 3pp Design Line Thumb Splint, and the 3pp Thumbsling NP. You can go to this link to learn more about these thumb braces. https://www.ohmyarthritis.com/Shop-Splints/Thumb-Splints/ I hope you find relief soon!

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