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Updated 24.11.2006 - New pictures of my third and (I think!) final cast added to the page.
My flexor digitorum profundus tendon injury happened on the 9th September, as a result of slipping
and landing on a broken drinking glass whilst clubbing (plonker!). I was immediately taken to hospital, where the
wounds (the index finger also had a more superficial injury) were stitched up.
The following Monday, I had to go to hospital at East Grinstead, where they specialise in tendon
repairs, to have the injury examined. From this, we found that the flexor digitorum profundus tendon in my middle
finger had been sliced through.
I had the operation to repair the tendon the following Wednesday, and was in the operating theatre
for 2.5 hours, awake the whole time, just with a local anaesthetic in my arm.
The very next day, I was at East Grinstead again, to start the intensive course of physiotherapy
which is necessary to try to get as much movement back in the finger as possible.
I have returned every week for 8 weeks now, and the finger is making pretty good progress.. should
be riding within another four weeks.. if I haven't gone mad through lack of it by then! Enjoy!
1. This is the cast that I had to wear from the first day after the surgery to replace my tendon, up until five weeks after (during which time I went on holiday).
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2. A trip to the doctors surgery to replace the dressing enabled me to take a photo of this - taken on the 22.9.06. This shows the incision which the surgeon had to make down the side of my finger, and in a "v" shape at the bottom of the finger - this was so that the whole finger could be opened up to retrieve the tendon to re-join it. Nice.
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3. Another picture of the "v" shaped incision; this is after the bulk of the dressing had been removed, leaving only the cast and a small dressing to cover the main injury.
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4. OK, this is grim - known as "overgranulation", this is a result of the lower layer of skin growing quicker than the above layer - resulting in a not-very-pleasant looking lump sticking out of the finger! I had two, one where the injury had originally happened, and a smaller one where some stitching had come undone. I thought it'd be a simple case of chopping it off, but they have to be cauterised with "silver nitrate", which burns like hell when it's applied. Did the job though, after two applications, the second of which in conjunction with a paste of some kind.
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5. Just because I thought it'd be so popular, another picture of the overgranulation. Lovely.
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6. The second cast I had to use - and still am. This helps with a very awkward exercise that straightens the finger from the first knuckle.
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7. The third cast I had to (and still have to..) wear. This is for night use only and really does a good job of straightening the finger.
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8. Another view of the above.
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