hand injury - off the bike :(

[d_douglas]

I am dealing with lots of pain from a strained or torn ligament in my thumb, according to initial diagnosis from my physio. I am going for an ultrasound next week to determine if there is a tear, etc. It seems minor, but it hurts like hell! I could barely work yesterday, mostly because I was whining, but simply from using a mouse, keyboard and taking notes by hand.

The injury originated from this past summer when I lost my grip on my handlebar while offroad (on my drop bar Rock Lobster). I regained my grip before crashing, then mustve hit a rock or rut and hyperextended my thumb. It hurt at the time, I cursed for a few minutes and kept riding. Its been sore for months, but a low level of pain.

Flash forward this past weekend and I am riding my FS bike and suddenly I start feeling more pain in my hand. I babied it a bit, then came home and got on with my day. Within three days, I have pain that is keeping me up at night!

Anyways, I feel like a brace of some kind would help (once I can ride again). Does anyone ride with one? I also worry that the injury to my thumb might not be substantially improved by the types of braces out there, like a wrist support. Egads, I cannot stop riding a bike because of this!