Elo sydkid, i cut 9 tendons , main artery and median nerve about 7 weeks ago in my wrist with a power saw!!!!I've got movement in my index and middle fingers back, can make a fist,but struggling with my thumb movement,just wondering how yours is n how long before it was moving, I also have tendons stuck in scar tissue,gotta massage it and having physio to break it up but having no luck yet also not along of movement in my wrist,
My thumb movement is slowly coming back. Range of movement is about 80% now. It was about 10 weeks before I could tie a shoe lace again and get the pinch between thumb and index finger. Physio is very important to break up the scar tissue, this will be the main cause of restricted movement in all fingers. It takes alot of time and the break down of tissue is so slow that you won't notice the change in flexibilty for a week or two, but just keep going and keep those finger exercises moving everyday. Not so much the massaging but more movement will help the tendons glide past the scar tissue over time, the more work you put in the quicker the recovery.
Cheers for the reply,was at physio today and they seemed pretty happy with progress ,I've got a plastic splint to sleep in now thats stretching my thumb out and fingers straight,also trying to get abit of movement in wrist, gentally bending it past neutral stretching my flexor tendons. Im just abit down been off work 7 weeks now and with been self employed with no money coming in sucks!!!really need my thumb n index for work, but not gonna rush things I no how important the rehab is!;)after surgery surgeon reckons I would get about 90 percent back so hopefully he is right
Yeah the good old plastic splint. All sounds too familiar, i was self employed and had no money coming in too. I had physio today and got new exercises with a rubber band to help build muslce back in my thumb. Still waiting for the numbness to go and normal sensation to come back. Apparently after 2 years you cant expect anymore improvement with nerves so im hoping in the next year and a half theres alot of improvement. If you want any info ***this post is edited by moderator *** ***
private e-mails not allowed***Please read our Terms of Use
hello i had a similar accident tore all my tendons main artery median and ulnar nerve 5 months ago i had surgery to repair the tendons and nerves and the first three months were the worst pain ive felt and was told i would prob never use my hand again, with physio and sticking with excercises i have seen massive improvement i have been able to keep my fingers straight and have started using my hand for day to day things now and trying to rebuild my muscle although its still weak. i couldnt feel my hand at all at first now i can feel my palm and have patchy feeling in fingers which is good as i'm only couple of months into recovery as it stops for two months before nerve regrowth now my physio thinks al regain most of my hand functions if not all as im only twenty, so if you think positive it can come back!! i've done alot of research on nerve recovery and it makes you think the worse that you will never use your hand again but you will if you try! at the moment im struggling with little things like picking up coins etc but i still have a long way to go. i hope you have a full recovery
Ello allie, sounds worst than mine!! It's good that your gettin abit of feeling back,the younger u r the better I think,hopefully u will ok in the sensory feelings,it's a long haul I'm about 8 weeks post op, got some putty today to start strengthing my grip and splint moved again to stretch thumb out,physio is pleased with progress,now gotta try n get wrist movement back, hope all goes well
its very long and frustrating but it could be alot worse at least i've still got both hands, i was very nervous getting the wrist moving again but if keep up excercises it slowly stretches everything out again i now have it back to normal just working on the finger movements. have you got feeling ? or is it like a numb tingling feeling? what kind of things has your physio told you to do i feel that i've been left to do it all on my own is there a noticeble difference in the muscles in your hand sorry for the questions just havent talked to someone with similar symtoms thanks
I cut tendons to my middle and index finger and thumb ,fingers r moving well can make a fist, just working on strengthing them,it's my thumb that's the problem,it just really tight but ts gettin better week my week! I've got a little feeling in my middle finger but nothing in index or thumb, gettin physio once a week at hospital they massage the scar then ultrasound it, then go thru my stretches,making a fist, bending fingers to palm one by one stuff like that,basicaly alot of stuff that u can do at home!yea muscles in base of thumb is smaller,it's because median nerve controls it so if nerve doesn't grow back there the muscle could die,Limiting the thumb movement,hopefully that won't happen though,did u have to wear a plastic splinth at night to stretch your wrist out? Did your tendons get stuck in scar tissue?r u back at work yet?
