Mallet finger causes immediate pain and swelling and long-term dysfunction and deformity. But our expert orthopedists at Maryland Orthopedic Specialists can help. With splinting and sometimes surgery, patients in the Bethesda and Germantown, Maryland, areas can get relief from mallet finger and have full function and appearance restored.
Your fingers and thumb contain many bones and tendons that work to straighten these digits. The flexor tendons are on the palm side of your hand and bend your fingers. The extensor tendons are on the top side of your hand and straighten your fingers and thumb. During a mallet injury, an object hits the tip of your finger or thumb, tearing the extensor tendon. Sometimes, even a minor incident, like tucking in a bedsheet, can cause mallet finger.
You can't straighten the finger on your own. It only straightens if you push it up with your other hand. Ice the finger immediately, as this helps reduce the pain and swelling.
And keep the finger elevated above your heart. Reviewed by: C. Editorial team. Mallet finger - aftercare Baseball finger - aftercare; Drop finger - aftercare; Avulsion fracture - mallet finger - aftercare. More About Your Injury Tendons attach muscles to bones. Mallet finger occurs when this tendon: Is stretched or torn Pulls a piece of bone away from the rest of the bone avulsion fracture Mallet finger most often occurs when something hits the tip of your straightened finger and bends it down with force.
What to Expect Wearing a splint on your finger to keep it straight is the most common treatment for mallet finger. If your tendon is only stretched, not torn, it should heal in 4 to 6 weeks if you wear a splint all the time. If your tendon is torn or pulled off the bone, it should heal in 6 to 8 weeks of wearing a splint all the time. After that, you will need to wear your splint for another 3 to 4 weeks, at night only.
Your splint should be snug enough to hold your finger in a straight position so that it does not droop. But it should not be so tight that it cuts off blood flow. You should keep your splint on unless your doctor tells you that you can take it off. Each time you take it off, it can lengthen your recovery time. If your skin is white when you take off your splint, it may be too tight. Activity You will likely be able to return to your normal activities or sports, as long as you wear your splint all the time.
Self-care at Home Be careful when you take off your splint to clean it. While that little droop may not bother you, it is changing the way your finger works. The tendons of your fingers are put together like a well-balanced system of levers and pulleys. When one pulley is not working correctly, it can impact the others.
In the case of a mallet finger, this can result in a secondary deformity called a swan neck deformity. What is happening to my fingertip? Do I need to do anything about this?
Will it heal on its own? A hand surgeon? That sounds serious! Using this search tool means you agree to the user agreement and disclaimer.
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