John Sylte Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 (edited) One of the main reasons I picked up concertina was because of an injury to my left index finger that kept me from fiddling, my primary instrument. On Dec 19, 2005 I was screwing sheet metal roofing onto the roof of my two story home as it was nearing completion. When I started the task it was sunny out. My shoes were grippy and sticky and I was walking all over with no problems. Halfway through the project it started snowing. I was not roped up. To make matters worse I ran out of screws and had no screw heads to walk atop on my way back to the ladder. Fearing a quick slip followed by a long drop, I got on my hands and knees and began to brachiate like a crab, using the ridges of the corrugated metal to keep from sliding off. I traveled 20 feet in what took probably 15 minutes, got right next to the ladder, and my knees slipped, I fell to my stomach, and I began sliding backwards. I had only 3 feet to slide before falling. I grabbed the edge of the sheet metal roofing to prevent myself from going over the edge. In doing so I severed the flexor tendon and nerve in my left index finger. The first two surgeries failed to reconnect my tendon to the bone. After the 3rd surgery, my tendon was reconnected, but bound up in adhesions so it wasn't sliding which made my finger useless for fiddling. The concertina doesn't require the very tip of the fingers to curl, so at this time I decided to expand on my harmonica playing and pick up concertina. I discovered I could fiddle using an artichoke rubber band as a prosthetic flexor tendon, wrapping it around my curled finger. This worked quite well except that it turned my finger purple every couple minutes. 2 years after my accident I had a fourth surgery that freed the tendon from the adhesions, and now I'm fiddling again without any rubber bands. I can no longer straighten out my finger completely because my tendon got shorter and shorter each time they tried to reconnect it, but it bends all the way to make a closed fist, which is what we fiddlers need in order to hit the finger board at the right angle. So three years later, I'm basically fine! I certainly hope no one here has a worse story... Edited February 14, 2009 by John Sylte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiddlehead Fern Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Ouch. To all of these stories. A few summers ago I was innocently trying to slice myself a piece of bread for toast. Now, I love my mom's bread, don't get me wrong. It's delicious, healthy and perfect in nearly every way, but it's hard to cut and the knife likes to skip towards unsuspecting fingers (right handers). So, here I am in the semi dark hacking away when all of a sudden the tip of the second finger on my left hand has been cut rather deeply (I somehow managed to miss the fingernail, but it cut diagonally across the tip farther than I'd have liked). Not pleasant at all, but I remember painfully practicing my violin (didn't have the concertina yet) with bulky bandages on that finger for several weeks until it healed. Â In reply to an earlier post, yes it is always nice when one's injuries are somehow a little more exciting than commonplace weirdness. Or absolute idiocy, like last week when I was flung face first down the hill, landing on one knee, cutting two huge gashes in my right palm and hitting my jaw as I came to a sliding stop. The reason? Oh, I was just going down a steep, very rutted hill without enough snow on it to go down more than once. That in itself wouldn't be so bad, except that I was standing up. I've completely recovered, in case you were worried. You can barely even see where I cut my hand. Of course, I still have a scar on my arm from where I ran smack into a bush one evening while walking around Colonial Williamsburg. Why oh why must the scars that remain be from moments of ignoble clumsiness rather than something that at least makes a good story?! *sigh* Â In any case, hopes for a speedy and full recovery! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 Hello  This made me curious to find out more of the mechanics of my hands, and injury prevention. Here is a webpage that gives (too much?) information of what I believe this discussion is referring too.  http://www.eatonhand.com/hw/hw012.htm  Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellowbelle Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 I know the feeling of the simple things being complicated! I have days when all my fingers are taped up with white finger tape and then a layer of plastic-like tape, just to keep the pain away. Â What I want to find are some quality stretchy gloves -- lots of pairs, not just one in a pack with a bunch of hand cream -- ones that will press against the fingers like a second skin. I have one pair and wore them the other night while playing, with plastic food-handling gloves underneath them, for added smoothness. (And, when needed, I wear medicinal goop under all the gloves.) Â Hope you'll be all better soon, FJB. Â And now I'm off to oblivion again... this is one of my rare online moments lately. Have yet to fix my own computer and all that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlerjoebob Posted February 3, 2009 Author Share Posted February 3, 2009 Hello This made me curious to find out more of the mechanics of my hands, and injury prevention. Here is a web page that gives (too much?) information of what I believe this discussion is referring too.  http://www.eatonhand.com/hw/hw012.htm  Richard   Close but not quite....The tendon on the inside of the hand is the flexor, which I understand is a bigger deal to repair than the tendon on the dorsal side, the back, of the hand, which is the extensor. Without the extensor the finger droops like the photo in the post from Leonard.  Fjb...  Ps. My injured finger is the left ring finger, so fiddling is nearly impossible, I can however play the c-box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Sylte Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Fiddler Joe Bob, Â So, you severed a flexor, and it's healing in a splint? I don't understand how a splint is going to fix a tendon that is not touching the bone anymore? I must be missing something... I severed mine at "the point of insertion" which is right where the tendon attaches to the bone. That's why it was so difficult for them to repair it. They ended up drilling a hole through my fingertip bone, up through my fingernail, and running my tendon through the hole in the bone, attached topside with a shirt button so it couldn't slip back through. After 6 weeks they took the button off... How did your doctor explain the tendon fixing itself? I'm not trying to trump your doctor by any means! I just don't quite understand how your tendon is supposed to fix itself without being reattached... Â Â Are you doing Physical Therapy? (After asking your doctor) Try a fatty rubber band (like those put on artichoke stems or lobster claws) to keep your finger curled. I showed my surgeon how I was using the rubber band and he said there was no better physical therapy than doing exactly what I was doing. Medical statistics predicted that I would never get full flexion after four surgeries, and today I can close my fist completely. I credit that to fiddling with my rubber band for over a year while my tendon was healing... Â You will fiddle again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlerjoebob Posted February 3, 2009 Author Share Posted February 3, 2009 Fiddler Joe Bob, I just don't quite understand how your tendon is supposed to fix itself without being reattached...  