Finger Dislocations - Don’t turn a simple injury into a lifelong issue

Figure 1: Finger Injuries - Dislocated Finger - Physio Frenchs Forest, Physio Macquarie Park

A dislocated finger occurs when one of the joints of the finger is forced in the wrong direction with excessive force. This can occur when the finger is caught or is hyperflexed/hyper-extended against an object such as a ball or another player.

What are the signs and symptoms of a dislocated finger?

  • Pain at the joint

  • Swelling

  • Possible deformity

  • Pins and needles

  • Loss of movement

  • Loss of grip strength

What should you do after a dislocation of the finger?

  • The finger should be relocated by a medically trained professional such as a Doctor or Physiotherapist.

  • After this has been performed an x-ray should be completed to rule out any significant bony injury. The results of the x-ray help determine if further scans are required such as a CT scan or MRI.

  • A physical examination should then be performed by an experienced Physiotherapist, Hand Therapist or Orthopaedic Surgeon. This examination helps determine the extent of the damage and rule in or out specific soft tissue structures.  

Figure 2: Finger Injuries - Dislocated Finger - Physio Frenchs Forest, Physio Macquarie Park

What happens if you don’t get the finger assessed and treated correctly?

  • Patients will likely experience a poor result if the soft tissue structures are not managed correctly. Examples include:

  • Patients may have completely ruptured the flexor tendon, and if this is not acted on with surgery within 2 weeks, then the patient will not regain full movement when bending the finger.

  • The patient could develop a fixed flexion deformity. This occurs when the volar plate scars down too much with scar tissue. This means the finger remains bent and is unable to straighten. Please refer to image 2.

  • The patient may develop a large amount of laxity (movement) at the joint due to the the volar plate or central slip not scarring at all. This means that whenever excessive pressure is placed on the finger, it will continue to dislocate

  • Finally the patient may develop a boutonniere deformity. Please refer to image 3.

What is the recommended treatment?

  • The Hand Therapist/Physiotherapist will need to keep a close eye on the patient to ensure they do not develop any deformities.

  • Individual patient progression varies a alot. Patients will remain in a finger splint from 3-6 weeks depending on how their finger is progression and how much soft tissue has been damaged.

  • Sport is not recommended until the splint is removed and the patient has regained full range of motion. Typically patients return to sport 6-8 weeks following the injury.

See our expert Physiotherapy team at Frenchs Forest and Macquarie Park!

Figure 3: Finger Injuries - Dislocated Finger - Physio Frenchs Forest, Physio Macquarie Park

Reece Jonesfinger dislocation, hand therapy, macquarie park, frenchs forest, physio, volar plate tear