Spags: Romo suffered “non-displaced” fracture of the little finger

[WoodysGirl]

Posted by mickshot at 10/13/2008 6:54 PM CDT on truebluefanclub.com

* Tony Romo suffered what is being called a “non-displaced” fracture of the little finger on his right throwing hand. That is about the only good news, since he will not require surgery to set the bone. His return will depend on how quickly the bone heals. The fracture is just above the hand knuckle, and with tendons closely involved, no way he can throw the ball or take snaps without the bone fully healing.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

do we have any dr's on this board?

 

[Rampage]

I have a feeling he will return for the giant game.

 

[CowboyStar88]

Question isnt it better to break something rather then fracture it? Just curious Because I know Mick is trying to find some good, but I just thought it takes longer for a fracture then a break/surgery. Im probably wrong but Its a question I have

 

[TellerMorrow34]

Posted by mickshot at 10/13/2008 6:54 PM CDT on truebluefanclub.com

* Tony Romo suffered what is being called a “non-displaced” fracture of the little finger on his right throwing hand. That is about the only good news, since he will not require surgery to set the bone. His return will depend on how quickly the bone heals. The fracture is just above the hand knuckle, and with tendons closely involved, no way he can throw the ball or take snaps without the bone fully healing.

We won't see him till the Commander game. They're not going to risk further injury, for any reason, bringing him back before the bye week.

 

[eastcoastfan]

No but I did spend the night in a Quality Inn suite last night Out 3 Weeks ready for GGURLS.

 

[WoodysGirl]

Vela - Location of Romo’s Fracture Is Important

The team’s website claims that Tony Romo suffered a fractured right fifth metacarpal.

According to Dr. Luis Rios, my radio partner on The Sports Doctors and a hand surgeon in his day job, the location of Romo’s injury will affect his recovery time and odds for a full recovery this year. The original statement found in many press stories of a “broken pinkie finger” gives the impression that Romo injured the area of the finger that extends into the air. However, the 5th metacarpal refers to the bone that extends from the base of the wrist to the knuckle of the little finger. It is the longest single bone in the hand. It’s also the thickest one.

Because the metacarpals are surrounded by soft tissue and other bones, fractures to them are often relatively stable and heal well.

According to Dr. Rios:

“If the fracture is near the middle of the bone it can be stabilized with a plate and screws. This will allow the bone to heal quicker and get Romo back on the field sooner. However, if the fracture is just below the knuckle, often times a plate cannot be inserted and the fracture will have to heal on its own. Therefore the fracture may require a little more time to heal before it is stable enough to allow Romo to play.

If it’s in the middle of the bone, the metacarpals are ameable to small injections that would reduce discomfort during a game but not numb the fingers.

If it’s a mid fracture, Romo could return on the short end of the rehab timetable, but if it’s a near-knuckle fracture he’s probably out the full 4-6 weeks.

Given the choice between a fractured metacarpal and a broken pinkie finger, you would prefer the former because it’s less likely to affect your accuracy when you return.”

No injury is good but the injury as described gives Romo a chance to come back as close to new as possible.

 

[DaBoys4Life]

Break the pinky and then get the surgery

 

[BIGDen]

Question isnt it better to break something rather then fracture it? Just curious Because I know Mick is trying to find some good, but I just thought it takes longer for a fracture then a break/surgery. Im probably wrong but Its a question I have

All breaks are fractures. Fracture is the technical term. There are numerous types of fractures. The fact that it is non-displaced is good, but if he has a severe sprain or strain in addition to this fracture that could be problematic. The bone will heal in about a month (4-6 weeks is the typical timeframe given), but tendon/ligament damage can be tricky. I'm a physical therapist (I've got a doctorate for those who wanted a "doctor" )who has fractured and severely sprained his ankle on different occasions. The fractures healed with no problem. The sprains took a lot longer. I actually did both to my right pinky finger (same as our beloved Romo) as well and I still have ligamentous laxity and occasional soreness in my "throwing pinky" many years later.

 

[BIGDen]

Just read WoodysGirls' post and see that it's not even the pinky. Amazing how info gets screwed up all the time.

 

[juck]

This is what TO had but to his ring finger.He got a plate and played in what 3 weeks?

 

[Eskimo]

Hard to talk about this in depth as little information has been given here.

Undisplaced fracture means the two ends of the bone across the fracture site never moved out of position and so they don't need to be reset or "reduced".

Basically, a fracture at the "pinkie" knuckle is known as a boxer's fracture and frequently occurs when the hand punches a hard object. Most of these can be "reduced" or put back in position after a local anesthetic and usually don't require surgery unless there are issues like "scissoring" (this means when you make a fist the fingers cross each other).

For a mid-shaft fracture, it will take awhile to heal but the end result should be good.

My guess since he continued to play through the injury is that he had a mid-shaft fracture which is easier to go undiagnosed initially. The boxer's fracture is obvious at the time and I doubt he could continue to play through that injury.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Thanks WG!

 

[jobberone]

Hard to talk about this in depth as little information has been given here.

Undisplaced fracture means the two ends of the bone across the fracture site never moved out of position and so they don't need to be reset or "reduced".

Basically, a fracture at the "pinkie" knuckle is known as a boxer's fracture and frequently occurs when the hand punches a hard object. Most of these can be "reduced" or put back in position after a local anesthetic and usually don't require surgery unless there are issues like "scissoring" (this means when you make a fist the fingers cross each other).

For a mid-shaft fracture, it will take awhile to heal but the end result should be good.

My guess since he continued to play through the injury is that he had a mid-shaft fracture which is easier to go undiagnosed initially. The boxer's fracture is obvious at the time and I doubt he could continue to play through that injury.

It's distal Eskimo. So not a boxer's fracture. Either pulled the MCL with concomitant fracture or a guillotine fracture just proximal to the end of the metacarpal would be my best guess. They won't worry if there is a little translation of the head of the 5th MC although sounds very minor with absolutely no displacement. Not a hand surgeon either.

 

[Gemini Dolly]

Anyone else confused?

Can someone describe Romo's injury for us dummies. Dont use words like metacarpals and stuff. Did he break his pinky finger or was it the knuckle part?

 

[Bob Sacamano]

so he won't be affected for a long time? he just needs the proper healing time?

 

[Nors]

Sounds like he broke the back of his hand - pinkie didget. My brother did that and was operated on out a long time golf wise.

My son had a similar injury injury with a "punching incident/horsing around" Was diagnosed with a hairline fracture and rest. Was playing baseball 10 days later pain tolerance only issue.

I think Romo can be playing in 2 weeks - JMO

Heck Bledsoe was playing with a pin sticking out his finger in Foxboro in December cold.

 

[juck]

It's distal Eskimo. So not a boxer's fracture. Either pulled the MCL with concomitant fracture or a guillotine fracture just proximal to the end of the metacarpal would be my best guess. They won't worry if there is a little translation of the head of the 5th MC although sounds very minor with absolutely no displacement. Not a hand surgeon either.

"Not a hand surgeon" u sure fooled me,lol.

 

[jobberone]

"Not a hand surgeon" u sure fooled me,lol.

Sorry for the doc talk but was doing a curbside consult with Eskimo.

 

[Big Dakota]

Muga mepa moo