Ten consecutive patients with 11 complete ulnar collateral ligament te
ars who had early surgical repair were evaluated at an average of 42 m
onths' followup. The mean are of motion at the metacarpophalangeal joi
nt at 50.9 degrees was less than the 73.7 degrees seen in the uninjure
d thumbs. At the interphalangeal joint, the mean arc of motion in the
injured thumb was 101.6 degrees compared with 112.6 degrees on the uni
njured side. Ulnar laxity was decreased slightly compared with the con
tralateral thumb (14.0 degrees versus 15.3 degrees) and radial laxity
was 10.3 degrees on both sides. The mean grip strength and key pinch w
ere similar between the injured and uninjured sides: grip strength was
32.3 kg in the injured thumbs and 34.0 kg in the uninjured; key pinch
was 8.1 kg in the injured thumbs and 8.8 kg in the uninjured. Good st
ability with slight decrease in motion was obtained in our patients.