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Thread: Fibromas on knuckles – considering surgery

  1. #1
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    Default Fibromas on knuckles – considering surgery

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    Hi all,

    I'm a 29 year old male. About 6 months ago I developed "fibromas" on the knuckles of my left index and middle fingers. Here is a photo. You can see redness and swelling.

    This diagnosis has been confirmed by a hand surgeon. I've ruled out that it is bone or inflammatory-related with X-rays and an assortment of treatments (NSAIDs, compression, stretching...even did a round of prednisone to be sure).

    Apparently the deal is that you either get them removed or you don't. There have been reports of them spontaneously going away but that appears to be an exception and not a rule.

    I wouldn't care if these were painless, but they are affecting my lifting and guitar playing (two very important things to me). They are tender when knocked against something, and hurt when the finger is in full flexion (sharp pain with hookgrip deadlifts and certain guitar chords, for example). It feels like I have two peas on top of my PIP joints.

    Apparently the surgery is fairly straightforward – small incision, they take the growth outs, and stitch them up. However, the doctor warned me that there is a chance I can lose strength and ROM after the procedure.

    So, my question is how serious is a finger surgery like this?. How concerned should I be that I'm going to end up worse off if I do the surgery? When I go back to training afterwards, should I expect them to adapt and get back to working normally?

    Thanks,
    Scott

  2. #2
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    What causes their development?

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    What causes their development?
    Based on what I've been able to find online, they are mostly genetic with some evidence to suggest that they are linked to repetitive "trauma". I played a *lot* of guitar earlier this year which is suspect – if I got them removed I wouldn't push practice as hard ongoing.

    Apparently they are also more common for people with Scandinavian decent – another box I check.

  4. #4
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    What is the incidence of recurrence after the surgery?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    What is the incidence of recurrence after the surgery?
    It varies from report to report, but the highest number I’ve read is a 24% reoccurrence rate.

  6. #6
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    If the surgery is cheap and uncomplicated, it's worth a shot.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    If the surgery is cheap and uncomplicated, it's worth a shot.
    Thanks for the time and perspective, Rip. I’ll probably end up doing it. Will post updates in this thread for posterity.

  8. #8
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    starting strength coach development program
    I want to provide an update in case somebody with a similar situation stumbles upon this thread.

    I had the surgery and am pleased with the results. I'm ~3 weeks post op and have regained full ROM of my fingers will just a little scarring (which I don't are about). Fingers are a bit stiff first thing in the morning but it's getting better by the day. Most all pain I was experiencing before the surgery is gone.

    The fibromas may reoccur at some point, but honestly I'd be happy to do the procedure a second time after having done it.

    Post OP photo

    Cheers and happy lifting.

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