Guest guest Posted August 12, 2004 Report Share Posted August 12, 2004 , I did a search on the fingers and found many references to swan neck fingers in rheumatoid arthritis. I just did this because I had never heard the term. Does this sound like your son's fingers? I can understand his frustration. If your PT can teach him how to exercise his hands and fingers, like I said, that would help. Splinting and surgery seem so drastic when exercises might help his hands build those models! Gretchen Swan-Neck Deformity Swan-neck deformity is a bending in (flexion) of the base of the finger, a straightening out (extension) of the middle joint, and a bending in (flexion) of the outermost joint. The most common cause is rheumatoid arthritis. Other causes include untreated mallet finger, looseness (laxity) of the fibrous plate inside the hand at the base of the fingers or of the finger ligaments, muscle spasm affecting the hands, and a misalignment in the healing of a fracture of the middle bone of the finger. Closing the finger may become impossible; the deformity can therefore result in considerable disability. True swan-neck deformity does not affect the thumb, which has one less joint than the other fingers. However, in a variant of swan-neck deformity, called duck-bill deformity, the top joint of the thumb is severely overstraightened with a bending in of the joint at the base of the thumb to form a 90° angle. If duck-bill deformity and swan-neck deformity of one or more fingers occur together, the ability to pinch can be seriously reduced. A doctor makes the diagnosis by examining the hand and finger. Treatment is aimed at correcting the underlying cause when possible. Mild deformities may be treated with finger splints (ring splints), which correct the deformity while still allowing a person to use the hand. Problems with the ability to pinch can be greatly improved by surgically realigning the joints or by fusing the thumb or finger joints together (called interphalangeal arthrodesis) into positions that allow for optimal function. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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