Therapy
The very first measure after a dislocation of the finger joint should be to immobilize and cool the affected joint. The cooling has a pain-relieving effect and prevents excessive swelling. Patients should not attempt to reposition the joint, as the risk of injury is very high when such an attempt is made.
The injured joint is examined in hospital, followed by a reduction under the administration of painkillers or a short anaesthetic. After the reduction, the correct position of the joint is checked by an X-ray and the joint is immobilized. If the examination shows that not only the finger joint is dislocated, but also other injuries, e.g. to the bone, the finger may have to be operated.
If the end joint of the finger is dislocated, it will be repositioned by a strong pull and if possible not immobilized. The end joint of the finger tends to stiffen quickly and should therefore only be immobilized in case of severe pain and for a maximum of one week. An operation of the end joint of the finger is only necessary in the case of open injuries.
(see: Surgery for finger arthrosis) The middle finger joint also stiffens very quickly: in case of severe pain, it should be immobilized for a maximum of three weeks. Despite the splint, movement exercises should be started after one week to prevent stiffening of the middle joint in the flexed position. If the metacarpophalangeal joint is dislocated, it may unfortunately not be possible to reduce it because the bones are trapped in the ligament structures. In this case, the joint must be operated.
Prognosis
After a finger joint dislocation, the swelling can last for a very long time, and the pain can also last for several months. A possible late consequence of an injury-related dislocation of the finger joint can be instability of the joint. Due to the instability of ligaments and muscles, dislocations then occur again and again, which can also occur spontaneously without the influence of an external force, what physicians call habitual dislocation.
These patients should be treated by a physiotherapist to strengthen the ligaments and muscles and stabilize the unstable joint. If nerves have been injured during the dislocation of the finger joint, permanent sensations may result. As a result of bone damage, arthrosis can develop in the course of time.