No, I didn't break a finger today, phew!
I'm just curious...once the finger has healed and all, is there any decreased mobility, flexibility etc.

I've heard that the bone regrows to be stronger but I'm not sure if that would necessarily be of any help.

Any thoughts?

as long as it heals properly, it should be fine. I broke my pinky a while ago, and I havent had any noticeable problems.

My injury was due to a muscle being pulled when exercising in the gym. You may want to make sure that the muscles that control the finger are not strained as it may cause pain when you play. I do not believe there would be any long term effects, but I would do gentle exercises (similar to the ones the Alfred books recommend)before any extended session.

- Mark

I think this is too general a question to be properly answered.

There are just way too many variables involving how and where the finger broke, general "hardiness" of the person, original mobility, "collateral damage" to the tissue around the break, etc. etc.

But I'd say, in general, unless you're a concert level pianist you'll likely never need to worry about it.

I have many hobbies, far afield from my piano interests. That being said, I broke a finger BADLY around 20 years ago. This would be the 4th finger on my right hand. It is now one of those 20th ce. marvels. It was snapped off at the 2nd joint and was then bolted back together with a plate and 5 screws. Rehab was comprehensive, with a couple of neat appliances to aid in stretching the very unhappy muscles to the point that I could use it. My then young kids referred to me as "frankenfinger".

One and a half years later I would play a full concert program on a piano that I had rebuilt in honor of the personal achievements. Included on that program were the Haydn E flat Sonata along with the Chopin B flat Scherzo and A flat Polonaise, along with a bunch of Schumann and Strauss songs done in conjunction with my wife.

The key was having a decent surgeon and being diligent with the rehab. I would say that in all likelihood I have lost maybe 15% mobility total. This in no way affects my playing.

I am a bit more careful with my car and boat hobbies since that incident.

I agree with hotkeys. Don't strain the muscles and go at a slow pace on exercises.

It is different when you actually break a finger. A few years ago I was in an auto accident, a front end collision at only about 30 mph. I braced myself with the steering wheel. When it was over, I was horrified to see my middle finger laying across my hand almost to my thumb. My finger bone was corkscrewed well into the hand.

My first thought was the piano. I still have a plate in my hand, but no discernible adverse effects on playing, and no real decreased mobility or flexibility. But that was only after many months of painful forced stretching by therapists. Scar tissue is the main enemy.

DON'T break your finger.

Thanks John - that's the closest I've come to fainting since I had the Hong Kong flu in 1969...

[edit] - and then I read gutenberg's post!!

I know, I know, why did I read this thread? Why do wild animals stand in the middle of the road and stare at the approaching headlights?

I also broke the RH 4th finger. Not so drastically as did John Pels. No loss of mobility, just the nail phalanx is spread out and doesn't fit well between the black keys. And it's not so pretty to look at.

There was a popular pianist called Russ Conway (real name Trevor sandford) who had a very successful career even though most of his r.h. 4th finger was missing! True I never heard him play Rach.3, but his performance of an entertaining repertoire of light music showed no signs of his suffering from this disability.

Curra, to make things worse, I had just eaten prior to going to the hospital. This meant that I couldn't be totally unconscious during the procedure. So....I watched the whole thing. There's something a little disconcerting to watching the Doc bolt your finger back together. Makes for a great story though!! The Hong Kong flu isn't supposed to be a day at the beach either! 1969,now that brings back all sorts of memories.

I broke my right index finger playing soccer and dislocated my left thumb in a motorcycling accident, both in my early 20's. Neither injury had any lasting effect.

Gosh - I can't even watch when the nurse sticks the needle in to get a blood sample!

1969 - yeah, all sorts! The flu was short but sharp. My mother and I both passed out on the kitchen floor leaving my poor father to pick up the bits. Good memories too - as I recall it was the year I discovered La Bonne Chanson of Faure.

A story about Adolph Baller

I've broken my RH pinkie--twice, both times with a basketball. The first time was due to inattention in the midst of rebounding the ball; the second was when a girl in my 8th grade PE class threw the ball at me, and my natural reaction was to (belatedly) throw up a hand. Snap. I have a slight wiggle in the finger now when it is fully extended, but I've probably got upwards of 90% use in it--I can't discern any detrimental effect on my playing. (However, I was in 4th grade the first time, 6th the second, so I was hardly a fully developed pianist, making the assessment somewhat flawed).