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Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Dislocating a Thumb to Escape Handcuffs


Not long ago, at a writer's conference, I was on a panel called "Blood and Guts." Panels are a group of folks who happen to know a little extra about a subject. They field questions from the audience which, in this case, happened to be writers.

One writer asked if we thought it was possible to dislocate your thumb to escape handcuffs. I said I didn't believe so and asked a few police officers after the fact. They agreed, probably not. However, they did say that women escape cuffs more often. If it was because they were dislocating their thumbs, they couldn't say for sure. But, they kinda doubted it. More likely they escape because officers are required to leave a bit of room between the handcuffs and the wrist, enough to be able to slip a finger between the two.

From the videos I've viewed, all featuring women, the cuff is pulled over the hand. The obligatory amount of space police officers must leave can facilitate that. The women all folded their hand together vertically. And, in every case, the thumb joint required a bit of pulling to pass.

That is the type of escape we are going to consider: pulling the cuff over the entire hand. And, if you can't fit it over your hand, will dislocating your thumb help? First, which joint are we even talking about?

According to Andrew Winch, a physical therapist specializing in sports medicine, it's not the joint we commonly think of that causes the issue. The CMC joint at the wrist is what stops the cuff. According to PT Winch:


The 1st CMC actually controls where the 1st metacarpal (the next joint up), and thus the 1st MCP, moves in space. As the 1st metacarpal rolls over the socket created by the carpal bones (at the CMC joint), the 1st metacarpal rolls forward and brings the 1st MCP with it. So, in theory, dislocating the 1st CMC would, in theory, shift the whole 1st metacarpal out of place. So yes, the CMC is what would need to be dislocated to get the metacarpal out of the way, which is required to slip out of a properly tightened set of cuffs (which get caught first on the head of the 1st metacarpal at the 1st CMC).


He continued:
...the first CMC is a saddle joint, so the only real way to traumatically dislocate it is to break one of the bony components of the saddle (or pull the thumb so far straight out that you distract the joint past those ridges, thus ripping every ligament in the joint).


Even if it were the next joint up, the MCP joint, that held the cuffs at bay, dislocating it wouldn't be much help either.


As you can see, and according to Winch as well, the thickness of the hand isn't changed much. And, even if did make the hand thinner, once you got the cuff up over the dislocated joint, the rest of the thumb would pose a problem. Here's why:


Need I say more?

So, in my opinion and, more importantly, PT Winch's professional opinion, dislocating the thumb to remove handcuffs is not USUALLY a "thing." Might it happen in some rare case? Well, yes. But, it would be truly rare as in a syndrome like Ehlers-Danlos which effects the connective tissue. If that is the case, you have something like this:




However, it is common for folks with Ehler-Danlos Syndrome to also have heart issues. So, even if they remain calm enough in such an emergency situation to escape the handcuffs, a speedy getaway on foot might be an issue.

For more info on crazy, mystery writer type subjects like this and more, head over to FightWrite.net. And, if you have a question that you would like FightWrite to address, leave it in the comments below. You might be chosen as its featured fight writer!






Leave a comment below for a chance to win Linda Kozar's, Misfortune Cookies! If you haven't read her books, ya should. She's a hoot.



24 comments:

  1. The pictures included in the article are like some I see in medical journals. I think I'll just assume that once handcuffs are applied, the hero/villain in my stories stay in them until something else happens--a key, a hacksaw, something that frees the character. Thanks (for making me glad I'm retired from medicine).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Remember that officers do have to leave room between the cuffs and the hand. Sometimes that space is enough for a woman to slip her hands out. You will also see YouTube videos where some guys actually break the cuffs. CRAZY!

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  2. Very interesting. I can honestly say that is something I've never thought about.
    lhanberry1(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had never thought of it either!

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    2. Linda, you are the winner of Linda Kozar's book, Misfortune Cookies! Send me an email with your address. CarlaHoch@yahoo.com :)

      Delete
  3. Wow! I just love how author's minds operate! Got to admit, the pictures showing the dislocated thumb are kind of creepy. ;) Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is a very interesting post and I can't imagine the discomfort if your thumb was actually dislocated!
    Blessings!
    Connie
    cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  5. That is very strange! Thanks for the review and the chan e to win the book!
    faithdcreech at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great information! I'll use it sometime...hehehe

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow! That looks and sounds uncomfortable! Thanks for the interesting post.

    whthomas13 at yahoo dot com

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  8. Ummm...I had trigger thumb for a few weeks (until I was miraculously healed!) & it was so very painful--I don't know that I would try to get out of handcuffs, unless it was a life/death situation!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Very interesting post. I would think dislocating your thumb would br really painful.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too! But, I guess if you are in handcuffs you got bigger problems than some joint pain! ;)

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  10. was interesting

    bn100candg at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  11. The kind of research writers have to do to have believable novels, wow! Any joint large or small dislocated would be extremely painful I would think. Although if too tight cuffs could rub the skin raw.
    tumcsec(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Looks painful. Hope I never need to try to get out of handcuffs. Thanks for the information. paulams49ATsbcglobalDOTnet

    ReplyDelete
  13. I dislocated my thumb several times playing softball, popped it back in with some help and kept playing. It hurts, but it's not unbearable. Of course, I thought natural child birth was pretty easy too, so maybe that's just me...eldora2193@comcast.net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I dislocated mine too and for weeks after if I so much as bumped it, out it went! I think the pain would be different if you were inflicting it upon yourself!

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