I now have physio every month at first it was every week but i like going to a professional just to make sure everythings ok. I do the scar tissue massage at home and the nerves are stuck under the scar tissue but its getting better as time goes on i had a splint on for seven weeks that i wasnt allowed to take off so i wouldnt snap tendons again after i slowly started wrist movements which is back to normal just keep doing scar tissue massage and it gets everything moving again, and putting your hand in a bucket of warm water and stretch out hand and wrist i did this every morning followed by massage five times a day. i lost my muscles in thumb and down side of my hand thats my thumb starting to improve i can see them building up again. I now have a hand splint that keeps fingers straight and thumb in a writing postion this is because i damaged ulnar nerve aswel but i dont really wear it as i think i am progressing better without it. I was un able to go back to work as I had to take more sick time that i was allowed so lost my job, so i'm hoping I can find something soon but confidence has been knocked a bit. Are you back at work yet ? how is your scartissue coming along.
Thats abit c**p losing your job!!!! I'm not back yet, hopefully in sept sometime, it will be 13 weeks on the 9th sept that was the minimum time surgeon said I could go back to light duties,I work as a roofer.my scar tissue is coming along but really slow,when I make a fist you can see it move up and down my wrist!!!but like I xsay thumb is the problem really tight,struggle to keep my splint on all night the pain wakes me up but trying,think I will try a bucket on warm water see if that helps, can u not get more physio on yours?
yeah i thought i would be back but my hand was no where near recovered to go back. I just go back for check ups not much else they can do at the moment its a waiting game to see what I get back. I have painkillers called amitripllion cant remember correct spelling but they are good for the night pain helps me sleep through the night.
Yea it's slow going isn't it I thought I would b back after about 6-8 weeks!!!!! Max,goin physio 2 Morro, I've seen abit of inprovement I my thumb this week, then next week see surgeon for a check up,Have u had any treament on your nerves,?do they check your sensory feelings when u go for check ups? I have herd that they can use electric machine thingy to see if nerves r growing?? Not sure thou!
Is there anyone on here who severed the median nerve more than a year ago? I'd like to know how much feeling has come back since repair. My nerve has already grown from the wrist to the finger tips because i can feel pressure and the cold/heat (more so cold) in my finger tips and certain rough textures, but the delicate sensations are lacking. This is pretty annoying because i can't feel coins in my pocket and struggle seperating bank notes or pieces of paper etc. Even when i'm eating biscuits or chips out of a bag i need to 'look' to see if im holding anything or not.
Its been nearly 6 months since the accident. Tendons healed well. Function is about 80%. Im back at the gym doing all the things i used to when i was bodybuilding so the tendon strength is as strong as ever. Scar tissue still restricts some movement such as sticking up my middle finger by itself. :) Main concern is just the nerve sensors reaching the skin surface.
i damaged 2 tendons main artery and 90% damage to median nerve from punching glass the cut is about 1 inch up from my hand on the wrist my hand was in severe pain and they gave me pregabalin brand name lyrica and morphine based patches because the usual pain killers didnt work iv stoped taking the patches now though didnt fancy taking it constantly so i do still feel quite sore im about 3 months in my hand is regularly cold and a which is annoying and i got really bad scar tissue between my cut and hand which is stopping my wrist from bending back very far im constantly stretching and massaging it and touching parts of my hand i cant feel because my pt told me to reprogram my brain for feeling in my hand im just wondering will i ever get pain free and will i get full range of motion and strenth back because scar tissue seems really thick and need to get back to work self employed heavy lifting etc its mainly the finger and thumb which is causing the most grief and u can feel it pulling the scar tissue wat should i expect ?
Ello sky kid,I thinkyour doing well with your nerves, it's only six month and you have feeling back in most parts,another few months down the line you should be a lot better ;) hopefully gonna start gym next week? When did you start back lifting weights?
Kylepp I'm 3 months in also, I've just had all clear to go back to work( light duties) which is pretty hard Being s/e roofer!!! But I'm managing, thumbs no where near being right!! I would say 60 percent movement tops!!! It is stuck in scar tissue but trying to massage n stretch all the time, but base of thumb is still really weak but hopefully muscle will come back when nerve grows more! Fingers are good got full movement in them all nearly, can see scar tissue move up and down when i bend fingers but surgeon reckons its not a problem and should come good in time,Have you got a splinth to sleep in to stretch your wrist back?