1. Mallet Finger

2. It can be forced straight but will not stay in that position.
What Is Mallet Finger?
Mallet finger is when the joint or the finger is bent and will not straighten by itself.
It can be forced straight but will not stay in that position.

3. Causes Disruption in the mechanism that straightens finger.
Usually occurs when finger is bent down when trying to straighten the finger.

4. What Happens?
The tendon that pulls the finger straight goes in the opposite direction that the bone is pulling.
The tendon sometimes breaks a piece of the bone off.
Not very common but, the tendon can come away with a big piece of bone and create the join to slip out of place.

5. Treatment
Do not ignore it. The longer you let it stay bent the harder it will be to straighten.
See a therapist to get the most comfortable splint and exercise to reduce stiffness.
See doctor and if necessary have surgery done to correct problem. May need to put pin in bone to keep finger straight.

6. You know the treatment... But is it successful?
Although it seems simple… it is not common to regain complete flexion of that joint.
A good splinting of the finger is as good as surgery.

7. What Happens Without Treatment?
Without a splint or surgery, the appearance will be bad and the finger will stay bent or even bend more.
It will never get better.

8. Examples

9. Mallet Injury Classification
Closed - Tendon Rupture II
Laceration
III
Abrasion with tissue loss IV
With fracture
IVa
Without joint subluxation
IVb
With joint subluxation
Also Note:
Extension Lag Active___ Passive___
Swan Neck? Y___ N___
XRay abnormalities: