Brief overview
- First aid: Calm affected person, immobilize and cool finger, consult doctor
- Prognosis: Depends on concomitant injuries (such as bone fracture), possible complications: permanent restriction of mobility or curvature, chronic pain or swelling
- Diagnosis: examination of the mobility of the finger, imaging procedures such as X-ray, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Prevent: when playing ball sports (such as volleyball or basketball), wear a tape bandage that stabilizes the joints
What is finger dislocation?
The affected finger swells and shows a clear malposition. It is severely or completely restricted in its mobility and causes pain. Surrounding structures (such as ligaments, tendons, joint capsule, bones) may also be damaged.
A common cause of finger dislocation is an injury during a ball sport, such as from pinch hitting in volleyball.
What to do in case of finger dislocation?
If someone has dislocated their finger, even a layperson can usually recognize it at first glance: The affected finger is visibly crooked and displaced sideways at the level of a joint. As a first aider, you should react as follows in the event of a finger dislocation:
- Reassure the affected person.
- Cooling helps against swelling and pain: Place ice or a cool pack on the dislocated finger.
- Take the affected person to the doctor!
Never place ice cubes or a cool pack directly on the skin for cooling, but always with at least one layer of fabric in between. Otherwise there is a risk of local frostbite. Never try to immobilize the finger yourself. That is a job for the doctor!
How long does healing take?
After manual reduction by a doctor, the reduced finger is immobilized for up to two weeks and then taped for another four to six weeks.
Following surgical intervention, the affected person wears a splint for several weeks.
Possible complications
If a dislocated finger is not treated properly, there is a risk of permanent damage, for example:
- Permanently restricted mobility of the finger, up to and including complete stiffness of the joint
- Chronic pain
- Permanent, painless swelling
If a dislocated finger is treated surgically, it sometimes happens that its mobility remains somewhat limited afterwards.
In the case of a finger dislocation, it sometimes happens that the bone supporting the joint breaks. Doctors then speak of a luxation fracture or a dislocation fracture.
How does the doctor examine finger dislocation?
The injured hand is X-rayed. In this way, the doctor determines whether the affected finger joint is completely dislocated (luxation) or only partially dislocated (subluxation). He also sees whether additional bones have been injured.
Sometimes a finger dislocation requires magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT). This can detect soft tissue injuries, such as damage to ligaments and tendons.
What treatments are available?
The doctor then often checks again by X-ray whether the joint is back in the correct position. He also tests how mobile the reduced finger is and whether the tendons and ligaments are working normally.
Surgical treatment
In the case of a difficult finger dislocation (such as a dislocation fracture), surgery is necessary. The same applies if manual setting fails, for example in the case of torn tendons.
After surgery, the affected finger is splinted for a few weeks. After that, physiotherapy is advisable: certain mobility exercises help to restore full mobility to the finger.
Are there any preventive measures?
This also applies to people who have never dislocated their finger, but belong to the risk group. This mainly includes ball sports players (such as volleyball players, handball players, basketball players): A tape bandage on the fingers, applied before the game, stabilizes the joints. Then it doesn’t happen so easily that you dislocate a finger when the ball smashes against it.