I cut the middle segment of my middle finger on my left hand down to the bone. The finger was not broken. The cut started with a bent finger I said “ouch” began to straighten my finger while pulling my hand away and fileted the middle segment. There was a small amount of sqirting blood. I severed two flexor tendons and one nerve and made a big mess of the tendons.
I had surgerey two days after the injury. Doc re-attached the tendons and nerve. To my delight the “dead” area started to tingle within a few days. I am uncertain to the exact procedure doc used to “fix” the mangled tendons.
Today is 2 weeks after the injury. I have had 4 physical therapy sessions.
For rehabing the finger doc perscribed the “Modified Duran Protocol” witch starts with active extension and passive flexion(rubber bands pull my finger into the palm).
Range of motion of the most distal knuckle of my finger seems ok compared to the right.
However range of motion of the middle knuckle is not as good as the right hand. If a straight finger is zero degrees knuckle angle my right hand
can get maybe 120 degrees range. The shredded one can get 80-85 degrees max range. If give a gentle press on my finger when in my brace (hand closed position) I can get 5-10 more degrees range. At that point it feels like almost a positive stop like it’s bumping into something.
Why have I bored you all with my story?
The doc and therapist say I have a good chance of being “normal”. I don’t think they consider sets of chins on a fat rolling bar or sets on a #1 CoC with a few closes of the #2 CoC gripper or pinch gripping 35s or farmers walks normal. I train whole body to stay happy an healthy but grip strength is my favorite part of this hobby.
If you’ve read this far, thanks. If you have had a similar injury or are a therapist or seurgeon specializing in the hand please comment on my chances of getting my left hand as strong as it was 3 weeks ago again. Comment on any thing I should ask or look out for.
I watched the carpentry supervisor I was working for once router his little finger off…they sent us back with a baggy to get it for reattachment but it had been reduced to shavings…
Looks like it isn’t on straight, to me. Is it on straight or did it attach crooked?
Give it time man give it time. Might take awhile for the tendons to get strong again those things are slow to heal. Don’t push it.
Such is life. Can’t be helped. At least you got a finger there.
Unless you previously were at your lifetime best potential strength and were headed towards old age and degeneration, then you probably can get back to previous and better strength.
Take care of the dodgy finger though. For months and months, at least.
God! That looks painful. I can’t imagine what it looked like before your surgery was complete. No advice or experience with this type of injury, but good luck with the rehab. I guess you can be thankful you still have your finger.
I had a very similar injury two Decembers ago a bit worse maybe, see all those outlines in blue where they were going to cut you? thats what my scar looks like. My doctor had me on the klienert protocol, strange glove with elastics, looked rediculous. Is the repair at risk for rupture?? The best advice i can give you is do everything your physio people tell you, to a tee, no exceptions. also make sure you show up on time for physio, if you even leave it a week later it can affect you. You’ll get some exercises to do, do them religiously. when the wound closes try and massage the scar tissue out.my finger is bent, i can get it straight in a few days at the cost of gripstrength. I didn’t really follow a solid program and was absent from physio for 3 months right in the middle of it as i was moving in between cities. Basically I’m the perfect example of what not to do.
