MALLET FINGER

You have torn the tendon that straightens the end joint of your finger, so now your fingertip droops and you cannot straighten it properly.

To treat this, you should not let your fingertip droop at any time for the next 6-8 weeks. If you do, it won’t be able to heal and will droop forever, so we have given you a splint to keep the joint straight while you are using your hand.

You should:

 Keep your hand raised and try to exercise all the joints, except the one in the splint.

 Wear the splint all the time.

 Check that you have been booked for the clinic.

You should not:

 Bend the end joint of your finger at all.

 Wear any rings on your hand until the finger has healed, so that you do not get problems with your circulation.

Cleaning your Finger and the Splint

If the splint gets wet or you need to wash your finger you can take it off, but you must keep your finger straight. You can do this by resting it on the edge of a table or the sink, or even against the pad of your thumb.

-SEH UK