Fractured and dislocated finger advice

[Beanboy]

Any other paddlers deal with a dislocated and fractured finger before?

Seeing a specialist on Wednesday, anything paddling-specific I should ask him in regards to healing/recovery tips geared towards paddling?

Thanks!
-B

[Ron]

A former Patriot had a broken finger set at an angle to make catching the football easier. Maybe you should do likewise to grab the paddle better.

[Beanboy]

I asked about a feather set, and all I got was, "Is he serious look?" Did help break the silence as I was staring at my xrays, hehe. Splint for three weeks and then back for a checkup. Doc mentioned paddling in April won't be a problem woohoO!

[ljordan79]

Depends on which finger it is. I broke my pinkie last summer and realized it is one of the power fingers needed for leverage when paddling versus the middle and pointer precision fingers. Went to hand specialist as I wanted to make sure it didn't become a problem for me paddling. There are some simple exercises you can do after it heals to regain the flexibility. Let me know if you want me to share. The initial injury only warranted a small brace and some tape. Make sure you use it as much s you can stand and the doc allows!!!

Good luck with it!

Lisa

[Beanboy]

Lisa ,thanks for the info. Any exercise tips would be appreciated...

Been a week and the finger is damn stiff. But being the middle one, it does make my Boston commute easier...

One the swelling goes down a bit more gonna try and start moving it a bit so I can hit the water in earnest by April without too much pain (hopefully).

[ljordan79]

Make sure the fracture is healed enough.... about 4-6 weeks should do it with limited mobility. Before you do therapy on it, soak your hand in hot water and wrap in a hot towel from microwave. After a few minutes, bend the finger toward your palm as far as you can and it will be painful at first. The idea is to keep the ligament from shortening up and healing that way. It will cause your finger to stay permanently curled. Not good! Also, you can take a towel, wad up in your hand and "scrub" the table with it pushing away from you. Last thing is to put a pencil in your hand and roll it up and down. You can start with a fat magic marker and go to a smaller pencil as you gain flexibility back. It will hurt like hell when you are done, but believe me, at paddle time you will be glad you did it. Doc told me it takes about a year to completely heal. I had a second-joint fracture not the tip... harder to heal and longer. I did this therapy 2 times a day every day for about a month.

Hope it helps!

Happy paddling

L