Matt Dawson badly broke a digit on his right hand during team training in Perth two weeks ago, and recovery from surgery to repair it would have taken months.
So, the 30-year-old decided to have the finger removed from the knuckle up in order to take part in his third Games, shocking his team-mates and coach.
Honestly not a terrible decision. It sounds like even if he went ahead and did the surgery to try to salvage the finger it might not have given him full function of that digit. Why keep the finger if it’s not even going to be usable?
“If taking the top of my finger was the price I had to pay, that’s what I would do.”
That decision also depends on which knuckle it needed to be amputated past. This quote makes me think it’s just amputating from the top knuckle up, which is really just your fingernail. You still keep a lot of use out of the finger in that case.
Edit: Even if it’s the second knuckle and up, you’d still have a solid amount of grasping utility with that finger.
Even if it’s the second knuckle and up, you’d still have a solid amount of grasping utility with that finger.
Looking at my hand and bending my fingers at various knuckles like an idiot, it seems to me that I can only achieve an angle of about 90 degrees at the sharpest between my metacarpals and my proximal phalanges, I don’t see myself grasping a lot with that.
You’re right. Not with the finger just by itself, but in support of the other fingers, I meant.
Should have been more clear with what I was envisioning lol sorry.
Edit: I guess that also depends on which finger it is. Like your ring finger lost at the second knuckle could probably still help support grasping, but idk about the pinky lol.
Honestly not a terrible decision. It sounds like even if he went ahead and did the surgery to try to salvage the finger it might not have given him full function of that digit. Why keep the finger if it’s not even going to be usable?
Lacking full function doesn’t mean it’s not usable. Just not as usable.
Also, “might not”, so that prognosis was also “it might” (probably less than likely.)
I’m a doctor and I can assure you that “from the knuckle up” means all that’s left of him is the tip of a finger, which will be shit at hockey
I don’t know, he could ride the puck now
He could certainly ride my puck
“If taking the top of my finger was the price I had to pay, that’s what I would do.”
That decision also depends on which knuckle it needed to be amputated past. This quote makes me think it’s just amputating from the top knuckle up, which is really just your fingernail. You still keep a lot of use out of the finger in that case.
Edit: Even if it’s the second knuckle and up, you’d still have a solid amount of grasping utility with that finger.
Looking at my hand and bending my fingers at various knuckles like an idiot, it seems to me that I can only achieve an angle of about 90 degrees at the sharpest between my metacarpals and my proximal phalanges, I don’t see myself grasping a lot with that.
You’re right. Not with the finger just by itself, but in support of the other fingers, I meant.
Should have been more clear with what I was envisioning lol sorry.
Edit: I guess that also depends on which finger it is. Like your ring finger lost at the second knuckle could probably still help support grasping, but idk about the pinky lol.
Not quite as metal as Ronnie Lott back in the day. But close.