Jari Saario may soon no longer be named captain Kouku.
Rower Jari Saarion the nickname he gave himself “Captain Koukku” may soon be forgotten. Saario received surprising news on Tuesday after visiting a hand surgeon.
Saario, who rowed back and forth across the Atlantic last year, badly injured the middle finger of his left hand just before leaving the Canary Islands in January.
The middle finger got caught between the strap of the life raft, and the finger's tendon was torn off. The hand surgeon's first verdict was that the finger will be hooked for the rest of its life.
Saario said after the surgery that the finger does not interfere much with everyday life, but the situation has gradually worsened.
“Now the finger is almost at a 90-degree angle, and it hurts all the time. I went to the surgeon to get an opinion about permanent damage, but he said to operate,” says Saario.
“It came as quite a surprise that we will be in the operating room next week.”
The middle finger of the left hand does not straighten.
Island says that in the operation about ten centimeters of tendon will be cut from his wrist to replace two torn finger tendons.
It is a tendon connected to the long muscle of the palm (palmaris longus). Muscle and tendon are missing in about 15 percent of people as a result of evolution, but Saario has a “spare part” in storage.
“Last time, the surgeon was of the opinion that the finger cannot be straightened, but it can be straightened at least a little.”
A tendon is taken from the wrist to try to make the finger work.
“You can't get a fully functional and straight finger, but a significantly more functional one. The surgeon estimated that it would be possible to get it at an angle of 25 degrees and also make the tip of the finger work.”
The improvement would be clear compared to the current situation.
“He (the surgeon) saw for himself that it doesn't even fit in a jeans pocket. When I dig something out of my coat pocket, everything else falls out. It's a bit like being pulled out with a hook,” Saario describes.
The finger will be operated on Friday of next week, and the operation will be followed by a long rehabilitation. The finger will first be in a splint for 3–4 weeks, and after that, about two months of rehabilitation is planned.
Saario's next rowing job – about which he has not yet given details – is apparently planned for the end of 2025.
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