Flexor tendon repair by Utah Plastic Surgeon Dr. York Yates.

[The32694]

im pretty sure i did this to my middle finger...the athletic dorector at my school said i will need surgery :/

[uptown1317]

except i was asleep for my surgery

[uptown1317]

i had the same exact surgery left middle finger crushed my finger in a hatchback. had to reattach the flexor tendon. had minimal scarring but over i was pleased with the outcome

[zoeyboey100]

on october 27th 2011 i had the exact same operation on my little finger in my left hand, still having extentsive hand therapy because my finger is now moving at the moment, hand my hand in a spilt for 6 weeks. the most painful bit is the scaring and the most annoying bit is not being able to use my hand properly

[personz90]

this puts my whole life into perspective

[MrSten4]

wtf does this appear in recommended?

[misraproductions]

damn I could never be awake for surgery I just had surgery on my thumb tendon and I was sedated, but being awake would suck.

[thegumpey1]

Can i get a hi five???

[warayupai]

I bent my pinky and ring finger after surgery. I'm worried that the repaired flexor tendons will tear again because of the pressure i put to it while bending. I bent my fingers very slow though. answer pls..

[pimpshytt07]

@doggonit, you seem very knowledgable when it comes to this sort of thing. i hag surgery to repair my extensor tendon that was cut while taking a broken toilet out for disposal. my question is, is it normal for numbness, and, if i rub the tip of my thumb i can feel it in my palm, also my scar is four times the size of the original. I think my procedure was rushed, and done incorrectly. does anybody have any feedback, its been almost ten weeks since the surgery

[xpennydreadful]

I had the same procedure. Basically the tendons become stiff and difficult to extend or retract. In severe cases not at all. I wish I had been knocked out for it, it took three times the normal amount of anasthetic to numb me out... Same when I went to the dentist last...

[spoonslap]

how long did it heal I cut my tendon and had surgery 3 weeks wearing cast atm and its annoying me

[xxcolddomexx]

omg i must go on the toilett i must puke X_X

[Slipknot666917]

wat r they fixing 

[uptown1317]

@Slipknot666917 the tendon that allows you to make a fist.

[luls1406]

coooooooooool

[alanpikku]

Do the repaired tendons every mend back together, or is the tendon forever weakened and have a possibility of snapping the suture?

[ImABananax3]

wow..... *pukes*

[trevadetrev]

Fascinating.

[audayhussain2]

is this two slips of flexor digitorum profundus?

[congaeel2]

had accident at work 3 weeks ago, nearly cut tip of right index finger off.(Right hand annoyingly) Had plastic surgery and now have splint on. Doing my therapy and its slowly getting better. I had general anaesthetic so really interesting to see a similar op.

[MrJacked86]

@congaeel2 its shit,,keep doing the exercises important

[Linkaara]

Is that in the "no mans land"? I cut my ring finger and the doctor said the flexor tendon was cut and said something about the "no man"s land", what did he means?

[LaQnel]

How long did the surgery take?

I did the same thing on two fingers, and the surgery took 4 hours.

[SlayerTheDemon]

omg.....My pinky hurts now

[thepuuks10]

Something like this happend to me when i was 7

[TheWarbirdPhoenix]

....and que dramatic terminator music

[btdumford1]

Did you use esmarch?

[meccamorgan]

Thanks. I need FDP repair on my pinkie also. This video gave me an idea of what to expect. My doctor will use Hunter rods first though. My tendon was cut while a doctor was removing the pins from a broken finger. The bone grew up over the pin.

[emmahasnerdytiemz]

This is amazing.

[Nexumbiker110]

So did the patient ask to be awake or is this procedure to let the patient move the finger to see if it's fixed?

[xXOr30Xx]

I never knew I had some mozzarella inside my digit =o

[MrILIKEPIEPRODUCTION]

omg i ddnt barf but this is the sickest thing i have EVER! seen in my life

[uglytwat123]

love how angie by the roling stones is on at the beggining :D

[Sp3lld0wn]

You used Nylon 6-0 for the epitenous repair..What suture was used for the internal repair? PDS? Vicryl? thx !

