Cut Tendon... :(

I've not sufferred any injuries to my digits, but have experience with serious injury. Please make sure you go for physiotherapy (important if you want to get full mobility/strength back) - the soft rubber ball rock climbers use is good. For a low cost alternative, just pick up/release a thick fluffy towel. Also, try "drawing" alphabets in the air with that finger. But, all these whilst bearing in mind that you've got to listen to the finger.

You can also consider accupuncture. No experience there personally, but I wouldn't hesitate to consider that therapy.
 
Sorry to hear that, and good luck on your recovery!

I bought a plain edge Spyderco Police yesterday and while playing with it, I managed to slice my middle finger. It wasn't very bad, but I'm usually VERY careful and hadn't cut myself in a long time.

They always say that a dull knife is more dangerous because you have to use more force to cut and you have less control. I think that's true, BUT sharp knives are definately more dangerous if you lightly or accidentally come in contact with the edge because you can do a lot of damage with relatively little force. I'm pretty sure I could play with a butter knife all day in a very reckless manner without getting cut.

Be careful everyone, and like my brother (who got me interested in knives) always said, "Stop when you get to bone!" :(
 
Hope you have a speedy recovery. I know what a "pain" ;) hand injuries can be. Good Luck!
 
Normark,

I hope all goes well in the end, and my prayers are with you.

I'm glad you posted this thread. I hope that every knob-head who writes about the romance of 'knife fighting' talks to forumites like you. A minor slip has impaired your hand for quite a period, and then there's the cost and hassle of doctors.

I think any dweeb who asks "What's a good fighter?" should also ask, "Hey, what's a good HMO and will I be crippled?"

Thanks for allowing us a look into your personal life to show some real-world issues. Heal up soon, man.
 
I claim 1st place in the "duh!" awards. 3 days ago I cut my tongue with my Sebbie!

I was slicing soft cheese to eat as I watched telly, then licking the blade clean. It wasn't the licking that did the damage (always lick from the back towards the edge, kiddies!), it was repositioning the blade to harvest an especially juicy chunk of Brie. The blade just kissed the edge of my tongue, raising a 1/2" flap of meat.....

Luckily it was more humiliating than painful, but boy was it humiliating!

maximus otter
 
Good thing you didn't slice it vertically, we'd have to call you forked tongue from now on hey?;)
\
Sheesh, be careful with the cheese please. :eek:

Brownie
 
yow! i've been lucky so far, i guess, though every time i get a new, scary-sharp knife, i manage to get some nicks on myself playing with the thing until i get used to the ergonomics. never cut a tendon, though. disciplined physical therapist-reccomended exercise should be able to get most of that functionality back, though it will probably always be a little weird feeling. perhaps you should alter your "bag of ice" to some filthy war criminal you had to dispatch during "the war". it helps to have a couple of nice stories with scars to validate them :D
 
A little over two years ago I inadverdantly released the lock on a CRKT small KISS while trying to remove a Supersoaker squirtgun from it's package at a six year old's birthday party. The knife folded up on my middle finger. As soon as I looked at the cut (top middle of right middle finger) I knew it was off to the ER. The Dr. looked at it and said I needed stitches but had no tendon damage, but that I had to go to the local Kaiser facility if I wanted my insurance to pay for it. That was lucky for me. When I got inspected at Kaiser, the Dr. there said that I had nearly severed my extensor tendon on my middle finger and that he had called for a micro-surgeon (very tiny Dr.). Four hours later after surgery my right was in a CAST where it remained for the next four weeks to immobilize the finger to allow the tendon to heal completely. Then it was in a brace for a few more weeks and from there it was on to therapy. From what I learned, once a tendon is damaged, part of the healing process causes it to become very soft, to the point that it can snap is strained which is why it needs to be completely immobilized.

Being right hand dominant, it really sucked losing the use of my right hand for six weeks. Simple things like putting on your pants in the morning become a real pain in the A.

Sorry to hear about your injury. Good luck with your recovery. Mine has healed up as good as new, but it was painfull getting there.

jmx
 
This is the sort of care given by non-board certified Emergency Medicine docs that gives those with the real credentials a bad name. That laceration should have been splinted from the get-go and referred to a hand specialist. Still no garauntee of future disability, but at least you would have had a chance. If you haven't seen a hand specialist yet, make it a priority. That kind of injury, when ignored, may get much worse leading to the finger being permanently disabled limiting the kind of work you might be able to perform.
Good luck,
Doc Z
 
Sucks about the tendon, i know what its like though. I had 3 operations on my right hand pinky finger and it still doesnt function right, here is as straight as it gets.

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Here is the scar, if you look closly you can see a small scar on my wrist. Thats where theyhhad to take a tendon out of my wrist and put it in my finger on the third operation. Total stitchs for all there operations were 176

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When I did my damage, the hand Dr. told me I was very lucky that I'd cut my extensor tendon, because when flexor tendons are cut it can get really ugly, as you've apparently experienced.

jmx
 
Flexor is what I cut, didnt really hurt, think I cut to many nerves I think.:barf:

Funny thing was, I did this before I was even into knives, Go figure:rolleyes:
 
I nearly severed the extensor tendon in my left index finger when I was 16. SAK folded, slipped of the work, and sprung back open as it passed over the hand holding the work. Looked like the tip was hanging off!

I was VERY lucky, though. I was just at the end of that age where it can repiair itself, which it has done, with just a slight bend remaining. Even so, I had to wear a splint for 12 weeks, and it was a few years before I got full strength and dexterity back.

Worst part was having to learn to jerk off with the other hand... ;)

Warning about the putty suggestion. Check with your physio. You'll be working the muscles *opposing* the weakened structures. Make sure that you won't slow their recovery, or adversley affect the extent of their recovery by doing so
 
Eric, Sorry bout your ingury. I've servered tendons before (four in my left wrist). It ain't fun at all.

One thing you should to is Exersize your finger. Go slow, very slow at first, then work it up. Exersize has helped me regain about 75% to 80% use in my wrist.

Hope you can regain more use and not have lasting problems from this.
 
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