Mallet Finger(Baseball Finger)

By: Rachel WyattAshley Folden

Description of Injury

• A deformity of the finger when the extensor tendon is damaged.

Anatomy

• Damage to the DIP joint (distal inter-phalangeal joint)

Mechanism of Injury

• It is usually caused by a ball or other object hitting the top of the finger or thumb, this force causes the damage to the extensor tendon.

Treatment (non-surgical)

• Ice, elevation• Splint

Treatment (surgical)

• Not as common• Done by implanting wires, pins and sometimes

screws in order to repair and straighten the extensor tendon.

Recovery

• It can take several months to heal fully.• Keep the splint on for the allotted time so the

tendon can fully heal.