crooked fingers

[spacebug]

Went to physical therapy for my wonked-out digit today. I now have a crazy lookin' splint made out of that thermal plastic, some tapey stuff, a sheet of exercises, and two more appointments for the next two weeks. They poked at it and measured the angle it's at right now. The exercises they have me do make it hurt more, so I know now that that's okay and that I'll have to kind of work through some pain for it to straighten out again. I was afraid to do stuff like that before because I wasn't sure if it was good or bad for it. The splint doesn't straighten it out completely, it follows a little bit of its crook. I'm only to wear it at night, and they're hoping it will straighten out enough over the week to necessitate a new, straighter splint next time. They said that the tendons that got messed up are finnicky and slow to heal, and that the swelling probably wouldn't really go back to normal for 6-8 months. Huh.

Comments

[magicmarmot.livejournal.com]

Messed up, that.

How does it affect your playing?

[spacebug.livejournal.com]

It doesn't, fortunately. I have a pretty good range of motion in it and putting pressure on it from the pad of my finger is fine, so things like typing or fingering a saxophone don't hurt at all. It's bending the middle knuckle that's messed up- getting that finger all the way into a fist and especially trying to straighten it out all the way both hurt a lot, also any pressure from the top hurts (it's hard to put that hand in the pocket of tighter fitting jeans without some pain.) I guess what happened is that the impact caused the tendons to either be damanged and/or pushed down lower than where they're supposed to be along the side of the joint. They, likely along with some internal scar tissue, have to get stretched out again over time to get back to where they ought to be. That makes sense to how it feels, which is like the muscles there are too short for my finger to move all the way it wants to.

[r0ckc4ndy.livejournal.com]

isn't finger stuff CRAZY? 6-8 months?? You can make a baby almost that fast and they have to grow all new fingers!! But I don't think you should make a baby, just healing the finger will be fine.

[spacebug.livejournal.com]

oh, phew. I'm not ready for a baby. But I'd sure like my finger to work all the way again.

[celina.livejournal.com]

Took me about two years for the tendons in my wrists to stop hurting when I got injured. The thought of injuring them or feeling that pain again keeps me from doing a lot of little things.

[dangerdhotrod.livejournal.com]

this is why my shoulder bugs me so much, i can tell it's something deep inside my body and i can't touch it or massage it and it's just...not right. and it'll probably be 6-8 months before it's right again. but i want to use my shoulder, like A LOT because the shoulder is really important for climbing and handstands and spinning around hanging from your arm and all the things i like to do are all about arms and shoulders.

stupid bodies! just replace it with synthetics, i say!

[nibblesonwords.livejournal.com]

don't you remember? your finger is "normal"... heh. :p