I snapped the extensor not the flexor tendon. See here fo more detail...  http://www.eatonhand.com/hw/hw015.htm   Oh, yes I will fiddle again...  fjb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Sylte Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Ah hah! Extensor tendon, the exact opposite of my injury. Now I understand! I thought you said flexor in your original post... Definitely do NOT try the rubber band trick! I can't believe this happened to you while pulling your socks off... Makes me wonder about the danger of all the mundane tasks I carry out on a daily basis. Let us know how/when it heals up! Â Good luck- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlerjoebob Posted February 3, 2009 Author Share Posted February 3, 2009 Ah hah! Extensor tendon, the exact opposite of my injury. Now I understand! I thought you said flexor in your original post... Definitely do NOT try the rubber band trick! I can't believe this happened to you while pulling your socks off... Makes me wonder about the danger of all the mundane tasks I carry out on a daily basis. Let us know how/when it heals up! Good luck-   I am a furniture maker by trade,  I always do my best to respect my fingers and keep away from dangerous operations. Who could have known socks were so dangerous.  I have asked my wife to sew zippers into all my socks...just to be safe  fjb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Drinkwater Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 I have asked my wife to sew zippers into all my socks...just to be safe. Â Great idea fjb, but who's going to foot the bill? (nice cabinet by the way!) Â Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adrian brown Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Well, I was taking off my socks. Thats it. I slid my fingers down the back of my ankle and pushed the sock along with it. As I rounded my heel, I gave an extra push to round the bulge of my heel, and POP!... Â It hurt for a few seconds and then, not so much, but my left ring finger tip (last joint) stands at about 40 degrees from the rest to the fingers and I have no control over it. Seems I broke the tendon connection to the last bone. Â Two months in a splint. Even typing this is work, but I need some sympathy so I am complaining to you all....I was taking off my socks for God's sake. Â Now it's my turn :-( Only consolation is to know I'm not the first with a problem taking socks off... It happened already 10 days ago and I just ignored it and even managed to play 2 concerts last week. But a visit to the doctor this morning was very bad news, seems 6-8 weeks with my middle finger permanently in a splint and then some re-education. Luckily it's a quiet period for us and I've only had to cancel one concert. Â Just remember all of you, how dangerous socks can be... Looks like it's going to be bass runs for me for 6 weeks... Â Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Besser Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014   Now it's my turn :-( Only consolation is to know I'm not the first with a problem taking socks off... It happened already 10 days ago and I just ignored it and even managed to play 2 concerts last week. But a visit to the doctor this morning was very bad news, seems 6-8 weeks with my middle finger permanently in a splint and then some re-education. Luckily it's a quiet period for us and I've only had to cancel one concert.  Just remember all of you, how dangerous socks can be... Looks like it's going to be bass runs for me for 6 weeks...  Adrian    Oh no. SOrry to hear it. Your music is a delight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Franch Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Deep sympathies. I think all of us are thinking "ouch!" I hope you hand heals rapidly. Â Now that you have alerted us to the dangers, I think I'll just leave my socks on for the winter. A good pair of woolies should do it. Â But they'd better be black. As the song says, Â Black socks, they never get dirty,The longer you wear them the stronger they get.Sometimes I think I should wash them,But something inside me says No, no, not yet.Not yet, not yet, not yet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Ooooh,...... sore fingers....., no tunes......., visits to doctors....... Â best wishes for a full recovery, Geoff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcoover Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 (edited) Adrian, Perhaps a move to warmer climes is in order, if only for reasons of foot and finger safety? In Hawaii everyone wears what are known as "slippahs," known to everyone else as "flip flops". I remember them being called "thongs" in my youth, but now that means something else quite different... Â Gary Edited November 24, 2014 by gcoover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malcolm clapp Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 ...known to everyone else as "flip flops" Â Â Not quite everyone, Gary. Â In my New Zealand days, they were known as "jandals", and, believe it or not, wearing them with socks was quite acceptable! Â Please tell me that things have changed in NZ since the '70s..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adrian brown Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Many thanks for your concern. The strange thing is that it's not been painful at all, which is why it took me so long to seek treatment. It was just that the bend wasn't getting any better after 10 days and I thought it would be a question of a a few days resting it...Anyway 36 hours after seeing the doctor, things are not quite so gloomy. I can still play with the three available fingers of my RH, which is an amusing if not entirely musical exercise. It's fun (at least for the moment) to play familiar repertoire and try to anticipate the availability of fingers fast enough in advance. It often involves using the same finger for consecutive buttons, and it's a nice exercise to try to make this sound as smooth and musical as possible. The main problem for the moment is to keep the splinted finger out of the way and not let it drop down onto the outside row! Anyway, I'm now going to search for some nice repertoire that only needs 3 RH fingers…Gary, I don't think Hawaii would be completely safe - it seems fiddlerjoebob and I are pretty unlucky with the sock thing. From reading a few dozen case histories, a more usual way of getting a mallet finger is putting tight bed sheets on mattresses, or using your fingers as a garden trowel.Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayman Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 We'll have to start calling you Django, Adrian! Swift recovery, friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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