“The positioning of the extensor tendons being superficially placed makes them prone to easy injuries. I have observed in my 25 years of profession that they are more difficult to treat in comparison to flexor tendon injuries that are in themselves complicated enough. Extreme skill in repairing extensor tendons is required because they are much flatter and thinner as compared to flexor tendons and also very closely located to the bones.” Pensively puts forth Dr. Gupta.
Pondering for a few moments he tries to explain what extensor tendon injuries are in simple terms, “The muscles that extend from the forearm and connect to the bones of the fingers and thumb running through the hand and wrist on the backside are termed as extensor tendons and they govern the straightening ability of the fingers. Not going much into intrinsic details I would just say that if you have a cut on the backside of your hand, wrist or finger by any blunt object or sustain an injury by jamming or crushing of the fingers which results in extreme pain while you try to straighten your fingers, seek medical advice for your extensor tendons may have been injured.”
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“After having performed surgeries on more than thousands of patients who had approached me with severe complexities, I believe that when a patient sustains an extensor tendon injury he should be very careful about consulting a hand surgeon and a therapist because hand therapy and the technique with which extension tendon injury is repaired are the key to complete and a little trifle recovery.”Dr. Gupta says gravely.
“We usually run a few physical and imaging tests including radiography on the patients to ascertain a conclusive presence of these injuries and then depending on the mechanism of injury we decide on the technique. Partial tear or cut in the tendons may be treated with splinting and therapy but usually the torn ends of a tendon need to be stitched back together surgically. Mallet finger or Boutonniere Deformity are an example of extensor tendon injuries.” Asserts Dr. Gupta calmly.
“And I would just say that patients should have their extensor tendons repaired else they might lose mobility in the fingers and thumb and be mentally prepared that the road to recovery and resuming activities is slow and difficult.”
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FAQ- Extensor Tendon Injuries
Injuries caused to the extensor tendons by mild cuts or jamming of a finger which may result in the tendons being ripped out from their bone and cause difficulty in straightening of finger joints are known as Extensor Tendon Injuries.