Severed tendon in finger

[RowntreesCabana]

I had an accident on the weekend and sliced through the tendon in my index finger and will be having an op shortly.

Can someone who's suffered this let me know just what you can do with the injured hand in the form or exercise? I'm really specifically talking about push ups, so not gripping anything, the fingers will remain straight, but I'm wondering about the forearm and bicep/tricep flexing and if this will pull on the tendons in the hand and damage the repair work?

[anonymous-user]

Speak to your consultant?

[andyr30]

Can't really help much but I did the same when I was about 14 with a Stanley knife...I was in a finger splint for quite a while and didn't do much back then with exercises...but the Physio I got from the hospital was second to none and meant I regained full function.

It helped that the physiotherapist was a very attractive young blonde Scottish girl...so I was always keen to visit!

Good luck with the recovery.

[RowntreesCabana]

Badda said:

Speak to your consultant?

I will be thanks, I'm just wondering if anyone who's suffered this can give me an idea ahead of my operation....

[RowntreesCabana]

andyr30 said:

Can't really help much but I did the same when I was about 14 with a Stanley knife...I was in a finger splint for quite a while and didn't do much back then with exercises...but the Physio I got from the hospital was second to none and meant I regained full function.

It helped that the physiotherapist was a very attractive young blonde Scottish girl...so I was always keen to visit!

Good luck with the recovery.

Ha ha, thanks. I hope my physio is in the same mold!

[anonymous-user]

RowntreesCabana said:

Badda said:

Speak to your consultant?

I will be thanks, I'm just wondering if anyone who's suffered this can give me an idea ahead of my operation....

You might be lucky to get 2 or 3 people on here who can share their experiences. If you google it, you'll find lots of people who've had bad experiences (as people don't tend to take the time to type forum posts on mundane ops that go well).

However, your consultant will have dealt with thousands of patients and all the complications post surgery and is the best placed to answer your question.

[Hoofy]

I've had a similar injury and any exercise involving the forearm was really noticeable. Forget damaging the repair work - you will really feel it if you try to do anything that tenses the hand. Remember that Deutschland 83 where the spy makes a cup of coffee - they didn't do their research as there's no way he would have been able to hold the cup without pain if all his fingers had been broken. That series aired just after I had my finger broken and I winced expecting the actor to show pain but he just carried on like there was no injury.

That said, I managed to do shoulder presses by cupping a kettlebell in the palm of my hand so that there was no tension. Similar for push ups using push up bars/handles.

[Aydogflipper]

RowntreesCabana said:

I had an accident on the weekend and sliced through the tendon in my index finger and will be having an op shortly.

Can someone who's suffered this let me know just what you can do with the injured hand in the form or exercise? I'm really specifically talking about push ups, so not gripping anything, the fingers will remain straight, but I'm wondering about the forearm and bicep/tricep flexing and if this will pull on the tendons in the hand and damage the repair work?

I had a similar injury last year where I fully severed one and partially severed another tendon in my index finger. I also did a lot of nerve damage and took out an artery too.

With all the damage I did it has taken a long time to rebuild strength in my right hand and arm.

I followed exactly what I was told with regards to the exercises they give you. This was basic movements such as touching thumb to finger and bending them gently using my other hand.

Any wrist movement pulls on the tendons so that’s why they keep it in a splint during the early weeks and get you to avoid using the arm as such.

I stopped weight lifting as per the advice I was given at the time. Remember that the tendon is weak for the first few weeks and it’s not worth breaking the repair.

As mentioned I had a lot of damage to the area. The end result over a year down the line is that it’s not what it was. I would say I have 85% movement of the finger. Grip isn’t as good as it was. Due to the nerve damage It’s numb in places still too.

Hope that gives you a bit of insight.

[Skyedriver]

Been there collected the T shirt etc
Index finger left hand (I'm left handed) caught a spinning circular saw blade. Severed tendon clipped nerve etc
That was back in 2005
Op to find the tendons means search up length of finger, fortunately it had stopped there or they may have ended up looking up my arm apparently...
A sort of plastic cast to hold my hand in place for a few weeks, removed once a day to massage and oil the skin.
Had a lovely physio who looked after me during the post op recuperation. My wife.

[Spitfire2]

Main advice would be to do what the physio tells you (inevitably involving balls of hard plasticine stuff at some point) strictly.

When I did similar (little finger on my left hand) the surgeon shook his head and said I'd probably pretty much use the loose of it. I think this was a tactic for when the physio half an hour later said the surgeaon was talking ste and if I worked hard at it I'd be all good.

I worked hard at it and although it still looks a little deformed I'm all good.

[Hoofy]

Spitfire2 said:

I worked hard at it and although it still looks a little deformed I'm all good.

Yeah, mine looks a little dodgy but 5 years on and grip is back. Can't quite make an entirely tight fist but thankfully I forgot in one class and managed to punch fine.

[The_Doc]

The answer to your question comes from the surgeon.

However, the Belfast Regime for flexor tendon repair (or Norwich for extensors) is what you would find if you googled.

I can't advise you, your surgeon will, but go and Google Belfast Regime.

[drfrank]

I have repaired hundreds of flexor tendons. The surgery is relatively straightforward and can be done under local/regional anaesthetic. The actual surgery is a small part of the treatment of a flexor tendon injury, the rehabilitation is far more important. Following the repair the strength of the tendon will decrease whilst it heals before gradually returning. Tendons have a very poor blood supply and as such need time to repair themselves.
It is vital that you follow the instructions given to you by your surgeon and physio/hand therapist. Wear your splint ! and protect the repair at all costs.
The rehab is a balancing act - too little and the tendon can get stuck in the tendon sheath, too aggressive and the repair can fail.