[kingchad2002]

I barfed at 5:06. :-(

[BEASTYCHIMERA]

is that white his bone?

[wingedsaiyan]

YO THIS IS AWESOME YO

[snitchseeker8754]

i cut my tendon while washing the dishes and had to have this surgery done -__-...who knew washing dishes was hazardous to health?

[DeCarmell]

@snitchseeker8754 omg... so glad im not the only one who had this injury happen from washing the dishes. I was washing a big bowl and it shattered in my hand almost cutting off my pinky. Never in a million years would I have thought that an injury like that would take so long to heal. How is your recovery coming along now?? Its been 8 weeks today since my surgery and my finger is still pretty darn stiff and sore.

[BIGMERVS]

WHERE THE FUCK IS THE BONE?!

[BabeeyChloee]

D;

I threw up after watching this. -_-

[collectionforsale]

@BabeeyChloee do you eat chicken?

[xPandaBearExpressx]

i just had the tendonon and the nerve line repaired in my right pinky.... same procedured basiccally..... almost cut my finger off with a hydrolic wood splitter.... cut the tendon and the nerve......i had 3 pins put in..... i shattered the bone as well... had the surgery on tuesday.. i now have no pain what so ever

[Bdubya82]

Yes it hurts for awhile. When you really start the therapy you'll see. I had mine last sept. I can bend it all the way down but it doesn't straighten completely out. The only difference is mine had retracted to my palm. Get ready for a long and and gloomy road ahead. It's tough, just don't give up.

[DeCarmell]

OMG...... i just had this exact surgery last wednesday! same finger too.. pinky on the left hand. NO fun! I just got the stitches taken out today by the surgeon and my finger is now killing me. is it normal to be in a lot of throbbing pain after the stitches are removed?

[ecuadmail]

Do you allow students to shadow you in your practice Dr. Yates? Premed ones specifically.

[xM15T3Rm5T33zYx]

I had a surgery exactly like this on my index finger a few months back, now im waiting on a second surgery because the tendon is stuck in scar tissue.

[JoeFig215]

i had this done to my index finger

[K0p3rn1cus]

I'd faint as soon as he cut the finger open, if that was me.

[63nightangel]

had that same done just 7 days ago. was put under though. Surgery was originally to re-break anold fracture on my baby finger, and pin and plate it....surgweon lacerated my tendon by accident! WTF! so ha to repair that....major ttherapy i am now enduring....in pain...incisions now on top and zip zag, like vidio underneith.. :(

[Wowcrazy247]

today, we are going to cut your finger open :D

[handlermd4991]

Nifty video. I'm curious how he did after healing. Too often I see these in unfunded patients who cannot afford a dynamic splint and don't follow directions only to have a stiff finger in the end.

[6hardscope9]

he probably got a nerve block so he couldnt feel anything in his arm. i got a nerve block and i was wide awake when they did my surgery.

[HackLover007]

oww?

[TheBlueskymovies]

im getting OP 2morrow.man,i shoodnt have watched this!!! :(

[ZZSFAN]

6:30 BOOM FINGERSHOT

[JoeFig215]

i had this done to my left index finger 2 weeks ago

[mrsavoy66]

always get a second opinion

[audayhussain2]

very nice but can you tell me how you give the epinepherine and what kind of regional anasthesia?

[gerjaison]

Objectively, i think this is a great instructional and educational video....but personally i felt i wanted to throw up!

[salvagebar]

1:50 Ouch. In case anyone is wondering, those two pale things that look llike bits of spaghetti should be one whole, continuous and smooth tendon.

