Are you eager to learn how to recognise a dislocated finger? Do you know how it looks like and how it is treated? You are in the right place!
In this article, I summarise the key findings from scientific studies about a dislocated finger.
I also base on my knowledge and experience as a diagnostic radiographer who has x-rayed so many dislocated fingers.
Happy reading!😀
Any questions? Let’s meet in the comments!🙋
Last updated: March 2024. Written by Juliet Semakula, diagnostic radiographer.
Disclaimer: no affiliate links.
Before delving into the causes, symptoms, treatment and recovery of a dislocated finger, let’s briefly review some anatomy.
A bit of anatomy
Our fingers have three joints, these joints allow our fingers to bend and straighten. When any two bones are forced out of place at the joint like in the image on the right the finger becomes dislocated.
And there you have it, the anatomy lesson is already finished!
▶️ What forces a finger to dislocate out of the joint.
Most dislocated fingers are caused by sports injuries such as.
⚽Football
🏀Basketball
🏐Volleyball
🤸Falls and accidents.
🦴Genetically some people are born with weak ligaments so their bones can not connect at the joint as they should.
▶️How do you know if a finger is dislocated?
When you have dislocated your finger before it is checked out by a professional. You might experience these symptoms.
⚫Your finger will look crooked or misplaced.
⚫Your finger bone will appear dislodged such as sticking out to one side.
⚫It will swell and bruise around the joint.
⚫You will experience pain around the joint.
⚫You might be unable to move your finger.
▶️Can a dislocated finger heal on its own?
First DO NOT attempt to pop the finger back into the joint yourself. Because you could injure underlying structures sometimes permanently, like blood vessels, tendons, nerves and ligaments.
You need medical attention to help put your dislocated finger back in the joint, normally after treatment your injury heals by itself!
When you dislocate your finger, your doctor will request x-rays to confirm any dislocation.
It could be a sprain or a fracture because they share similar symptoms to a dislocation.so it can be difficult to determine which injury you have without X-ray .
Even if your doctor suspects your finger is dislocated by looking at it and talking to you about your symptoms, you may still need an X-ray to rule out broken or fractured bones or epiphyseal detachments of the base of the first phalanx.
▶️How do you fix a dislocated finger? Treatment
If you are told that your finger is dislocated after you have had x-rays. There are different treatment options your doctor will use to mobilise your finger back in the joint. Careful examination is very important before any treatment.
Treatment of MCP, PIP, and DIP joint dislocation may be operative or nonoperative depending on the ease of reduction, post-reduction stability, or involvement of the volar plate or other stabilising structures.
Careful observation and physical examination with an emphasis on the presence and location of swelling and areas of tenderness.
Testing of joint stability, sometimes requiring the use of local anaesthesia, should be performed actively and passively.
Active testing of joint stability determines the functional range of movement of the damaged joint and gives a good impression of the primary structures that determine joint stability on the palmar and dorsal aspects of the joint.
Subluxation with active motion suggests major ligament disruption or a significant intra-articular fracture of the joint. Passive testing of joint stability is useful to assess volar plate and collateral ligament damage. (Chinchalkar, 2003)
▶️Treatment options of a dislocated finger
Reduction
Reduction is a medical term for repositioning the bone into its joint
You will be given a local anaesthetic to numb your pain during the reduction. Your bone will be pressed back into the joint and then pull the finger outward to get the bones back in place.
⚠️caution⚠️!Multiple reduction attempts should be avoided as the inability to reduce may indicate volar plate interposition requiring open reduction.
Multiple attempts at MCP joint dislocation reduction have the potential complication of displacing the volar plate between articular surfaces, lumbricals, or flexor tendons.
Splint
You will be given a splint to keep the bone stable once your bone has been repositioned.it will prevent finger movement and reinjure.
A splint is kept on for a few days or 3 weeks depending on the severity of your injury.
Buddy tape
Sometimes if you are not given a splint, medical tape will be used to bind your injured finger to an uninjured one next to it. This method adds more support to the dislocated finger and allows early motion to prevent joint stiffness and loss of motion.
