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 healthcare 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 healthcare 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 healthcare
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.
© 2009 RelayHealth and/or its affiliates. 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.