What is mallet finger?
Mallet finger, also known as baseball finger, is an injury
to the fingertip caused by a blow to the end of the finger.
In mallet finger, the tendon that straightens the tip of the
finger is injured and you may lose the ability to straighten
your finger.
How does it occur?
There is usually a jamming injury to the tip of the finger.
What are the symptoms?
You may have pain and swelling at the tip of the finger.
You may be unable to straighten the tip of your finger. If
the injury is old or if you do not seek medical care soon
enough, you may permanently lose the ability to straighten
your finger.
How is it diagnosed?
Your health care provider will examine your finger and
review your symptoms. An x-ray may be taken to see if there
is also a fracture. Commonly, the tendon will pull off a
piece of the bone to which it is attached at the end of your
finger.
How is it treated?
Your finger will be straightened and placed in a splint for
about 6 weeks to allow the tendon to reattach to the finger
bone or, if a piece of bone has been pulled off, to allow
the bone to heal. It is important to keep this splint on to
permit healing. Because your finger probably will be
swollen, you should apply ice packs to your finger for 20 to
30 minutes every 3 to 4 hours for the first 2 or 3 days or
until the pain goes away. Your hand should be elevated on a
pillow when you are lying down or placed on the back of a
chair or couch when you are sitting.
How long will the effects last?
It is important that you wear a splint for your mallet
finger for at least 6 weeks after your injury. If you wear
your splint as your health care provider has recommended you
may return to your activities immediately. NOT wearing your
splint can lead to permanent injury or deformity of your
finger.
When can I return to my normal activities?
Everyone recovers from an injury at a different rate.
Return to your activities will be determined by how soon
your finger recovers, not by how many days or weeks it has
been since your injury has occurred. The goal of
rehabilitation is to return you to your normal activities as
soon as is safely possible. If you return too soon you may
worsen your injury. Ask your health care provider when you
should start rehabilitation exercises and when you can
return to normal activities.
How can I prevent mallet finger?
Mallet finger is caused by a direct blow to the end of the
finger during an accident that is usually not preventable.
This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to
change as new health information becomes available. The
information is intended to inform and educate and is not a
replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or
treatment by a healthcare professional.
Copyright © 2005 McKesson Corporation and/or one of its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved.
This
information is approved and/or reviewed by U-M Health System providers
but it is not a tool for self-diagnosis or a substitute for medical
treatment. You should speak to your physician or make
an appointment to be seen if you have questions or concerns about
this information or your medical condition.