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A mallet
finger injury results when a tendon located at the tip of the fingers, causes the finger to remain bent permanently. Broken fingers, sprains, or certain
chronic conditions, such as arthritis, are frequent causes for an injury on the finger. After
trauma, the injury may become noticeable if the individual is unable to extend the tip of the finger.
The term
mallet finger is used to describe an injury to the extensor tendon found on the
back of the finger. The purpose of the extensor tendon is to straighten the
fingers. This tendon works through several attachments located on the back
of the fingers, including one past the last knuckle which allows the last finger joint
to extend. When this distinct tendon is injured, its unable to straighten the last knuckle and the joint remains bent.
Symptoms of a Mallet Finger
The pain experienced from a mallet finger injury can be quite
significant at the time of injury but soon after, the pain slowly decreases. This type of
injury is often more noticeable as the last joint of the finger
will be bent down and, although the joint is capable of being straightened with assistance, the individual will not be able to fully extend the tip of the
finger on their own. Because people with a mallet finger injury normally experience minimal pain, this type of injury can many times remain undiagnosed for long periods of time.
Treatment
for a mallet finger injury majorly involves using a simple splint. Finger
splints are used in order to protect fingers and to assist in aligning the
joints of the fingers that may have been altered by an injury or a chronic
condition like arthritis. In more serious cases, the tendon might pull off a
small fragment of the bone from the finger bone. If the fragment is
considerable in size, surgical treatment might be required to avoid further
joint problems.
By Dr. Alex
Jimenez
