Mallet finger

You have a mallet finger, the tip of the finger lies in a bent position and you are unable to straighten it. You have snapped the tendon that normally straightens the end of the finger, the tendon may even pull off a small fragment of the bone. We treat this injury with a personalized splint. In this brochure you can read more about this treatment.

Treatment

A mallet finger is a common injury, in most cases an operation is not necessary. There are two possibilities:  

You visited the Emergency Department during office hours: 

You will get a personalized splint at the “Gipskamer” (plaster room) to keep the finger straight.

You visited the Emergency Department outside office hours: 

You will get a temporary splint (picture). 

After receiving you temporary splint you can make an appointment to go the plaster room during office hours within 5 days after the accident to receive a personalized split

With or without loose bone fragment?

The treatment of a mallet finger with a loose bone fragment and without loose bone fragment (only tendon injury) is different. The doctor will tell you about your injury and tick the box that applies to you.

Instructions 

It is important to follow the instructions for an optimal recovery:

• You have to wear the splint continuously (24 hours a day), non-stop.
• When you remove the splint and bend the finger, the recovery starts from day 1 again. The chance of complete recovery thereby decreases.
• Do you have a tendon injury? You have to wear the splint for 8 weeks.
• Do you have a tendon injury with a loose bone fragment? You have to wear the splint for 6 weeks.
• After these 6 (bone fragment) or 8 weeks (tendon injury) you have to wear the splint during the night and whenever the finger is at risk of injury for 2 weeks.
• After 6 or 8 weeks you will start hand-therapy, wear the splint longer when your hand-therapist advises you to do so.
• The finger and splint should not get wet, to prevent irritation of the skin. Try to limit washing of the finger. When you do wash the finger, it is important to keep the finger straight when taking the splint off. This can be done by placing the hand flat on a table.
• Are you in pain? Use a mild pain killer, for example paracetamol. Do not wait with paracetamol until the pain is too much. You are allowed to take a maximum of 4 times a day, 2 tablets of 500mg, on fixed times.  

Recovery

• At the “Gipskamer” (plaster room) you will get a hand-therapy referral. You can make an appointment at the therapist after 6 weeks (bone fragment) or 8 weeks (tendon injury). The therapist will decide if you can start exercises and will give you instructions on how to use the finger during daily activities. Be careful to gradually resume daily activities and not make any sudden movements. When you do this, the tendon can get injured again.
• Most injuries heal after 3 months. 

When do you contact us?

If you have any questions, contact the Fracture-phone (Breuklijn). When follow-up is necessary we will make an appointment. 

Also contact the Fracture phone when:

• the pain increases
• the splint does not fit anymore
• the splint needs to be cleaned
• the tip of the finger bents again when you have started doing exercises

Questions?

You can always call us.  

Do you still have questions after reading the folder? Contact the hospital ‘Fracture’ phone,  number 020 – 634 6194 available Monday – Friday  10.00-12.00 and 13.00-16.00. Do you have questions about payment or insurance? 

More information online

App BovenIJ Trauma

In our app, BovenIJ Trauma, you can find more information about your injury. You can also find exercises here to improve your recovery. You can find the app in the Appstore (iPhone) and in the Google Store (Android).