Recovering from a table saw accident?

I unfortunately severed my index finger at the first knuckle by the nail this past week. I didn't lose my finger, but I did destroy most of the extender tendon so they may have to fuse that first joint together... Any one else been through this?

Did fusing ruin your ability to climb? Would amputation be better?
My Dr seems to think the fusion wouldnt affect my climbing, but I have a hard time believing that.

Dave, are you joking?! I know you have a man crush on Tommy but that's taking it one step too far. In all seriousness that's horrible to hear. Amputation didn't seem to affect Caldwell too much though. Would a fusion lock the joint straight? seems like it would be hard to use it in many situations. So its the back of the finger that got cut? I had a accident a long time ago where I cut the extender tendon to my thumb and they sent me to a plastic surgeon and he was able to repair it but it took a looong time to not bother me when I climbed. You say you destroyed it so Im assuming its irreparable but you might get a second opinion. Good luck.
Adam

Edit. just remember you doctor is not a climber and may not understand how important it is to you.

Sorry to hear that, Monty.

A close friend of mine, who is right handed, cut off his right index and middle fingers at the second knuckle in a table saw accident. The middle finger was reattached with a fused 2nd knuckle, index was not reattached.

He still plays hoops, shoots and dribbles with his right hand, all that. Still kills it at noon ball at the Y. He is not a climber, but is definitely an athelete.

Best part is the T-shirt his uncle bought him after the accident: "Lefty". He wears it proudly. Stand tall.

One thing that sucks about keeping the mangled/fused part of the finger is that you have to be really careful in the cold, depending how bad the circulation is.

I can put you in contact with my friend if you want.

biscuits wrote: I know you have a man crush on Tommy but that's taking it one step too far.

Funny, that's the first thing I thought of too...

My father in-law cut off his index finger. He got it re-attached, but they pretty much botched it. He really wanted to save it, but I think he would have been better off without it... (they didn't have time to reattach the tendons, so you are already better off).

Maybe you can lop it off later if you don't like the results. Mostly kidding... Sorry to hear about the accident. That really sucks.

So sorry about your accident. I hope you have a great recovery.

!! I am not anything like a doctor. Have a thorough conversation with at least one specialist before making any decision. !!

If the first joint of your index finger is fused, you'll have no mobility in that joint, right? So you won't be able to hang from a one-pad pocket, or hyperextend the joint when you crimp, right? That would be my biggest concern with fusing the joint and I wonder if you would end up not using the finger when climbing anyway. The question then would be, does reattaching and fusing improve your ability to do every day stuff? Does it get in the way while climbing? What trade-off are you willing to make between every day tasks and climbing?

Tough decision. In the end, you may need to spend some time educating your doctor about the demands of technical rock climbing. Maybe show him/her some videos or photos, demonstrate the types of grips you will use frequently, etc.

Good luck!

Your absolutely right, fusing that joint would mean I would have no mobility what so ever. I think most doctors are so passionate about saving a body part, they get slightly offended when you say you don't want it to get in the way.

Damn dude, I am sorry to hear about this.

The one time I asked Tommy about his finger he said he didn't really need it anyway.. maybe he was joking, but seeing as he's still putting up some of the hardest routes in the world I don't really think so. I can think of a few places, (cytogrinder, that other route between center and breashears are two left handed ones) where it would be better to NOT have that last joint of the index finger in the way..

Why not ask Tommy about this directly? I'm sure he would have some valuable insight for you. Maybe you could absorb some of his powers while you're at it..

I wish you the best in your recovery, good luck!

RyanO wrote:Why not ask Tommy about this directly? I'm sure he would have some valuable insight for you. Maybe you could absorb some of his powers while you're at it...

Not quite sure how I'd actually contact him. It'd be great to talk to some one who has gone through this before.

Hi Monty,

Last March I suffered a similar injury when I lost the end of my index finger below the nail bed. Severed under rolling talus. The injury set me back about 6 weeks. That's about it.

The gains I've made in my climbing by loosing about 20 pounds and becoming more confident in my gear have more than compensated for the amputation.

The biggest complaint is that the stump gets bloody cold while ice/aid climbing.

Now... I know blog-dropping is lame... but I did write a bit about how it's impacted my climbing.

click here

Sorry to hear about it... but recovery will be quicker than you think.

edit to add: I'm about a v4/5.11/A2+/WI4 climber. If you're interested in hearing about how to get back to 5.14b... you should probably just go ahead and chat with Tommy C.

So did they amputate above or below the middle knuckle?

Above.

I was lucky enough to have minimal damage to any tendons. Also... I might also talk to a specialist if you have that option. Fusing the joint doesn't sound good to me.

If you like, a pic of my finger post-amputation is here: Click for Gore!

However...

Even though I can pull on the stump and generate some power, my brain instinctively pulls it away about 80% of the time. I've been training myself to engage it more often but most times I'm climbing on my middle and ring finger with my thumb. It's difficult to explain... but you need to force yourself to use your stump. I suspect my ring finger has become much stronger in the past 14 months.

Dave, sorry to hear about your accident. Table saws are extremely dangerous devices in many ways. You may want to seek out a local specialist if you haven't already. Hand Surgery Associates in Denver have some expertise in the area, Dr. Kavi Sachar or Dr. In Sok Yi are both highly qualified, and also Steadman & Hawkins in Vail and at the Tech Center are well known and have climber-surgeons there too. You may want to seek out a second opinion and take plenty of time explaining to the doc what climbing means to you and how you use you fingers when climbing. Give me a call if you have any questions.

Dave, I am so sorry to hear about this! Definately get a second opinion if you can. I hope you heal as well as possible. Let's get together for a cold one sometime soon,

schu

I hate using skill and table saws and joiners. I avoid them if at all possible. I did cut my neck up with a chainsaw when I was 17 and don't mind using them though.

Sorry about your injury, and good luck healing up.

JLP wrote:What would you do different at the table saw? I have one, and I fear it. Good luck with the finger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV8eEGUDYc4

this seems like a good idea, but the wiki page says they're a bit controversial...and the reviews online aren't great either.

Also, Monty -- sorry for your injury

The problem with using tools to rip small pieces of very expensive wood is that they don't grip the wood very well and the cut ends up being crooked. I found that out one Christmas making boxes for gifts with my friend Scott. It was terrifying using that table saw and I vowed never to get into woodworking after that.

Anyway, you guys be careful with them power tools out there! I think I will work on my foot placements while walking back from the climb.

JLP wrote:What would you do different at the table saw? I have one, and I fear it. Good luck with the finger.

Always use a guard, but never trust the guard. There are lots of old table saws around without adequate guards (or that have semi-useless guards). If you can't fit a good overhead guard to your saw, junk it.

Do not allow any distractions.

Only use a properly tuned saw.

Use push sticks, clamps, and well-designed jigs.

Use a SawStop model.

monty (dave), super sorry to hear about your finger. i am completely confident that you will be climbing as hard or harder. dudes like you don't let little $hit like that slow you down.