HWN Suggests

Mallet Finger

Splintage – Immobilise the DIP joint in full extension, leaving the PIP joint free. We prefer to use a dorsal aluminium (“Zimmer”) splint, trimmed to size with trauma scissors and secured with pink Elastoplast tape... Conservative management involves splintage for 6-12 weeks.

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 Finger Injuries

Ligament and tendon injuries can be subtle and require high clinical suspicion and thorough exam.

 Minor Hand Injuries

Often can be managed non-operatively with a volar splint across the DIP or commercially made mallet finger splints.

Articles of Interest

A review of mallet finger and jersey finger injuries in the athlete

Most mallet finger injuries will heal with non-operative treatment over a period of 8–12 weeks, even when treatment is delayed up to 3–4 months. An acute diagnosis of jersey finger requires surgical treatment and generally means 8–12 weeks of inability to compete in most contact sports.

Minor Care Series: Finger Tendon Injuries

Although it is common to diagnose finger fractures in the emergency department with reasonable reliability via a hand X-ray, it is much easier to overlook tendon and ligament injuries in patients that present with finger/hand pain, especially in those with range of motion limited by pain. This post serves to explore a few of the more common tendon/ligament injuries that we encounter in the emergency department: Mallet Finger and Jersey Finger.

The Diagnosis and Management of Mallet Finger Injuries

Although surgery is generally indicated in the case of mallet fractures involving more than one-third of the articular surface as well as in all patients who develop volar subluxation of the distal phalanx, a significant advantage of surgical management even in those complicated cases has yet to be clearly proven.

Resources

Physiopaedia

Mallet finger is the term applied to extensor avulsion fractures or distal extensor tendon ruptures. Either one results in an inability to extend the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint.

StatPearls

Mallet finger is the term usually applied to extensor avulsion fractures. However, this entity may also be caused by distal extensor tendon ruptures. Either one results in an inability to extend the DIP joint. Mallet finger injuries are named for the resulting flexion deformity of the fingertip, which resembles a mallet or hammer.