Who's had "mallet finger?"

June 06, 2021, 06:27 AM

Woodman

Yes, in 1997 or so I nicked the extensor tendon across the top of my right index finger. While the [lack of a] plan was to do nothing a date noticed the finger would not straighten.

Randall W. Culp, M.D. and his crew of smooth-elbowed ducklings wizzed me through his office. Six minutes and $215 later, with a handshake and a nod, I was ejected back into the humidity of a Philadelphia summer. With this admonition:

Wear the plastic splint. Do not straighten out your finger for eight weeks or you'll have to start all over.

He used a Stax-Type splint, whipped from a box sized 1-through-6. Later I made a sterling silver splint with 10g. square, decorative 10mm flat, and a few pieces cut from presidential commemorative coins. Thought I'd start a new Goth fashion statement. It never caught on but I still have the ring.

My preferred tape was Transpore ripped into strips. After a few weeks I had several Stax-type splints; they get sticky, stinky, soiled, stained. You REALLY do not want to "check on it, see how it is going" for SEVERAL weeks. But with care it should lay flat in 3-5 weeks as you change splints.

Randall W. Culp, M.D. - In 1991, Dr. Culp served for 9 months in Operation Desert Storm on the U.S. Naval Hospital Ship Mercy as the only ship hand surgeon. He was back again in the '00s, I read in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

https://www.hand2shouldercente...icians/randall-culp/

June 06, 2021, 12:09 PM

jjkroll32

quote:
Originally posted by Jim Shugart:
You need to see a good hand specialist ASAP. There's a narrow time window for the tendon to reattach. In the meantime, keep it TOTALLY immobilized.

This.

June 07, 2021, 01:16 PM

old dino

With my trigger finger I tried numerous different styles of braces for numerous weeks but did not like them for one reason or the other ... either they were uncomforable, difficult to get on and off, wore out or were plain ugly to wear. I eventually went to my orthopedic surgeon who gave me an Oval-8 splint to wear. This splint works for trigger finger/thumb and mallet finger. This splint comes in numerous different sizes ... and each splint is sized so when turned around it is a half-size different. I found this good as my finger changed size slightly thoughout the day. As my finger started to heal and settle down, I went online and bought another size smaller. This splint is comfortable to wear, looks good (as it is hard to notice) and easy to take on/off as well as can be used in the water.

June 07, 2021, 01:27 PM

Jupiter

quote:
Originally posted by davetruong:
Weirdest thing ever! I was out surfing, wiped out, thought I jammed my pinky but it wasn't jammed, I couldn't straighten out the tip. It was bent in almost 90 degrees. Dr took xray, no bones floating around, just need to hyperextend tip with a brace for 8 weeks and hope it reattaches.

Not my pinky but this is it:

I had that happen to me around 10 or so years ago.
I jammed my finger into the carport floor trying to catch a stray dog. Long story. Don't Ask!!!

After 6 to 8 weeks wearing a splint, everything was good as new.

June 07, 2021, 01:41 PM

Perception

I understand that this isn't a particularly painful condition, but boy does it hurt me looking at it.

"The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people."
"Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy."
"I did," said Ford, "it is."
"So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't the people get rid of the lizards?"
"It honestly doesn't occur to them. They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates the government they want."
"You mean they actually vote for the lizards."
"Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course."
"But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?"
"Because if they didn't vote for a lizard, then the wrong lizard might get in."