Abstract
Locking of the thumb metacarpophalangeal joint is a relatively rare condition. We
report successful treatment in 11 cases of locking of the thumb. Ten patients were
diagnosed at an average of 3.2 days (range: 0–21 days) from the injury onset, whereas
one patient was diagnosed at 4 months from the injury. Seven of 11 cases underwent
successful manual reduction, whereas the other four cases required surgical treatment.
Among the surgically treated cases, all cases had a sharp prominent of the radial
condyle of the metacarpal head. Therefore, this case series showed 1 chronic case
and 4 of 10 cases with a nonround shape of metacarpal heads requiring open reduction.
Keywords
locking of the thumb - metacarpal head - open reduction
