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Call our offices at: (310) 274-3481 (800) 964-0404
Beverly Hills
9301 Wilshire Boulevard
Suite 406A
Beverly Hills, California 90210
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INSURANCE & WORKERS' COMPENSATION
ACCEPTED!
We accept most types of insurance
providers and specialize in the treatment of workers'
compensation injuries to the hand and upper extremity. |
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Injuries to the Flexor Tendon
Surgical Treatment
Recovery & Therapy
Your fingers are moved or bent by the flexor muscles that pull or
push on tendons that attach the muscle to the bone being moved. The
flexor muscles begin up near the elbow or upper forearm and become
tendons halfway down the middle of the forearm. They ultimately run
into the hand and attach to the bones in the fingers.
Inside the finger, the tendons run through rings of fiber called
pulleys that keep the tendons in place, close to the bones. This
arrangement lets the tendons move the joints very efficiently and
permits the fingers to make the fine motions we expect.
If the wrist, hand, or fingers get a deep cut on the palm side
of the hand, the flexor tendon, nerves and blood vessels that are
near it can also sustain injury. The injury may appear minor on
the surface, however, under the skin it can be rather complex. If
the tendon is completely severed, the ends that are still attached
will pull away from each other. If the tendon isn't completely detached,
it can still enable the fingers to move with some pain initially.
Ultimately, however, it may end up tearing in half. If the tendon
is completely cut, the fingers won't be able to move.
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| Surgical Treatment |
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Since tendons are made out of living cells, if the cut ends are brought
back together, they will heal. As long as the ends can be held in
place, the tendon can heal from the inside through cell growth, right
along with the tissue on the outside. Because the ends of a tendon
usually snap apart if the tendon is cut, it's rare for the tendon
to heal without surgery.
If one of your flexor tendons has been cut, your hand surgeon will
let you know how soon surgery should take place to heal the damage.
The type of repair depends on the type of cut, and there is no particular
procedure to fix them all. If the injury caused a cut in the tendon
of a finger, the pulleys will also need to be saved. In such a case,
your hand surgeon will also make sure that blood vessels and nerves
near the area injured remain healthy.
After the tendon has been repaired through surgery, the injured area
will be either slightly or completely restricted from for several
weeks, depending on the type of cut. After the surgery, hand therapy
may be necessary.
If the fingers aren't held in place after the surgical procedure
and are, instead, left to move on their own the tendon is likely
to pull apart again. Four to six weeks after the surgery, the fingers
may be able to be moved slowly and against no resistance, but healing
of the tendon takes place during a full three months after the procedure.
Even after surgery, patients do not necessarily regain full and
normal use of the injured area. If the tendon has pulled apart again
after surgery or is hampered in its movements by surrounding scar
tissue, it may be extremely difficult for the muscles to move the
finger. It is common for the tendon to be scarred when repaired
and scarring may make it difficult to bend or straighten the finger.
You may be given a set of exercises to loosen any scar tissue that
interferes with finger movement as part of a therapy program. If
therapy isn't helpful, surgical intervention aimed at removing scar
tissue around the repaired tendon may be needed.
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| Recovery & Therapy |
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A therapy program of limited and controlled hand or finger movement
usually follows surgery and lasts for several weeks. A hand therapist,
and a hand surgeon, will help you understand the therapy and follow
appropriate guidelines. If the hand is used too soon after surgery,
or if the guidelines of the therapy program aren't carefully followed,
the repaired tendon may pull back apart. Therapy will help soften
any scar tissue and increase grip strength, and its benefits aren't
just limited to restoring hand or finger motion.
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We serve the following cities within Los Angeles,
which are in close proximity to our offices:
Agoura Hills, Brentwood, Canoga Park, Century City, Chatsworth,
Culver City, Glendale, Granada Hills, Hollywood, Los Angeles,
Marina Del Rey, North Hollywood, Northridge, Rancho Park, Reseda,
Santa Monica, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Tarzana, Valencia, Van
Nuys, West Hills, West Hollywood, West L.A., Winnetka, Woodland
Hills
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