I need a medical expert

Honalo · Jul 11, 2008

My fantasy character is going insane from a mysterious disease and has just come to terms with how her mother was killed and she loses it. She's in a cavern and, because the disease involves self-mutilation, she thrusts her hands against a boulder and bangs them into the rock - intensely - for several minutes. Now I have the skin shredding, the bones shattering so that she's really left with no fingers, they just sort of droop.

Would that be accurate? Never having done it myself, I can only surmise.
I appreciate anyone who can lend, ahem, a hand.

sheadakota · Jul 11, 2008

Hmmm, unless the nerves are severed as well as the bones being shattered, I am inclined to think her fingers would not just droop- even if the bones were shattered, the muscles, which would now be swollen, the tendons and ligaments would still be intanct and the fingers, while lookng bent and mishapen would still not just droop-

Honalo · Jul 11, 2008

Good point, Sheadakota. bent and bloody and swollen fingers would work too.

GeorgeK · Jul 15, 2008

The body will seek out a position in which the injury is least painful. For most this will be the "neutral position" where extensors and flexors are at about equal states of contraction and the hand, although swollen will look something like they were gently holding a small invisible egg. In other disease states, the flexors and extensors might not be balanced and the fingers could be contorted into pretzel-like directions

Honalo · Jul 15, 2008

OK, George K, so even tho the bones may shatter, the fingers would still retain some sort of shape to them?
Thanks for your help.

GeorgeK · Jul 16, 2008

yeah, they may be shortened and swollen from bone shards overlapping and they may not be functional, due to pain and altered range of motion, but most likely anyone looking at them will recognize that they are hands

Honalo · Jul 16, 2008

OK. Thanks so much for your help.

I need a medical expert

Honalo

sheadakota

part of the human equation

Honalo

GeorgeK

ever seeking

Honalo

GeorgeK

ever seeking

Honalo