Isolated traumatic dislocation of the thumb carpometacarpal joint, also called the trapeziometacarpal joint, is a rare injury. Controversy still exists concerning which ligaments are the true key stabilizers for the joint and therefore need to be damaged to result in dislocation, and optimal treatment strategies for thumb carpometacarpal joint dislocations are the subject of continuing debate. We give a review of the literature concerning traumatic dislocations of the carpometacarpal joint of the thumb and propose a treatment algorithm.