In 1975, I had part of my left hand crushed in a bicycle vs. auto accident (his headlight rim hit my hand on the handlebar). Initially, I was told I might lose the index finger entirely. Three surgeries later, with the help of a great hand surgeon (whose assistant was an accomplished guitarist), I was able to begin rehabbing the left hand.

That index finger gave me a lot of pain and difficulty, especially with bar chords. The only thing that worked to loosen it up and keep good motion in the hand was a lot of work, along with exercises with a rubber squeeze ball.

Eventually, I got most of the motion and feeling back in the hand. My doctor said that the guitar was invaluable in returning me to "playing status." I have lost some flexibility, but am able to play reasonably well now, something I once feared I might never do again. It was well worth the discomfort and hard work.