[snitchseeker8754]

i had this same surgery done on the exact same finger a few months ago (both the perfundus and the superficialis tendons were cut), but i was put under general anasthesia, so i wasn't able to see what the doctor was doing. it's really interesting to see what exactly the surgeon did to fix my injury- he did a great job and it healed really well :)

[budweizer1]

@snitchseeker8754 I must agree.......I had this surgery when I was around 12. Im now 31, and have always been super curious about my finger. I cut it carving a pumpkin

[MisterFallout]

How did he get his injury in the first place?

[pharaohphreak123]

very awesome! lol, id have wanted a nerve block if i was him, haha. whats the risk of a patient laying down too much scar tissue resulting in having like trigger finger or somthing of the like where the finger remains flexed?

[tohtorigyro]

my dad cut all the way to the bone in hes left index finger with a knife. he was slaying a fish. they had to find the other end of the tendon all the way from hes wrist! he also cut the nerves so they had to find and fix those too. they say it's a 3-4 month recovery, and he might never feel anything from the other side of hes finger. :(

[Livinginthemusic1]

hmm well i cut mine and they had to cut back by my palm to get the super ficial and the profundus tendon and pull back to pinky. they knocked me out and it was a two procedure and so idk if this was not as bad or what.

[Livinginthemusic1]

hmm well i cut mine and they had to cut back by my palm to get the super ficial and the profundus tendon and pull back to pinky.

[alohalilo2007]

wowwww it was amazing.........

[UGli3s]

Dude i just got surgery for thee same tendon, but good thing was that i was asleep during the whole procedure.Im still getting therapy though and it's been 8weeks post-up and my pinky dnt seem to even move again(only the top of it)

[BigVolchenkov]

i have a cast on and had a surgey done bout 10 days ago and im wondering if its ok if i move my pinky a little?

[MW2VSREACH]

WHAT THE FUCK 

[ishouldplayzelda]

surgery freaks me out but it also fascinates me. if schooling didn't take a billion years and cost a trillion dollars i would become a surgeon... well, that and i'm lazy so i lack the will power but i'm still fascinated by it.

[budweizer1]

I had this same, exact surgery about 20 years ago (cut my 5th finger on my right hand). I believe I severed both tendons,they ruptured about 2 weeks later, so I went for a 2nd surgery. My finger would swell up, and I would have a sharp pain all the way down to my elbow,upto almost two years after. I wouldnt be able to bend my finger without pain. What changed?

[jdubz5501]

i had my extensor tendon repaired under local only and b pressure cuff was used to control bleeding, it was uncomfortable and some pain in the elbow and my arm got really cold the dr. said he didnt want to wait any longer for the repair to take place because with a lacerated tendon u r fighting against the clock" and the sooner the better is this true or is that a common concern when it comes to tendon repair? i cut through my tendon on october 3rd 2010 and got it stitched up october 15th 2010

[theoiper]

Ah crap. I've partially cut my middle finger tendon with glass 6 weeks ago. I didn't realize what I'd done until the skin healed up. Surgery does not look fun. I've heard that a partial can possibly heal on it's own. I'm crossing my fingers (Well, not the middle one anyways).

[jdubz5501]

did u use a blood pressure cuff in order to control some of the bleeding? also what kind of pain meds did he receive after the proceadure?

[Dryates1]

@jdubz5501 - With the epinepherine injected prior to the procedure, a tourniquet was not necessary. Typically, I would do this procedure with a tourniquet under general anesthesia. In this case we chose to do it awake.

He was given Percocet for pain.

[mrdude999]

@Dryates1 Is it necessary to incise along down to almost the MCP joint, or can forceps be used to locate and pull up the FDP without further incision, allowing for less scarring and less opportunity for infection to set in?

[mikestenincher]

I had this surgery, then the two staged tendon graft, then the tenolysis, and still have horrible results. My fourth and fifth fingers are stuck in hyperextension, and loss grip strength and range of motion with every surgery. Have a hand seminar with 4 doctors next month hoping one of them can operate and finally fix me. Good luck if you have to have this surgery. it is not fun stuff

[Raxmole]

as a physio student it is really interesting to see such an operation about tendons ! may i ask the tendon of which muscle this was ? thanks for sharing the video

[Dryates1]

@Raxmole FDP to the fifth finger.

