What are Flexor Tendon Injuries?
Tendons in the hand connect with muscles of the forearm, enabling you to bend and extend your fingers and lift your hand at the wrist. The flexor tendons are smooth, thick flexible strings, running through six lubricated tunnels or compartments (flexor tendon sheaths). They work like bicycle brake cables to bend your fingers, sliding smoothly within the fingers as they straighten and bend. Because this is a very precise mechanism, dependant upon the muscles of the forearm and many coordinated parts, injuries to a tendon or its sheath can cause major problems in the hand. If untreated, a flexor tendon is unlikely to heal on its own. A complete cut through the tendon results in the inability to bend one or both of the finger knuckles. Incomplete lacerations may heal initially, only to tear apart later in an injury that presents further complications. Sometimes the tendon gets “stuck” and stops working. If you wait before undergoing surgical intervention, treatment becomes much more of an
