Finger pain with limited motion

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Bro KV

Bro KV

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Seemed to have hurt my finger back in August, not sure if it was from tug of war with the dogs, playing a lot of guitar or whatever. Tried a splint for a few weeks, when I took it off, major pain as the finger was so tight. Just tried limiting the usage and for the last couple of months, the best it has been is able to bend just past 50%. Obviously cannot make a fist and I have only played guitar once and that hurt to stretch down to the B or E strings.

Saw the primary doctor who gave me some cream and meds to try, no luck there. I have an appointment with a hand surgeon on 12/12. I’ve read about the tendon sheath being the possible cause and that it can just be clipped. Seeing if anyone has been down this road.
 
I did this years ago playing football cut the ball wrong and it took about 6 months to get my full movement back. It may just take some time. Good luck hope it gets better keep us informed.
 
gbsmusic said:
I did this years ago playing football cut the ball wrong and it took about 6 months to get my full movement back. It may just take some time. Good luck hope it gets better keep us informed.
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Thanks for the feedback. It rarely bothers me as I’ve gotten to the point of not using it for daily things that would normally require it. Just sucks that playing guitar is my outlet and I can’t do it without pain.
 
I don't know a whole lot about different hand/wrist ailments, but I'm reasonably sure they'll have a way to treat it. They'll get some good imaging and will figure it out. Some pretty remarkable shit they can do these days. Keep your chin up :)
 
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I’ve injured my nerve from my elbow to hand and had problems .I thought I was done at one point . But things got better .hopefully things better better quick for you man
 
I’ve had this in my left hand for years (specifically the left ring finger). A lot of it was from climbing and strain on the hand. Even opening a door knob with that finger felt like I got hit in the hand with a hammer. There was nothing structurally wrong but I had tendon issues from strain. I moved and used it as little as possible and after a month or two it was fine enough. Just be careful. I’ve had this flare up twice times since my first incident 5-6 years ago. It sucks. But it’ll be cool.
 
Bro KV said:
Seemed to have hurt my finger back in August, not sure if it was from tug of war with the dogs, playing a lot of guitar or whatever. Tried a splint for a few weeks, when I took it off, major pain as the finger was so tight. Just tried limiting the usage and for the last couple of months, the best it has been is able to bend just past 50%. Obviously cannot make a fist and I have only played guitar once and that hurt to stretch down to the B or E strings.

Saw the primary doctor who gave me some cream and meds to try, no luck there. I have an appointment with a hand surgeon on 12/12. I’ve read about the tendon sheath being the possible cause and that it can just be clipped. Seeing if anyone has been down this road.
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That ain’t good . August? We are now 3-1/2 months now. Can you truly define the injury? Was it dogs? Or the guitar? Both are totally different injuries… the dogs would pull and enough to make a tendon or ligament acute tear ingury… the guitar would cause a much more problematic injury (chronic type) as repetitive motion. If it’s not better within a few weeks me thinks acute injury from tear or the like. Think back to the exact time you remember it happened. The hand surgeon will need the info. You will get an MRI. They will prolly try injection. If the ligament or tendon is fucked up then surgery. 50% fist ain’t right after 3 months.
 
Which finger and which joint? I have fought some of this over the years (decades…) My worst joint is the middle knuckle on the first finger of my right / picking hand (?) I would have expected one of the legato-heavy fingers of my left hand. Rest, anti-inflammatory meds, warm / cold therapy with GENTLE range of motion stretching.
 
PDC said:
Which finger and which joint? I have fought some of this over the years (decades…) My worst joint is the middle knuckle on the first finger of my right / picking hand (?) I would have expected one of the legato-heavy fingers of my left hand. Rest, anti-inflammatory meds, warm / cold therapy with GENTLE range of motion stretching.
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But after 3 plus months it should be better with rest . I operate on stuff like this and typically after non operative management, it should be better if strain. Acute injuries like what he has described is like this.. the inability to make a fist bothers me. If it’s pain that is not allowing the fist, that’s one issue, if it just doesn’t close then there is an anatomical injury. If strain then a steroid injection into the joint can help. If true injury then it will not get better unless repair is done. ?
 
I’m not saying you need an operation; what I would be concerned about is it’s hurting longer than it should, 6-12 weeks with rest. Typically after that it is surgery or everlasting regardless, like a chronic back issue. Hands are typically a bit easier because they are non weight bearing BUT when you are keen on micro motion and precise movements like guitar, surgery, sewing, or any fine movements with hands I’m always worried.
 
Your Primary Doc will give you a referral for an Ortho probably. My Ex had some random nerve sheath inflammation, in her thumb due to her Autoimmune disorder. As Alund said, a steroid injection directly in the joint helped. But it doesn't last very long unfortunately.
Good luck!
 
Animal bite had my palm muting all fucked up
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I’ve got a messed up nerve from a degenerative disc in my neck that is fucking up my whole right arm and shoulder. I’m set to schedule an MRI tomorrow. It’s progressively got worse, and I’ve been out of work because of it (work has certain physical requirements and there’s no light duty). I’ve had mornings that I can’t believe the pain I’m in and can barely move. Driving is hard as well. I’ve tried playing guitar but fatigue sets in so fast, can’t go for more than 20-30 minutes. Sleeping can be very problematic.
 
Thanks everyone for the comments, it’s really appreciated. Granted, I know forums aren’t the place to seek medical advice but as fellow guitar players, it’s a great place to find out what has happened to others and how they managed through it. Just collecting as much information as I can before I see the surgeon.

It is really hard to pinpoint when the injury occurred, I know when I noticed the pain. Both when playing with the dogs and playing guitar a lot. The dog thing was playing tug-o-war with our Boxers. We were using a small doughnut shaped toy and I ended up losing my grip and only my index finger was holding on. Then the twist and pull from the dog made it hurt worse.

The knuckle between the hand and finger are fine. The pain radiates from the middle knuckle to the last knuckle at the fingertip. If I try to make a fist, all my other fingers close just fine, the index finger hurts and feels tight to bend and only closes just past 50%.
 
Bro KV said:
Thanks everyone for the comments, it’s really appreciated. Granted, I know forums aren’t the place to seek medical advice but as fellow guitar players, it’s a great place to find out what has happened to others and how they managed through it. Just collecting as much information as I can before I see the surgeon.

It is really hard to pinpoint when the injury occurred, I know when I noticed the pain. Both when playing with the dogs and playing guitar a lot. The dog thing was playing tug-o-war with our Boxers. We were using a small doughnut shaped toy and I ended up losing my grip and only my index finger was holding on. Then the twist and pull from the dog made it hurt worse.

The knuckle between the hand and finger are fine. The pain radiates from the middle knuckle to the last knuckle at the fingertip. If I try to make a fist, all my other fingers close just fine, the index finger hurts and feels tight to bend and only closes just past 50%.
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Are you saying the finger, regardless of pain, will not close? What if you push it down to fist? Does it pop right back up?
 
alund said:
Are you saying the finger, regardless of pain, will not close? What if you push it down to fist? Does it pop right back up?
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You have described a “Jersey finger mechanism injury”. Common in sports. You need a hand surgeon. The flexor tendon is torn. This is not something I would wait on because the tendon will retract and be difficult to find for the surgeon.
 
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