hand surgery

[lindalou]

Hi, After having scleroderma for five years my hands are still contracted. Has anyone had successful hand surgery?

                                                  Thank You, linda

[Kim]

Hey Linda,

Sorry you are struggling with the decision to operate or not to operate on your hands.

One question I would ask is what is the state of your SD?  SD people do not heal normally so are you over the hump as to where you are healing again?  If the answer is, “no” and you are still over-producing collagen, chances are you will have bands of too much scar tissue over each joint that was worked on, so what's the point?  It's also hard to predict what the added trauma to your body could do to set off problems again.

Many of us over time have had our hands improve as the SD retreated.  My contractures are gone, but there is still residual joint damage with drifting fingers that is permanent.  I can live with that. 

Take care…..kim

[lindalou]

Hi Kim, What is drifing fingers?

                                        ThankYou, Linda

[richie]

Hi-

Kim brings up a good point –what is your progress with the over-all disease -contractures in scleroderma are caused primarily by the tendons being overgrown by collagen and they then tend to harden as the disease gets reversed  –once the healing process begins these tendons can and do re-soften as the collagen normalizes —-I had bad contractures that reverted to being normal again –takes quite awhile —I am not aware of surgery being able to correct contractures due to SD –have you tried occupational or physical therapy ??? Sometimes this can be of help —Incidentally drifting fingers mean the contracted fingers tend to go to the side –this type of contracture is almost impossible to reverse –mine were straight on —

richie

[Kim]

[user=1610]lindalou[/user] wrote:

Hi Kim, What is drifing fingers?                                      

My fingers drift (are bent) in the direction away from the thumb.

kim

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