Creamer has thumb surgery, expected to be back 'soon'

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LPGA Tour player Paula Creamer underwent successful surgery on her left thumb Tuesday and will return to play after the necessary rehabilitation and training schedule.

Creamer was previously diagnosed by several hand specialists as having stretched ligaments in her left thumb, which lead to hyperextension of the metacarpal phalangeal joint. On the medical advice of all the doctors she consulted, she worked with occupational therapists to find alternative treatment options. Recently it was determined that surgery was the best long-term course of action. The surgery was performed by Dr. Thomas Hunt in Birmingham, Ala., on Tuesday morning.

"Paula had ligament damage in the MCP joint of her left thumb, which needed to be repaired," said Dr. Hunt. "The surgery to reconstruct this ligament went beautifully and I expect Paula to recover fully and be back on the golf course soon."

"While I am disappointed that I will have to miss time, the most important thing was to find the source of the problem and correct it, which my doctors are confident we have done," said Creamer. "We looked at many options to try and continue playing, including splints and braces, but if surgery was going to be inevitable, we agreed that it made sense to go ahead with it, so I could return to play pain-free as soon as possible. While I will miss being on Tour for awhile longer, I will be working just as hard through the rehabilitation, and look forward to getting back to competition."