Duration of a finger fracture
The duration of treatment of a finger fracture can vary due to the different characteristics of this injury. For most cases, however, some guidelines can be formulated. For example, the affected finger should first be immobilised (if necessary after surgical treatment) with the aid of a splint or plaster cast over a period of about 3-4 weeks in order to give the two parts of the bone sufficient time and rest to grow together again.
This should be followed by a period of about the same length of time in which the finger is largely immobilized with the aid of a tape bandage. This represents a compromise between stability and regained mobility, as it already allows slight movements of the finger. Since fingers are extremely common parts of the body, immobilisation over such a long period of time is often particularly difficult.Many patients do not manage to be patient and give the finger the necessary time to heal.
In such cases, the healing of the fracture may be disturbed, which can lead to prolonged discomfort. Similarly, inadequate fusion of the fracture site in its later course may, under certain circumstances, promote arthrosis in the finger. These aspects make it clear why a sufficiently long rest period is so important for the affected finger.
Mobility after a broken finger
Due to the long immobilization of the finger, almost all patients with finger fracture experience a more or less severe restriction of the mobility of the affected finger. To counteract this, targeted physiotherapy should be started after removal of the splint or plaster cast. The therapist tries to carefully mobilize the finger.
This may cause pain in the finger, but this can and must be accepted to a certain extent. Mobilization by the physiotherapist can be combined well with the application of a tape bandage, since the therapist has special expertise and experience in this area as well, which can have a positive effect on the further course of the finger’s mobility. The patient should be given a detailed explanation of the extent to which he or she can move the finger in everyday use of the affected hand and which exercises to improve finger mobility can also be performed at home.
It is easy to see that restricting the mobilizing exercises to the physiotherapy sessions, which are usually only held twice a week, cannot provide a sufficient amount of training and that these sessions should therefore be supplemented by independent sessions at home. Overall, a fracture of the phalanges is a very common reason for presentation in an emergency room. The end bone, i.e. the distal phalanx, is most frequently affected.
The incidence of finger fractures, i.e. how many new fractures occur each year, is reported by a Canadian study to be 0.29%, i.e. 29 per 10,000 people over the age of 20, and 0.61%, i.e. 61 per 10,000 people under the age of 20 who seek medical treatment for a fractured finger each year.
The same study also shows that 64% of males are at increased risk for fractures of the finger. This is particularly in the age range between 20 and 60 years due to increased risk factors in individual behavior. Starting at the age of 65 years, women lead in the development of finger fractures, presumably due to a lower stability of the bone. Young women at the age of 10-14 years show according to the study an increased occurrence of finger fractures, which is explained by a fragile bone structure by the growth phase.