[Raxmole]

@Dryates1 cool thanks :)

[rootsxrocks]

This makes me pissed off at Dr. Blaum I wanted to be unsedated for the surgery and they knocked me out anyhow. while the surgery was a success This Video is evidence that I did not need to pay that Fat anesthesiologist. I beleive that seeing the mechanics of the operation would have better prepared me for recovery. My two fingers repaired cost nearly $20,000.00 and I know for a fact there was unessential crap I was charged for.

[bongstatus01]

ahhh thats so bad a hollow point 22 blasted thru my hand and i had this surgery

[SolidJCP]

@bongstatus01 Same thing happened to me.2 months ago i shot accidently myself with a 9mm in my left index finger.The bullet got through my finger.Luckily didnt lost it but the bone got shattered,nerve and tendon got cut.I have a external fixator in my finger wating for the bone to heal and then i get the tendon and nerve surgery.hope youre doing fine now!!

[bongstatus01]

@SolidJCP my hands actually doing alot better now i havent been on youtube to respond, my finger is almost completley healed but its really fat since the hollow point went into alot of directions

[cheeseme1313]

i sliced my fith finger on my left hand lacerated both my tendons and a nerve im about a month in since the surgery and still cant make a fist. is that normal?

[crzykidkapri]

able to use my hand. The worse part was that they had to take a nerve graft from my foot to repair my median nerve cuz the gap was too big. 9 months minimum before i get any feeling back in hand/finger. Now the side of my foot will permanently be numb really sucks! But obviously hand is more important. Im doing some research to see if theres any synthetic nerve grafts or anything out there that replace the one in my foot. Anyone know of anything please let me know.

[crzykidkapri]

2 months ago i decided to punch a door window..we can guess what happened. I slit my wrist, severed 4 tendons and median nerve. ER sewed me up sent me home after a few weeks i got about 80% use back, but still no feeling. Finally got surgery 3 weeks ago. Dr was surprised i had any use or power in my hand...tests showed i only cut tendon to middle finger. After opening me up he said there was so much scar tissue that it was actually bridging the gap between tendon ends and cuz of that was

[aaa6106804]

can you tell me?According to your experience, which type of suture(nylon no5 or polyene no5) is excellent effect for tendon repair ? waiting for your answer. thank you!

[altosaxgirllie]

I cut tendon and nerves to my last three fingers on my right hand. They completely put me under, but I had two surgeries and they woke me up during the second one to make sure I could make a fist because they were removing a lot of scar tissue.

[mytagwazt8ken2]

GOD DAMN WHAT DID YOU DO? WHY WOULD U WANT TO BE AWAKE?

[CandyVolcano]

How come he could immediately move it? Is it because he got the immediately after?

[nowenstein]

AHahahhaha Any pain?

[moortown11]

i damaged the tendon in my middle finger from glass they say i need plastics, i am unable to lift my finger and it is nebt at a 45 degree angle, is it possible for you to tell me what surgery i need and the recover time?

[Dryates1]

@moortown11 Sorry, I would really have to see you to give you an opinion on this.

[moortown11]

i damaged the tendon in my middle finger from glass they say i need plastics, i am unable to lift my finger and it is at a 45 degree angle, is it possible for you to tell me what surgery i need and the recover time?

[CandyVolcano]

They knocked me out when they did this. Jeez, total mutilation lol :((((

[imadey0utube]

How does the patient not feel any pain???? =O

[hologram1954]

Had this operation on little finger 3 weeks back wide awake and felt nothing...till the local anesthetic wore off finger now still twice its size and therapy hurts like shit..but i have a lot of movement and hoping it just goes on getting better...

