Anyone left with a mallet finger after a finger break. Or know of someone that had that. What was done about it?
I don’t know whether to accept it and learned to live with it or have surgery done to correct it.
Anyone had or know of someone that the surgery, was it succesfull and how long did it take before proper use of the finger again.
Thx.
Mallet Finger
I broke my right index finger 8/09. I left it in a special “mallet splint” for about 8 weeks. Once out of the splint, I had physical therapy - massage, ultrasound, Iontophoresis etc. It’s still slightly misshapen and I don’t have full strength or mobility. I was told that it would continue to improve for about a year.
From what I’ve read, the key is the “mallet splint”. If that’s not used, the finger has little hope of healing in the correct position. Even when used, the break, or tear could be significant enough to not heal correctly.
Misocksgal
Thx Misocksgal.
Seems it’s too late for the splint for me. I broke my finger back in Nov and I was treated for the fracture but the mallet finger somehow only was realized afterwards. The surgeon thought it would get better over time, but we’re March now and it didn’t.
I have no movement or functionality in the tip of the finger and the middle joint hurts constantly from overextending it the wrong way trying to use my finger properly, but that’s not really possible. Making a fist isn’t working either with that finger.
I guess it’s not the end of the world, I can do most of what I want, but I keep catching the finger when going into my pockets and not much real use with it :(.
My regular doctor suggested a 2nd opinion and go for surgery to get it corrected, but that’s immediately another 8 weeks + of splinting etc. I have to have a long hard think about this.
I’d go ahead and get a second opinion now from another orthopedic surgeon - they can sometimes successfully splint that type of injury up to six months after it happened, so it may not be too late.
I had a finger injury 3 years ago - argument with lunge line wrapped around finger (and yes I should have known better). I tore the tendon from the tip of the finger (right hand ring finger) - had xrays finger wasn’t broken and left it alone for 6 months. At the end of 6 months still couldn’t bend finger and went to GP who refered me to hand surgeon. Took 6 months to see hand surgeon who looked at it and said I should have seen him right after it happened. Ironically if I’d gone to emergency they would have called in the ‘hand guy’ but I didn’t think I should go to emergency for a sore finger. Anyway, he operated and planned on reattaching the tendon to the finger. Unfortunately there wasn’t enough tendon to reattach so he put a pin in that bent the finger a little bit and reattached what was left of the tendon - so that although it won’t bend it doesn’t poke straight out and get jammed on things. We discussed prior to surgery doing tendon grafts and such but it seemed like way too much effort, pain and discomfort for a finger. As it was I was off work for 6 weeks due to the pin and didn’t ride for 2 months. I’m not sure that I would try the procedure again given the time off and the end result.
Good luck.
Thanks Corbyville, sounds similar to my finger problem.
I did go to the emergency room and did see the handsurgeon immediately but the tendon issue got somehow missed. The focus was on the spiral fracture all along.
A 2nd opinion now basically told me a similar thing like you had, tendon graft surgery or a pin. I don’t really want to go that route, so right now a lame attempt, being splinted for a further 6 weeks and see if that will keep the droopy finger tip straight, but the surgeon doubts it’ll be succesfull.
I’ll just accept it and live with it, worse things in life I figured.
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1242305-overview
I have talked with plenty of people who have had splinting work for them, although I know it doesn’t work for everyone. Read the emedicine article above and it will give you a better understanding of mallet finger.
