Hand surgery

I had trigger finger surgery on the middle finger of my fretting hand about a week ago and I'm getting really anxious to start playing again.
I was wondering if anyone else has had this type of surgery and how long it took for you to recover the full range of motion in your finger and hand? Any complications or issues? Thanks!

Good Luck Steve, I haven't had the surgery (yet) but I have the same condition. Hope this corrects your problem.

I have had surgery to my left hand index finger knuckle and my right hand thumb.

The knuckle split in two, with half of it sliding down towards the thumb, when I accidently swung it into a wall while running. This took a few weeks to heal after the surgery and I could probably move my finger okay in about 2 months after the surgery. I do have some issues still with it though, it cannot move as fast as my right hand index finger and it hurts and gets stiff sometimes when it's cold outside (sounds cliché but it's true ).

The thumb on my right hand was more problematic, the ligament ripped right off in a skiing accident and it left my thumb just hanging (and hurting like hell). It took more than three months before I could even start to move it, and then it was pretty much locked into position. Another three months of physical therapy (really silly exercises to stretch the thumb and stuff) and I got back to maybe 75% mobility in the thumb. It cannot move backwards anywhere near as much as my left thumb and gets stuck a little sooner when moving forward. No biggie though and not something that is restrictive in general. Doesnt affect my playing at all.

All the best and good luck with your surgery! Dont skip the physical therapy afterwards, you'll regret it!

Hi Steve-o. I had the surgery (trigger finger, middle finger fretting hand) about 20 years ago. I followed the surgeons instructions to the letter and followed up with a friend who is an Occupational Therapist. Overall the surgery went fine. i regained about 90% function. The finger is a bit stiffer than the others, but I have some arthritis as well. I was playing lap steel at the time and I was able to get back to playing in about 4 weeks.
If I had to have the surgery again I would, except I would have had the surgery sooner.

Speedy recovery, my friend. :cheers:

Been there, done that, got the scars on both hands to prove it. Ditto on the PT, except make sure you find your way to a Certified Hand Therapist. This is a specialty that a PT or OT can have over and above the base license. My first surgeon didn't believe in therapy. After several weeks of increasing stiffness, I got desperate and referred myself to the CHT, and it was only then that my recovery started.

Great info. Thanks everyone. The only info I've gotten from my surgeon is to open & closer my hand into a fist 500 times a day. I haven't made it to 500 yet as something in my palm starts to hurt. And it's still stiff and sore. The stitches come out on Wednesday so maybe they'll have more info then. But I will definitely find some good physical therapy, I want this thing to heal properly & completely. But I sure miss playing. I guess besides actual practice, I never realized just how much I grabbed a uke for stress, boredom or just 5 minutes of fun.

Thanks for mentioning CHT, saltytri, I forgot that part.
Be patient Steve-0, it'll come around.

Best of luck with your healing. Playing the uke is good therapy in itself. But don't skip OT.

Had it done on my right hand some years ago, no limitations I noticed since. If you look at the anatomy and what they do, problems are usually infrequent -- all they usually do is give the tendon room to move easier.

I'm usually a quick healer but this seems like it's going to take a while to get back to normal. I did find a good site with info and exercises that are pretty useful even for good hands. http://www.ipcphysicaltherapy.com/TriggerFinger.aspx

Thanks to everyone for the good wishes.