Hey guys, a while back I posted in this forum with a Boutonniere Deformity. Here is my thread for anyone that is interested:
I ended up wearing the splint for 6 weeks and took it off in mid October…it took a few weeks for it to have any sort of mobility at all, but I kept working it up and down until mobility came back…
By the first week or so of November, I was able to touch my fingertip to my palm, and had a bit more flexibility than that when drinking (guess it took down the swelling temporarily).
Problem is it hasn’t gotten any better since then…I still can’t make a fist…deadlift and pullup grip is decent but I’d really like for it to function normally…it is still visibly swollen at the joint…
My question is if a cortisone shot is likely to help? And if so, how do I go about getting one? I don’t think a GP is the right person–should I just go back to the hand specialist to inquire about it?
Thanks for any thoughts yall have…
[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
Generally I’m dead set against corticosteroids, but in a tiny, distal joint like this, I can’t see it having a deleterous effect alsewhere in the body/surrounding tissues.
I would try heating the joint to improve circulation, to try and carry away some of the fluid.
BBB[/quote]
Thanks for your thoughts BBB…I was thinking along the same lines
To heat it, would you recommend just wrapping it in a hot cloth? At what duration and frequency would I need to have to see effects?
Do you think something like Icy Hot would be beneficial, or is that for muscles exclusively?
[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
Unless I’m wrog, icy hot doesn’t actually give hear to the area, only the feeling of heat. Not the same and not as good.
BBB[/quote]
Nope you are correct Ice hot is basically a skin irritant that causes the sensation of warmth. Great as a topical analgesic, but other than that pretty useless in terms of physiological response. There will be a mild increase in blood flow due to the skin irritation, but that will be directed towards the dermis, not the muscle tissue.