"Although so many years have passed and I've already gotten used to it in daily life, every time I see my hand in a photo, I still get startled." For a 23-year-old young woman from Guizhou, this is truly heartbreaking.
Crab-claw thumb
Her right hand has six fingers. What bothers her isn't only the number, but also the appearance. She has a convergent-type polydactyly: the two thumbs grow toward each other like a crab's claw. Since childhood, this unique right hand has drawn many strange looks.
After becoming an adult, she consulted many hospitals. But crab-claw polydactyly in adults is structurally very complex, and many doctors told her that the chances of achieving good correction were not high. For a time, she hesitated - she had already grown used to her right hand.
Over the years, she lived a different life with this different hand. She could do everything others could, sometimes even better. Sometimes she completely forgot about it. But whenever she looked back at old photos, the twisted "crab claw" always brought a sharp pain to her heart.
She decided: I must change this
This time, she made up her mind. She travelled alone from her hometown to Wuhan, temporarily put aside her job, and just wanted to fix the problem with her hand as soon as possible.
Her type of polydactyly is different from that of young children - not only is recovery slower in adults, but the surgery itself is also more complicated. Due to the long-term structural deformity, the operation may require two osteotomies to straighten the thumb, along with other adjustments.
X-ray
Previously, another girl in the clinic had a similar condition. Both of them mainly wanted to improve the appearance. After correction and recovery, the thumb can regain strength, and basic movement will also return.
Many adult patients in our clinic grew up unable to correct these abnormalities due to various reasons. As they get older, they inevitably feel affected by them. They may already be accustomed to the functional limitations, but when it comes to appearance, they still want to make a change now that they have the ability - they want a hand that looks better, at least five fingers, so they don't have to hide their hand when taking photos.
Clinic
For these adult patients, I deeply understand them. They are brave. If they have the wish, we can consider helping them through surgery and other medical treatments. Times have changed - there will always be a good solution for their problems!