Symptoms

After the injury, severe pain in the finger joint is the main symptom of dislocation of the finger joint. In addition, there is a visible malposition of the affected finger joint. In the case of a dislocation of the finger joint, the mobility of the joint is significantly restricted: The bones jumping out of the joint make movement impossible, the pain restricts movement.

The affected joint swells up, and bruising is possible. The patient adopts a relieving posture in order to put as little strain as possible on the injured joint. If additional nerves were injured or impaired by pressure during the dislocation of the finger joint, sensations and a tingling sensation in the fingers or hand are possible.

Bones, ligaments and muscles can be injured in dislocation of the finger joint. In the case of a dorsal dislocation (in the direction of the back of the hand), the extensor tendons are particularly at risk of injury. An injury to the extensor tendons is manifested by the fact that the patient is unable to stretch the injured finger even after the dislocation has been corrected. When dislocating the finger joint, the lateral ligaments of the finger can also be injured, which leads to the finger joint being able to fold up sideways.

Diagnosis

In many cases, the diagnosis can be made or at least suspected simply by looking at the injured finger. An X-ray should be taken before the physical examination to get an overview of the extent of the bony injury. If the joint is seriously injured, it can suffer further damage if the physical examination is too careless.It is advisable to administer painkillers before the physical examination. During the examination, the doctor must get an idea of the current position of the joint and examine the blood circulation, sensory (feeling) and motor (movement) functions of the injured joint. It may be necessary to examine the finger joint using computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in order to assess the extent of the concomitant injuries.