Weirdest thing ever! I was out surfing, wiped out, thought I jammed my pinky but it wasn't jammed, I couldn't straighten out the tip. It was bent in almost 90 degrees. Dr took xray, no bones floating around, just need to hyperextend tip with a brace for 8 weeks and hope it reattaches.

Not my pinky but this is it:

Ouch.

At least you'll look extra fancy at tea-time with a fancy tea pinky!!

Edit to add: I really hope it doesn't hurt too bad, and that it heals up well. Sometimes I forget that my rude sense of humor isn't always appropriate. My apologies if this was the case!

I received mine in an unfortunate barstool mishap. My orthopedic offered me the option of an 8-week splint or having a steel pin longitudinally inserted in the bone to straighten the joint. I of course opted for the splint. The trick is to wear the splint faithfully the full 8 weeks until the tendon reattaches to the bone. Allowing the finger to bend will reset the 8-week clock. Good luck.

Happened to me 22 years ago when I slipped inside a pop up trailer and reached out to catch myself. Affected my ring finger. No pain, just sort of hung there. At the clinic the new doctor who must have just got off a boat from South Asia, said not to worry that is was very common in his country and he started to walk out of the exam room. The nurse grabbed him and said he had better refer me to a orthopedic doctor or risk a law suit. Her threat worked and the orthopedic doctor suggested a splint for eight weeks. If that didn’t work then there were surgical options. The splint worked just had to keep the finger straight at all times. Made keyboarding interesting. Happened to a coworker who did not see a doctor because he wasn’t in pain so he never wore a splint and the finger hooked permanently.

The stuff I learn here...

Oh my, dang. Never had mallet finger but did have trigger thumb and finger ... mattet finger looks lot worse.

Do like the previous comment that you will have style at high tea.

Sending positive healing thoughts your way.

I was expecting a smashed finger tip...

quote:

Originally posted by Outnumbered:
At least you'll look extra fancy at tea-time with a fancy tea pinky!!

Edit to add: I really hope it doesn't hurt too bad, and that it heals up well. Sometimes I forget that my rude sense of humor isn't always appropriate. My apologies if this was the case!

But that's how I normally drink my tea LOL

Looks like it can be pretty serious. If you start mumbling things like "home......phone.....home....", I'd see a doctor posthaste.

I would use that finger to point threateningly at people, whilst cackling madly.
(And I wonder why I have no friends)

Heal quickly and well.

Bruce

That ain't your gun hand, is it partner?

quote:

Originally posted by Excam_Man:
I was expecting a smashed finger tip...

Me too. Never heard of this malady before. Regardless, heal quickly David!

The OP tore the extensor tendon attachment free from the distal phalanx. When that happens, there is no counter force to the flexor tendon, so it pulls the tip downward. You really do want to get this treated so that this deformity is not permanent.

You need to see a good hand specialist ASAP. There's a narrow time window for the tendon to reattach. In the meantime, keep it TOTALLY immobilized.

I got this from a dog bite about 20 years ago and it's permanent. I've learned to work around it and to live with it, but it still sucks.

I'm just going to join the Yakuza now.

I have one on the little finger of my left hand. The last joint was shattered in a horse play incident. Now I have a hammer toe from a bone and skin harvest from my calf for a cancer repair surgery on my jaw.

quote:

You need to see a good hand specialist ASAP. There's a narrow time window for the tendon to reattach.

Yup. A few years ago I was prying something open with my trusty Swiss Army knife. The one I had just sharpened to shave sharp the day before. I slipped and the blade folded over on my middle finger slicing right to the bone at the first joint. So I popped it out, wrapped it up and went to the doc. As soon as I pulled the blade out my finger just flopped over at the joint. Not good I thought. So they stitched it up and the next day I saw a specialist. He said keep it splinted for two weeks and it was about 50/50 if the tendon would reattach. So after two weeks the splint came off and nope, still bent. My choice was surgery or leave it be. I just left it.

Now the funny part of the story. When the nurse was pulling the stitches out she remarked “Wow the doctor who made this incision did a great job. You’ll hardly have any scar.” I chuckled and replied “Thanks, it was my first time.” She looked a little confused but she was right, hardly any scar. Just a bent finger.

It may be bent, but it's mine. No need to pull a John Wick on it

Ouch!

I too was expecting to see pics of me trying to be a carpenter and smashed fingers....

Hope it mends well.