The bones in the fingers are called phalanges: each finger has three phalanges, except the thumb - which has only two. A broken, or fractured, finger happens when (one or more of) these bones breaks. Conditions like osteoporosis and malnutrition could increase the chances of a fracture.
A break is most often the result of a direct traumatic injury to the hand. A fracture can occur in any of the finger bones or phalanges. Fractures can also occur in your knuckles - the joints where the finger bones meet.
Causes
Fingers have the highest risk of traumatic injury of all the parts of the hands. One can injure the finger in many ways: while working with tools, when a fast-moving object hits the hand, slamming the hand in a door or putting the hands out to break a fall can also cause fracture of the finger.
Types
What Are the Different Types of Finger fractures?
Method of Fracture
Avulsion fracture - a ligament or tendon and the piece of bone it attaches to pull away from the main bone. Impacted fracture - the fractured ends of a bone drive into each other.Shear fracture - the bone splits in two when a force causes it to move in two different directions.
Skin Involvement
Open fracture - the bone breaks through the skin and thus creates an open wound.
Closed fracture - the bone cracks or breaks but the skin remains intact.
Bone Position
Nondisplaced fracture, also known as stable fracture - the bone cracks slightly or completely but doesn’t move away.
Displaced fracture - the bone breaks into separate pieces that move and no longer line up.
Comminuted fracture - displaced fracture in which the bone breaks into more than three parts.
Risk Factors
Those with weak bones, such as the elderly or those with a calcium deficiency, have an increased risk of fracture. Also, those who work with their hands, such as athletes and manual laborers, have an increased risk of fractured fingers.
Sports that increase risk for broken fingers are:
• basketball
• hockey
• rugby
• boxing
• skiing
• ice-skating
• wrestling
• snowboarding
• baseball
• volleyball
• football
• skateboarding
• other contact or impact sports
High-impact events, such as automobile accidents, can also cause fractured fingers.
Symptoms and treatment
The most common symptoms of a fractured finger include: painswellingtendernesslimited range of motion The finger might also look misshapen or deformed and out of alignment. Fractured fingers could be very painful, especially during movement. Sometimes though, the pain and discomfort is dull and tolerable. The absence of severe pain doesn’t mean that the condition doesn’t require immediate medical attention.
Treatment for a fractured finger depends on the location of the fracture and whether it’s stable. Taping the fractured finger to an adjacent intact finger could treat a stable fracture. Unstable fractures require immobilization. After the doctor aligns the fracture, or reduces it, they can apply a splint. If the fracture is unstable, surgery may be needed.
It aims to stabilize the fracture when there are:
• multiple fractures
• loose bone fragments
• a joint injury
• damage to the ligaments
• damage to the tendons
• unstable fractures
• displaced fractures
• open fractures
• impaction fractures
A specialist such as an orthopedic surgeon and/or hand surgeon will determine the best approach for a complicated fracture treatment.
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