Finger Injuries
A 35-year-old man presents after catching a basketball against his fingertip. He has a painful swollen DIP joint of his right ring finger with inability to actively extend the DIP joint. The DIP rests in a 40-degree flexion posture. He can passively extend the joint fully. Radiograph shows a small dorsal avulsion fracture involving less than 20% of the articular surface with the joint congruent. Regarding mallet finger injuries:
Mark each as TRUE or FALSE
Mallet finger is disruption of the terminal extensor tendon at the DIP joint; it may be purely tendi...
Classification includes tendinous (no fracture), bony with small fragment (less than 1/3 articular s...
Mallet finger affects the PIP joint; the mechanism is hyperextension; active DIP extension is preser...
Non-operative treatment with continuous DIP extension splinting (Stack splint or similar) is the sta...
Surgical indications include large bony fragments (greater than 1/3 articular surface) with DIP subl...
Answer the questions to see explanations
Click T (True) or F (False) for each option