MALLET FINGER - Mallet finger is an injury to the thin tendon that straightens the end joint of a
finger or thumb. Although it is also known as "baseball finger," this injury can happen
to anyone when an unyielding object strikes the tip of a finger or thumb
and forces it to bend further than it is intended to go. As a result, you are not
able to straighten the tip of your finger or thumb on your own.
Tendons are tissues that connect muscles to bone. The muscles that move the fingers and thumb are located in the forearm. Long tendons extend from these muscles through the wrist and attach to the small bones of the fingers and thumb. The extensor tendons on the top of the hand straighten the fingers. The flexor tendons on the palm side of the hand bend the fingers.
In a mallet injury, when an object hits the tip of the finger or thumb, the force of the blow tears the extensor tendon. Occasionally, a minor force such as tucking in a bed sheet will cause a mallet finger.
The injury may rupture the tendon or pull the tendon away from the place where it attaches to the finger bone (distal phalanx). In some cases, a small piece of bone is pulled away along with the tendon. This is called an avulsion injury. The finger is usually painful, swollen, and bruised. The fingertip will droop noticeably and will straighten only if you push it up with your other hand.
Mallet finger can be caused by a blunt force on the DIP. Patients who are diagnosed with mallet finger have an inability to extend their finger and experience pain and numbness. Depending on how severe the injury is, the patient can be prescribed medication in order to prevent infection. Also, most mallet finger injuries can be treated without surgery.
Tendons are tissues that connect muscles to bone. The muscles that move the fingers and thumb are located in the forearm. Long tendons extend from these muscles through the wrist and attach to the small bones of the fingers and thumb. The extensor tendons on the top of the hand straighten the fingers. The flexor tendons on the palm side of the hand bend the fingers.
In a mallet injury, when an object hits the tip of the finger or thumb, the force of the blow tears the extensor tendon. Occasionally, a minor force such as tucking in a bed sheet will cause a mallet finger.
The injury may rupture the tendon or pull the tendon away from the place where it attaches to the finger bone (distal phalanx). In some cases, a small piece of bone is pulled away along with the tendon. This is called an avulsion injury. The finger is usually painful, swollen, and bruised. The fingertip will droop noticeably and will straighten only if you push it up with your other hand.
Mallet finger can be caused by a blunt force on the DIP. Patients who are diagnosed with mallet finger have an inability to extend their finger and experience pain and numbness. Depending on how severe the injury is, the patient can be prescribed medication in order to prevent infection. Also, most mallet finger injuries can be treated without surgery.
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