Injured hand, what exercises to do?

[claptrap]

Hello, I started barbell training about a month ago, I am 42. I just fractured a bone in my pinky playing sports, so I can't use that hand to lift barbells. What exercises should I do while I heal? I thought I could do bench and overhead dumbbell presses with my good hand, and perhaps rows. I also thought I could use the squat/leg press machines. Any other suggestions?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Is your hand in a cast?

[claptrap]

It is a heavy duty splint with the ring and pinky fingers bent forward and the wrap extends down my forearm.

[Mark Rippetoe]

You can probably squat. Figure it out.

[AndrewLewis]

You can probably still deadlift if you use straps.

We've had a number of people from combat sports who at some point get injured digits. We just strap the hand and use whatever grip they can get: sometime full, sometimes a thumbless monkey grip. But they train through it.

[8odin8]

I cut straight through my left thumb flexor tendon two weeks ago. I have my thumb in a splint, running several inches down my forearm. The next day I was doing chinups on the childrens playground. I can't deadlift (yet) or do any pressing movements that involves the use of my thumb. However I have no trouble low bar squatting, doing cable rows, chin ups, neutral grip cable pulldowns, pec dec machine (it's fun), weighted hyperextensions, leg press. For all of the mentioned exercises I use my good right hand and the four uninjured fingers of my left hand to grip and pull on the machines. I can't use straps because of the splint. I will however be introducing some light deadlift work again next week using a mixed grip while omitting my left hand thumb. There's a bunch of shit you can do, just be creative.

[mark031111]

you can use lifting straps to reduce stress on your grip

[Mark Rippetoe]

All this shit is true, but if you damage the repair, you will be dealing with the consequences the rest of your life. Proceed carefully.

[Jason Donaldson]

Early this year, I had an infection from an impact injury to one of my hands, which required surgery to address. While I wanted to get moving with as much activity as I could muster, Rip stayed on my case here about being cautious with it, and I'm thankful he did. As the surgeon told me, the hand does not tolerate insult well. The amount of time you stand to lose being conservative with recovery is trivial compared to what you stand to lose if things go wrong. I lost a couple months of training, and came back from it - not 100% on the grip in that hand yet, but back to hitting regular PRs nonetheless.

Straps will be appropriate when it's time, but not before.

Also keep in mind that there are lots of ways to "insult" that aggravated hand. A lot can happen in the weight room, and dropping a plate can lead to bad things with that hand already compromised....

[8odin8]

I'm not sure how I could aggravate the thumb flexor without explicit intent since it is confined in a plaster splint and virtually immobile. It would have to be something really stupid and careless, and I don't know what that could be until I actually do it. I try to be conservative with the weights I'm moving and so far three weeks since the initial injury things seem to be proceeding nicely. I managed 180kg deadlifts yesterday for 2 sets of 5, having the injured hand supinated and everything felt fine. I started with passive thumb flexion exercises a week ago and those are proceeding with almost no pain as well.