Is This A Sign Of A Fracture Bone Bruise?

Posted on Fri, 12 Jun 2020

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 12 Jun 2020 Answered on

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 Last reviewed on

Question : So... a few weeks ago, I was helping my family clear some boulders from our yard, and while lifting one over the fence with the help of my mom's boyfriend, my grip slipped, and the struck the joint of my left thumb with a glancing blow.
The bruising has since gone away, but I still occasionally feel discomfort and/or pain when moving my thumb in certain ways (it's especially noticeable when playing my bass guitar). Is this a sign of a fracture (I don't really notice any swelling in the area or odd coloration), or is it more of a "bone bruise"?

Answered by Dr. T Chandrakant (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Pericapsular ligament injury is most probable

Detailed Answer:
Hi.
Thanks for your query.
Noted the history and understood the concerns.

Your history is more suggestive of injury to the soft tissues, particularly the soft tissues around the joint which help to keep the joint stable.

These are usually the ligaments and it looks that these got bruised or partial tear during the incidence as you have explained.

The best treatment is to keep the joint stable by splinting it in a natural position so the tissues get time to heal better.

I hope this answers your query and helps you.
Please give feedback.

Dr T Chandrakant
General Surgeon

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee