Monday, June 14, 2010

Dislocated thumb?

Ethan found an entertaining ride during our recent visit to an elderly friend’s house. We brought dinner, and while Beth was preparing the final touches, Ethan asked to ride the motorized stair lift. Normally Bill, who can no longer walk, uses it to get up or down the stairway. For Ethan, however, the lift was an ongoing source of amusement, once I showed him how to use the rocker switch at the end of the right arm rest to command the chair’s movement.

After countless round trips, Ethan hopped off and came over to join us as we started eating. At the table, Ethan pointed to his left thumb and complained that it hurt. This was the thumb he had used push and hold the rocker switch, something that required a lot of force for him. As I looked at it, I was shocked. It looked completely out of place! I took his hand and started to examine what I believed to be a dislocated thumb, but was quickly relieved to find that in reality, he was just fine. I showed him how to do some thumb exercises, and then he felt fine.

While comparing his thumbs, I was impressed by his far-reaching range of motion. Unless something changes as he grows up, I think Ethan will be double jointed.