[ab110795]

AHHHHHH! EW EW EW!

[SoulKiIIer]

I liked the part where he cut open his pinkie that was awesome!

[pattybishop727]

Great video. Is this a repair of the FDS or FDP?

Thanks.

[mechaart]

Dryates1 youre a cool dude. I actually learned something from watching this vid. its cool to see the tendons and muscle tissue in our fingers. have a nice day

[jacobgirl09]

dat look like it hurt

[mytagwazt8ken2]

ahhhh it burns

[emogoth8569]

do i here elevator music?

[hallaisa]

Grose :D

[holland2312]

I am a medical student in the UK, and I am interested in hand surgery. This video was very interesting, thank you. What are the key differences with becoming a hand surgeon via the orthopaedic or plastic surgery routes? Regards.

[pistonfan5228]

i ripped mine off the bone. rehab is a bitch.

[falcoperegrinus82]

Could he still move the finger post surgery once all the scar tissue formed? Scar tissue is my biggest problem now ~4weeks post surgery. I'm in physical therapy now and doing stretching exercises and massage at home.

[andyakacheeks]

@falcoperegrinus82 can u bend ur finger fully?

[falcoperegrinus82]

@andyakacheeks I cannot bend my fingers (its my index middle and ring) fully yet and cannot make a complete fist. However, range of motion (extension and flexion) is improving and my grip is getting stronger with home exercises and pt.

[jackobhoy1]

had this done twice on same finger worst pain ever after second operation it doesnt straighten anymore and have numbness due to nerve damage the second time god knows how people cope with loosing limbs when im moaning about a bent pinky

[ISTEELCURTAINS]

i have to do this surgery in 6 days......i dont wanna be awake for this shit.....sigh......de pinga.!

[falcoperegrinus82]

@ISTEELCURTAINS I severed the flexor tendons in my 2nd thru 4th fingers and they put me completely out for my surgery. I was surprised this guy was awake for this!

[sniper244]

what happend to the finger in the first place?

[amysoica]

:(:(:(:(:(:(:(

[Doggonit]

A laceration of my right little finger resulted in a severed FDP in zone II. FDP was repaired 25-26 hours after. No nerve damade, no FDS damage, vincula intact, etc, however, my understanding is that tendon sheath adhesions can still form which will result in a reduced range of motion. Started doing hourly active flexion and passive extension digitally followed by simultaneous active flexion and extension therapy after 1 week. What is the likelihood that I'll have a permanent extension deficit?

[pattybishop727]

@Doggonit My understanding is that you shouldn't be doing any active motion for the first few weeks or so; only passive.

How is your hand now?

[Doggonit]

@pattybishop727: I have an approximately 20 degree extension deficit forward of the cut. My right hand is back the usual strength, but the right little finger isn't as strong as the left one. The scar tissue grew to the too thick and dense, and this limited my physiotherapy. I think I will need to have the skin and scar tissue operated on within the next six months and start retraining.

[KOSHISE]

@Doggonit hi. i just cut my FDP on right index ab 3 weeks ago. Had surgery 2 weeks ago. I moved the tip (active motion), very light motion, i didnt force hard, was trying to see if the surgery worked fine. now ive heard from that i may have ripped again the tendon since i moved it and that it may be only holding because of the stitches they used. if so, then it will snap again in a few... i would like to know what you mean by active flexion only a week after? are you okay now?

[Doggonit]

@KOSHISE

The repaired tendons don't break that easily again after suturing. Then again, that does partly depend on the sort of repair technique used, and how many strands were used in the core, and what material exactly was used, but most likely you didn't. It takes fairly strong force to rip the repaired ends apart.

Again, the most important part of a tendon repair is not actually the surgery, but the rehab process. How soon after surgery did they have you start doing exercises?

[Doggonit]

@KOSHISE

Active flexion means that you use your tendons, as much as possible, to flex, i.e. curl. your fingers closed. Passive flexion would mean that you use your other hand (say) to close it.

