Traction

A couple of weeks before Christmas, Matt was playing church basketball and hurt his finger. He came home and showed me that his little finger was swollen and I asked if he was ok. He said he was fine and I forgot all about it.

Skip ahead to Christmas Eve when we were visiting Matt's family and his dad asked what was wrong with his finger. Matt's finger now looked worse than it had the night it happened--and he had yet to see a doctor. Between the two of us, we convinced Matt he had to see a doctor. He saw an urgent care doctor after Christmas and was told to see an orthopedic doctor.

About 3 weeks later I finally make an appointment for Matt to see the doctor and it turns out that Matt had dislocated his finger, then chipped the bone when it popped back in. It also did some damage to the rest of his finger and there is scar tissue that has built up making his finger unable to be used--it looks all swollen and crooked.

So he got sent to physical therapy. In addition to getting exercises for his little finger, and massages, the physical therapist told Matt his finger needed to be in traction ....so Friday he got a traction device for his finger.

He has to build up tolerance to it--so it is just a few hours each day until he can tolerate it all night.

Yesterday we went to dinner with my siblings and my parents to celebrate my Parent's 39th anniversary and someone asked Matt if he got made fun of at physical therapy because he was just there for his finger when other people couldn't even walk. I told Matt that he couldn't let the other patients bully him, his finger was just as important as their leg and if they kept calling him names I would talk to the manager.

I think if it were up to Matt he wouldn't be going at all....lucky for him (or his finger) I think having mobility in your finger--even if it is your little finger--is fairly important, or at least worth some effort!

Plus.....how many people have ever had a traction device for their finger?