Finger Fractures

Our hands are comprised of an intricate combination of muscles, bones, and tendons. Our hands afford us the ability to make complex movements that are essential for everyday life. As a result, a broken or fractured finger is not a minor injury. A broken or fractured finger can result in pain, inconvenience, and temporary loss of use of that hand. Without treatment, your broken finger might stay stiff and painful.

Anatomy of the hand

Your hand consists of 27 bones: eight bones in your wrist (carpals), five bones in the palm of your hand (metacarpals), and 14 bones in your fingers (phalanges). Fractures of the metacarpal bone that leads to the little finger account for about one-third of all hand fractures in adults.

Causes of a fractured finger

Fractured fingers result from an injury or trauma to the hand. Common causes of a fractured finger are bracing oneself when falling, jamming a finger while playing sports, blunt force trauma while working with one’s hands. Regardless of the cause, a fractured finger should not go untreated.

Symptoms of a fractured finger

You will most likely experience immediate pain from a fractured finger. After the injury is sustained, you will experience some or all the following:

• Swelling of the fracture site
• Tenderness at the fracture site
• Bruising at the fracture site
• Inability to move the injured finger in completely
• Deformity of the injured finger

Contact our hand specialists (no referral needed)

If you think you fractured your finger, be sure to stabilize and limit the movement of your hand and fingers. Contact Orthopedic Associates of Northern California for a same or next day appointment. Orthopedic Associates of Northern California does not require a referral from a primary care physician to schedule an appointment. You can contact us directly by phone or through our website contact form. During your consultations, your doctor will determine not only which bone you fractured, but also how the bone broke. Bones can break in several ways: straight across the bone, in a spiral, into several pieces, or shatter completely. Your doctor may x-ray both of your hands to compare the injured finger to the uninjured finger on your other hand.

A team of hand specialists

Orthopedic Associates of Northern California boasts a team of fellowship-trained, board-certified orthopedic surgeons. We have a team of providers that specialize in the hand. Since 1995 our team has been helping patients who have sustained hand injuries. You can be confident you’re in great hands.