When the pins were removed* on April 3, the (not my regular) doctor told me I shouldn't run until May, maybe longer. I was given a new splint, told to keep my three little fingers buddy taped, and generally that I was still injured. Yesterday at the checkup with my usual ortho doc, I was told no more brace or tape and to use my hand as much as possible as long as it didn't hurt. And of course I could start running again.
Getting ready to run was odd, after seven weeks some things had been put all-the-way away instead of being in their usual spots. I got to lace up my brand new running shoes for the first time** and went out. I ran around the park, less than 2 mi, with a huge smile on my face the entire way. I was slow, and today I'm a little sore which seems silly given how little distance it was.
My hand isn't quite a hand again yet. It's still swollen (! after seven weeks) at the bottom knuckles and along the pinkie side of my hand. I can't make a fist, or hold my hand in a straight line on its own. I have some basic exercises to start with, and go to a PT appointment next week. The elbow does have full motion back which is great, though it is still a little stiff and sore.
But I went for a run.
*So the answer to how do the pins get removed is with a pair of pliers; he just gripped the end of each pin and pulled. The shorter one I barely felt at all, it was just a touch of pressure, the longer one took two pulls and it hurt a little more. He put a band-aid over the holes, and that was it.
**I bought new running shoes mid-February but was waiting until after the trip to WI to trade out the insoles from my current pair. I don't remember why I decided not to put on the new shoes the night I fell (the day after WI) but I'm rather grateful I can restart running with new shoes. It feels like a clean slate.