Similarly, passive extension means that you used the other hand to extend, i.e. straighten, your fingers to a flat palm (or as close as possible to it). You have to be gentle with that though. Extension is when your repair is actually more at risk as your repaired tendon is then most strained.

[Doggonit]

@KOSHISE

Active extension means that you are using the muscles in your hand and the tendon to try to extend your fingers straight.

Now, there are a lot of theories on what makes for the best repair, and choices to be made: Do you want the best range of motion or the best strength the rest of your life in the digit? In my case they chose for me, and went for strength over range of motion. So I wasn't started on the exercises the day after repair like sometimes they do.

[Doggonit]

@KOSHISE

I also didn't get a rubber band traction splint that they sometimes give you, which is where you have to work against rubber band between your repaired digit(s) and the splint to do the flexion (or extension) exercises.

That said, they key is doing the exercises, either way. I was fairly good, but not perfect. Try to be perfect. As a result I now have ~80% of the strength in my little finger that I used to have, which isn't too bad, but also a 15 degree extension deficit and scaring.

[gogetassj]

i would fucking die if im awake, i would prefer putting me to sleep

[KeepAGreenBough]

I damaged my tedon in my right ring finger when I was little and they couldn't repair it. It's been bent at a 90 degree angle since then. It's now 23 years later - I don't suppose there is any point going to see if it can be fixed now?... I see people here talking in terms of weeks. So I'm thinking probably not! :)

[Dryates1]

Definitely have it looked at. The tendon is not repairable at this point but the position of the finger should be improved. 90 degrees of flexion is not a position of function. At the very least a fusion of the joint in a better position would be indicated.

[KeepAGreenBough]

Thanks for the reply. I'll do that ;)

[secretbandmember2]

Are there any alternatives to tendon surgery, like non surgical repair something else..

[slayerofhumanity]

i just had my surgery 2 weeks ago and i'm healing fast i'm from utah only mine was done by Dr. Hansey at alta view he is a great surgeon if you listen to what he says you'll recover within 6 weeks .

[squirebasshartkeamp]

Hey I got a rupture on my right ring finger flexor tendon 7 weeks ago. They say 5 is the longest you can wait. Am I fucked or just misinformed?

[hazboy13]

I injured mine about 8 months ago and i'm going in for 2 operations. Basically they have to reopen the sheath in your finger where the tendon was, so they open it up and put a plastic rod in. Then after 3 months you get another operation where they put a tendon graft (from your forearm usually) in where the rod was, reattach it and stuff. Physiotherapy and healing time afterwards in needed though.

Good luck, you may be still ok if it was only 7 weeks. I'd go to hospital as soon as you can!

[squirebasshartkeamp]

Just did.. It's worse than I thought. The flexor tendon retracted into my finger. The surgery is not recommended by the doctor, so I will be forever immobilized in my right ring finger.

[Dryates1]

You will probably need a staged repair. This involves a silastic rod placed in the location of the tendon with a tendon graft at a second stage.

[Schwaby4]

they told me only 1 week, but that included the nerve too. I get the surgery tomorrow.

[XcoldkillaX]

I waited 3 weeks, got raped by a permanent deformity and a post-surgery oedema for 4 months (the oedema's about over now thanks to some pharmaceuticals). Hope everything turns out good for you.

[craigisabeth]

i had 3 failed tendon repairs and had to go in for a 2 stage flexor tendon reconstruction.

now my finger and my hand doesnt work due to really bad scarring.... not sure if thats just the way i heal....or crappy Drs

[Dryates1]

Sorry to hear that. Secondary procedures are always much tougher.  This is something you definitely want to get right the first time.

[SeniorBain]

I have flexor tendon injury on both middle fingers on left hand. They were completely cut along with nerves.

[budweizer1]

I had similar surgery on my right pinky almost 20 years ago......Im almost 30, and my finger still hurts......