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Finger Injuries
Finger Injuries Overview
Finger injuries are very common and range from minor cuts and scrapes to
wounds with serious damage to bone, tendons, and ligaments. If not treated
properly, serious finger injuries can lead to permanent deformity and loss of
function. Careful treatment will allow for a faster and more complete
recovery. A number of different types of finger injuries are common.
- A laceration (cut) may only go through skin, or it may cut through
blood vessels, nerves, and tendons that lie just under the skin.
- An avulsion occurs when part of the skin or soft tissue is torn
off.
- With an amputation, tissue is completely cut or torn away from the
finger.
- Fingernail injuries
- The fingernail and the underlying nail bed are the most commonly injured
part of the hand.
- If a fingernail is injured by a direct blow, the underlying bone may also be broken.
- The fingernail and the underlying nail bed are the most commonly injured
part of the hand.
- Fractures (broken bone)
- Each finger has 3 bones, or phalanges: the proximal (closest) phalanx, the
middle phalanx, and the distal (furthest) phalanx.
- A broken finger or fracture of a phalanx may be an isolated injury, but it is often associated with injury to tendons, ligaments, fingernails, or other soft tissue.
- Each finger has 3 bones, or phalanges: the proximal (closest) phalanx, the
middle phalanx, and the distal (furthest) phalanx.
- Dislocation
- A dislocation is an injury to a joint that causes a bone to move out of its
normal alignment with another bone.
- Finger
dislocations commonly happen as a result of playing ball sports.
- Usually a dislocation causes damage to the surrounding ligaments, which are stretched and damaged even after the dislocation is reduced (put back in place).
- A dislocation is an injury to a joint that causes a bone to move out of its
normal alignment with another bone.
- Ligament injuries
- Ligaments are the tough tissues holding 2 bones together at a joint.
- A ligament may be torn by a forceful stretch or blow, leaving the joint
unstable and prone to further injury.
- An injury to a ligament is called a sprain.
- Ligaments are the tough tissues holding 2 bones together at a joint.
- Tendon injuries
- Tendons are the fibrous bands that attach muscles to bones and allow the
flexible, precise movements of the joints.
- Tendons lie just under the skin in the fingers and are covered by a
protective sheath.
- Both the tendon and its sheath can be damaged by a laceration (cut) or a
crush injury.
- A tendon can also be torn away from its bony attachment.
- Tendons are the fibrous bands that attach muscles to bones and allow the
flexible, precise movements of the joints.
- Nerve injuries
- Sensation to the finger is supplied by 2 nerves, 1 running along each side
of the finger.
- Damaging the nerve can cause numbness on the side of the finger supplied by the nerve.
- Sensation to the finger is supplied by 2 nerves, 1 running along each side
of the finger.
WebMD Medical Reference from eMedicineHealth
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