ORTHOPEDICS/HAND & WRIST/FINGER DISORDERS
A flexor tendon sheath infection or flexor tenosynovitis is an inflammation that arises around the finger tendons.
A flexor tendon sheath infection may be very critical that frequently led to the extremity loss or even death.
Actually, these infections can be treated. However, to avoid important infirmity, they need to be rapidly recognized and seriously treated.
Flexor Tendons and the Flexor Covering
Flexor tendons are located the fingers.
A tendon is an assemblage of hard tissue that attaches a muscle to a bone.
When the muscle contracts, the tendon pulls on the bone.
The flexor tendons navigates through an edifice called the flexor tendon sheath (covering).
The flexor tendon sheath exists for two motives:
First, it allows smooth tendon sliding, because, smooth motion is serious for adroit motion.
Second, the flexor sheath avoids the tendons from “bowstringing.” (Bowstringing would arise if the sheath were not holding the tendon against the bone).
Flexor Sheath (Flexor Tenosynovitis) Inflammation
Most frequently, a flexor sheath infection arises after a damage to the finger such as a deep cut, or a piercing shock.
If bacteria invade the sheath, the body will suffer a limited ability to fight off this inflammation.
As long as there is not enough blood supply to the lubricating synovial fluid within the tendon sheath; therefore, the body’s immune system is rendered generally unproductive.
The signs of inflammation typically develop within a week of the damage and are characterized by inflammation, soreness along the tendon sheath, restricted motion with the finger (held somewhat curved) and pain with any finger movement.
Symptoms
Above symptoms are called “Kanavel’s cardinal signs,”.
A physician trained to recognize flexor sheath inflammations should evaluate patients with these signs.
In addition, patients may have fever, abnormal blood work, and other verdicts.
Therapy
Most of the flexor sheath inflammations will come from bacteria that are commonly present on the body skin surfaces, including staph and strep.
Antibiotic therapy is significant, but not enough completely.
As long as the body has a restricted blood supply to the flexor tendon sheath, the antibiotics will find difficulty entering that location easily; therefore, a surgery will be recommended to clean out the inflammation from the sheath.
Surgery task will consist of opening two small incisions, one at the finger base and the other near the tip.
Saline fluid is then washed through the sheath to clean out the inflammation.
Complications
Flexor sheath inflammations are significant damages and they frequently take months for full recovery.
Patients with more serious and more advanced inflammation may never recover full finger motion.
A Final Word
The flexor tendon sheath Inflammations in the hand and fingers are serious difficulties that can provide long-lasting consequences.
Urgent assessment and therapy are mandatory to ensure appropriate therapy giving the fast and adequate recovery.