Scotty's K wire removal - cycling accident surgery

Four weeks after surgery the K wires or pins that were holding Scotty's thumb joint together are removed. NO anesthetic of any kind is used.
Scotty crashed heavily at 60+ kmh after he was taken out by a gumby sprinting with his head down just after he'd done a great lead out.
Injury was a 'Bennett's fracture', complete dislocation and was highly unstable.
Minimum of two more weeks before any real load can be placed on the joint.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• k wire
• thumb
• surgery
• cycling
• crash
• k-wire
• pin
• removal
• procedure

[InaldsBlog]

The most difficult motion would be the "key turn" if you imagine a small key in a stiff lock... bloody hard still 12 months after pins out.

Good luck with the recovery and don't slack off on the rehab. Using stiff putty (the physio kind) was a great help.

[InaldsBlog]

Hi mohotony82, probably a couple of weeks to 80% movement but 25% strength, up to about 6 weeks back to a useable condition (and back to work as a firefighter), but really about 12 months to FULL movement but still only about 80% of the original strength, even less in the side-to-side plane.

[HolyFrell]

Did it hurt?

[InaldsBlog]

@HolyFrell Actually, I didn't hurt that much. I had no pain relief at all and it was at worst a 2 out of 10. It really isn't a big deal. It hurt more in the 2 - 3 days after - getting the movement back.

[HolyFrell]

@InaldsBlog Thanks for replying :) I've got a K wire and pins in my thumb joint where yours were, from having surgery to tighten an over stretched ligament in my thumb, and I get them out on May 4th, so I'm kinda worried about it. :S

[InaldsBlog]

@HolyFrell It depends a lot on the method of the nurse. I have a friend who had the same and the nurse was fast and it hurt heaps more. A methodic slow steady removal (like mine) is def the way to go. The recovery is slow, but I'm now 4 months down the track and have 70% of strength and 95% movement. Best of luck, Scotty

[StapletonMatt]

I have to go through this in two weeks. Then two more weeks in a splint. I can't wait to have my thumb back

[mojotony82]

getting my pin out on Wednesday for same injury I done playing rugby.

so it takes a while for the hand to regain full movement?

[Hamburgler40]

i have the same thing just happend to me but i have to wait 6weeks to get pin out

[dquinga27]

And today all that you have of movement and of force of the thumb

[dquinga27]

And today all that you have of movement and of force of the thumb