Amputation of Single digit Treatment in India

David Verma, a 58-year-old carpenter and...

David Verma, a 58-year-old carpenter and father of three, had worked with his hands his entire life. For the past year, he had been struggling with a severe, unrelenting pain in his left index finger, which had become increasingly stiff and misshapen. The pain was so intense it woke him at night and made holding tools nearly impossible. After multiple rounds of conservative treatment for osteoarthritis, including anti-inflammatories and steroid injections that provided only temporary relief, his orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Lee, recommended a single-digit amputation of the distal phalanx. Dr. Lee explained that removing the painful, arthritic joint was the only way to give David lasting relief and allow him to return to work. The surgery itself was straightforward, but David felt a profound sense of loss and anxiety about his future livelihood. The initial recovery was challenging, with phantom sensations and learning to adapt his grip. However, within three months, with dedicated occupational therapy, David was back in his workshop. The constant, debilitating pain was gone. While he still mourned the loss of a part of himself, the overwhelming emotion was one of gratitude and liberation. He could work pain-free, play with his grandchildren, and sleep through the night, feeling he had traded a source of constant suffering for a new, functional normal.