Surgery
Surgery will only come in when there is a need to reposition the bone and repair any fractures or torn ligaments. Or when stabilisation of the joint fails.
Lateral proximal interphalangeal joint dislocation is more likely to require operative intervention like in the image below.
Images on the left shows a closed reduction dislocation of the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint of the little finger: In this case emergency surgery was needed to put the bone back in the joint. A Coban wrap splint was supposed to be worn for 7 days but this patient wore it for 17 days.
These complex dislocations must be managed by open surgical reduction to reduce the dislocation and realign the volar plate. (Stiles 1997)
▶️Finger dislocation recovery time
The predicted recovery time after a finger or thumb dislocation is three to six months.
Healing time for this injury is about six weeks, however, it can take several months for symptoms to settle and to regain function.
Pain is reported to be the most troublesome complication of PIP joint injuries. Usually, it steadily decreases after the first 6 months following injury. (Chinchalkar, 2003)
Physical therapy may be prescribed once the finger has recovered enough to remove the splint.
1️⃣You will be offered heat and massage therapies to help reduce stiffness and increase mobility in the joint.
2️⃣Perform hand exercises to promote mobility of your fingers.
This would mean you’d be relieved of any finger pain and can return to your normal activities, including sports, after this time.
With the correct buddy strapping, splint and physiotherapy exercises, the range of motion in your finger/thumb joints should be back to normal.
Try these simple exercises with your fingers at home they will help with joint stabilisation. (NHS recommendation)
 | Start with straight fingers and bend your knuckle joint keeping the fingers straight |
 | Start with your fingers straight and bend the fingers keeping your knuckles straight. |
 | Start with fingers straight then make a full fist. |
Tips to help speed your recovery at home.
There are several ways you can reduce your recovery time, focus on pain and injury management and prevent re-injury risk of your dislocated finger:
⚡Stay consistent with the exercises recommended by your Physiotherapist!
⚡ Keep your splint and brace clean, dry and redo your taping often!
⚡ Rest your finger and avoid moving it while it heals!
⚡Apply cold compresses to reduce pain and inflammation!
⚡Avoid sports and games for at least 6 weeks after injury.
▶️What happens if you leave a dislocated finger untreated?
Dislocated fingers their severity is often underestimated. The Proximal interphalangeal joint (PIP) injuries are among the most common in the hand.
If you leave a dislocated finger untreated your injury may lead to prolonged disability, pain, and stiffness.
This is what I wanted to tell you about a dislocated finger. I hope I have given you some reassurance, I wish you a quick recovery.
Below are some of the articles I have relied on for this article.
📚Sources:
Chinchalkar, S. J., & Gan, B. S. (2003). Management of proximal interphalangeal joint fractures and dislocations. Journal of Hand Therapy, 16(2), 117-28. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/management-proximal-interphalangeal-joint/docview/222181302/se-2
Nisticò D, Vittoria F, Conti R, Bandiera A, Barbi E, Carbone M. Do Not Simply Pull a Dislocated Finger. J Pediatr. 2021 Jul;234:276-277. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2021.03.065. Epub 2021 Apr 2. PMID: 33819462.
M. Stiles, D. Drake, A. Gear, F. Watkins, R. Edlich;Metacarpophalangeal joint dislocation: indications for open surgical reduction.J Emerg Med, 15 (1997), pp. 669-671
Borchers JR, Best TM. Common finger fractures and dislocations. Am Fam Physician. 2012 Apr 15;85(8):805-10. PMID: 22534390.
Chinchalkar SJ, Gan BS. Management of proximal interphalangeal joint fractures and dislocations. J Hand Ther. 2003 Apr-Jun;16(2):117-28. doi: 10.1016/s0894-1130(03)80007-8. PMID: 12755163.
Calfee RP, Sommerkamp TG. Fracture-dislocation about the finger joints. J Hand Surg Am. 2009 Jul-Aug;34(6):1140-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jhsa.2009.04.023. PMID: 19643295.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551508/
https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-make-a-splint#materials-youll-need