1. FINGER FRACTURES

2. What happened??  One of the bones in your finger has been broken, see the bones of the hand and fingers to the left.  Following trauma or significant force, the bones may have a nice even break or may have broken in a more complicated fashion.  Source: www.nwoa.com

3. Different types of finger fractures  X-ray interpretation helps guide treatment  Things to assess: Location of fracture Does the break cross into joint surface Is the bone still aligned or not Picture sourced from: www.summitmedicalgroup.com

4. Treatment options  Regardless of how treated, most of these fractures take approximately 6-8 weeks for the bone to heal  If the bone is still well- aligned and appears stable, protection and immobilization in a splint or a cast is a good option  At times, the finger is anesthetized in the office and the bone is realigned and casted. Stax splint  Hard Cast, seen below www.mokast.com

5. Surgical treatment  Surgical fixation is necessary when the bone is significantly displaced and alignment is off  Sometimes we can use pins to keep your fracture in place, other times, it requires a metal plate  Your specific injury will determine the type of fixation required  Your surgery can either be done under local anesthetic or with your arm made numb with regional anesthesia Images from: www.idsportsmed.com

6. Post-op  After surgery you will be placed in a soft dressing that has hard cast material protecting the finger. Take care to keep this clean and dry.  The surgical dressings will be removed at your post-op visit with Dr. Foad 3-5 days after surgery. At that time you will use a removable splint for protection. You may remove this for bathing and to begin gentle range of motion.  Sometimes, we use pins that stay in place for approximately four weeks and are removed in the office.