MedicineNet.com
About Us | Privacy Policy | Site Map
November 23, 2009
MedicineNet home Picture Slideshows Diseases and conditions Symptoms and signs Procedures and tests Medications Health and Living Picture Image Collection MedTerms medical dictionary
Font Size
A
A
A


Broken Finger

Medical Author: John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP
Medical Editor: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Broken finger introduction

Fingers are easily injured, and broken fingers are some of the most common traumatic injuries seen in an emergency room. Finger fractures may account for up to 10% of all bone fractures. Because fingers are used for many everyday activities, they are at higher risk than other parts of the body for traumatic injury, including sports injuries, workplace injuries, and other accidents.

Understanding the basic anatomy of the hand and fingers is useful in understanding different types of finger injuries, broken fingers, and how some treatments differ from others.

The hand is divided into three sections: 1) wrist, 2) palm, and 3) fingers.

  • The wrist has eight bones, which move together to allow the vast ranges of motion of the wrist.

  • The palm or mid-hand is comprised of the metacarpal bones. The metacarpal bones have muscular attachments and bridge the wrist to the individual fingers. These bones frequently are injured with direct trauma such as a crush injury, or most commonly, a punching injury.

  • The fingers are the most frequently injured part of the hand. Fingers are constructed of ligaments (strong supportive tissue connecting bone to bone), tendons (attachment tissue from muscle to bone), and three  phalanges (bones). There are no muscles in the fingers; and fingers move by the pull of forearm muscles on the tendons.

    • The three bones in each finger are named according to their relationship to the palm of the hand. The first bone, closest to the palm, is the proximal phalange; the second bone is the middle phalange; and the smallest and farthest from the hand is the distal phalange. The thumb does not have a middle phalange.

  • The knuckles are joints formed by the bones of the fingers and are commonly injured or dislocated with trauma to the hand.

    • The first and largest knuckle is the junction between the hand and the fingers - the metacarpophalangeal joint (MCP). This joint commonly is injured in closed-fist activities and is commonly known as a boxer's fracture.

    • The next knuckle out toward the fingernail is the proximal inter-phalangeal joint (PIP). This joint may be dislocated in sporting events when a ball or object directly strikes the finger.

    • The farthest joint of the finger is the distal inter-phalangeal joint (DIP). Injuries to this joint usually involve a fracture or torn tendon (avulsion) injury.

What are the causes of a broken finger?

Traumatic injury is the main cause of broken fingers. Most commonly, traumatic injury to the finger occurs from playing sports, workplace injuries, falls, or other accidents.



Next: What are the symptoms of a broken finger? »

Printer-Friendly Format  |  Email to a Friend


Suggested Reading by Our Doctors
MedicineNet Doctors
  • ibuprofen, Advil, Children's Advil/Motrin, Medipren, Motrin, Nuprin, PediaCare Fever, etc. - Explains the medication ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Nuprin, Medipren) a drug used for the management of mild to moderate pain, fever, and inflammation. Article includes descriptions, uses, drug interactions, and side effects.
  • Cortisone Injection - Read about cortisone injection treatment for inflammation, allergic reaction, sciatica and arthritis. Learn about side effects and complications of a cortisone shot.
  • Hematoma - Learn about a hematoma, a collection of blood outside a blood vessel. Types of hematomas include head, scalp, ear, septal, pelvic, intramuscular, subungual, and intra-abdominal.

Latest Medical News



Women's Health

Find out what women really need.


Are you Depressed? Take the Quiz

Your Guide to Symptoms & Signs: Pinpoint Your Pain



Broken Finger

What is a hematoma?

By definition, a hematoma is a collection of blood outside of a blood vessel. It occurs because the wall of a blood vessel wall, artery, vein or capillary, has been damaged and blood has leaked into tissues where it does not belong. The hematoma may be tiny, with just a dot of blood or it can be large and cause significant swelling.

The blood vessels in the body are under constant repair. Minor injuries occur routinely and the body is usually able to repair the damaged vessel wall by activating the blood clotting cascade and forming fibrin patches. Sometimes the repair fails if the damage is extensive and the large defect allows for continued bleeding. As well, if there is great pressure within the blood vessel, for example a major artery, the blood will continue to leak and the hematoma will expand.

Blood that escapes from the blood stream is very irritating and may cause symptoms of inflammation including pain, ...

Read the Hematoma article »










Health categories:

Slideshows | Diseases & Conditions | Symptoms & Signs | Procedures & Tests | Medications | Health & Living | News & Views | Medical Dictionary

Popular health centers:

Allergies | Arthritis | Cancer | Diabetes | Digestion | Healthy Kids | Heart | Men's Health | Mental Health | Women's Health | More...

Publications:

ePublications (PDFs) | XML News via RSS | Audio Podcasts | Email Newsletters

MedicineNet.com:

About Us | Privacy Policy | Site Map | WebMD® | Medscape® | eMedicine® | eMedicineHealth® | RxList®

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify. This site complies to the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.

©1996-2009 MedicineNet, Inc. All rights reserved. Notices and Legal Disclaimer.
MedicineNet does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.