Mallet finger
The injury known as the mallet finger causes the tip of your finger to bend inward and toward your palm.
If you have a mallet finger, your finger droops at the tip, which is painful and seems bruised or swollen. You become unable to straighten your finger.
Is mallet finger a common condition?
The “mallet finger” condition is common, particularly among athletes. But it can also happen when doing home chores if you hit the tip of your finger against a wall, door, or immovable object.
What causes a mallet finger?
A mallet finger wound occurs when a hard thing hits your extended finger or when some trauma occurs to your fingertip. In some circumstances, your tendon and fingerbone may both get injured.
Symptoms indicating mallet finger injury
After the agony of the initial injury, you may experience:
- Swelling
- Bruising
- Redness
- Your fingertip’s inability to straighten out
- Tenderness
- Fingernail that has come off
- Under the nail bed, there is redness
Diagnosis and treating a mallet finger
After discovering that you cannot straighten your finger, your doctor may require an X-ray.
Primary and long-term therapy is essential for recovery.
When you’re injured, you should instantly:
- Encase an ice pack in a towel and place it on your finger
- Keep your finger above your heart. This can keep down the node and ease the pain
- If needed, Take counter pain medicines
Long-term therapy involves putting your fingertip into a splint and holding it there for six weeks while your tendon heals. If your mallet finger wound is more problematic, your surgeon may surgically insert a miniature pin into your finger to hold the joint upright while it heals.
Reviewed by – Dr. Priyanka, MBBS MD Microbiology
Page last reviewed: 16 JULY 2022