South Fork athlete Has Finger Re-attached after Football Injury
South Fork linebacker Will Claunch, who injured his finger during a football scrimmage, had the finger sewed to his abdomen to help regenerate the blood flow to the damaged tissue.
By LISA RIDDLE May 20, 2007
TROPICAL FARMS — Miller Exantus came off the field with a hurt shoulder during a spring football game Friday, and Will Claunch was the first to come by and check on his fellow South Fork linebacker.
Claunch, standing on the sidelines in street clothes, was happy to see Exantus was not seriously injured, as Claunch had been the week before on the same field at Joebud Staggs/Bulldog Stadium.
Claunch lost most of the skin off the bottom of his right middle finger while trying to make a tackle in an intrasquad scrimmage game on May 11. On the play, his finger got caught in the pants drawstrings of running back Zeke White and ripped the tissue almost down to the bone.
"When I went down, all I could see was what I thought was bone, but now I realize I was probably seeing my tendons," said Claunch, who will be a senior next year and also is a three-year starter for South Fork's baseball team.
Teammate and close friend J.R. Bradford knew the injury was bad when he saw Claunch leave the field. Claunch had suffered two previous in-game shoulder injuries and did not come out despite the pain.
Claunch's father, Reed, had to fight back a feeling of nausea when he first saw his son after the injury, but his medical experience soon took over as he contemplated his son's options. Reed, a Stuart-based veterinarian, remembered a surgery for a similar injury to animals called "degloving." The medical condition is named the same for humans as it is for pets — when an extensive section of skin is completely torn off the underlying tissue.
Reed and a veterinary professor at Auburn University, Steve Swaim, had performed several operations together in which a dog's paw was sewed to a tunnel of skin on its side to help regenerate lost padding.
"All Will could think about was he wasn't going to be able to play football or baseball anymore if he lost the finger," Reed said. "But I knew there was enough tissue there to treat it."
That's why he did not accept one option offered by West Palm Beach plastic and reconstructive surgeon Fredric Barr — to amputate the finger.
Barr had another option, however, one similar to the procedure Reed Claunch had performed decades ago on dogs. Barr would stitch Will's finger to a flap of skin cut at the base of his abdomen to help encourage blood flow and regenerate lost tissue. Barr said the procedure is more common than people think and calls it a standard surgery among those in his profession.
"We could try to salvage the finger," Barr said. "He will be left with a finger without sensation on the bottom side of it. Hopefully, he'll have some strength for grip."
Claunch has to keep the finger attached for at least 10 days, and Barr is scheduled to further examine the injury Monday. Claunch's finger still could require amputation, but Claunch and his father feel optimistic that the finger will heal.
"With all of this, I'm just hoping for the best case," Will said. "Sports is what I do. I'm playing sports year-round. When I'm not playing baseball, I'm playing football. I can't imagine an injury like this keeping me from the things I love."
Barr said Claunch will require another surgery to detach the finger from his stomach and possibly further surgeries depending on his progress.
Sitting no longer is practical for Claunch. He spends most of his time in bed but can stand for limited periods of time. The healing process does not permit a soft cast or bandaging to help secure the finger to his stomach, so standing fatigues his shoulder while he holds his hand in place. He successfully stood near the sidelines for nearly two hours Friday to watch his teammates play.
"I wanted to get out there and play so bad," Claunch said.
INJURY TIMELINE
South Fork linebacker Will Claunch suffered an injury known as "degloving" to his right finger. Nearly all of the skin from the bottom of his right middle finger was stripped after a tackle attempt during an intrasquad game on May 11. (Times are approximate.)
- 8:20 p.m.: Suffered injury to his finger
- 8:50 p.m.: Admitted to Martin Memorial South
- Midnight: Ambulance arrived to transfer him to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach
- 1 a.m.: Admitted to St. Mary's
- 2 a.m.: Met with plastic and reconstructive surgeon Fredric Barr
- 3 a.m.: Surgery began
- 4:30 a.m.: Surgery completed
