How can you identify a broken toe. What are the common causes of toe fractures. When should you seek medical attention for a toe injury. How is a broken toe diagnosed and treated. What are the potential complications of an untreated broken toe. How long does it take for a broken toe to heal. What are the best ways to prevent toe injuries.

Understanding Broken Toes: Causes and Risk Factors

A broken toe, also known as a toe fracture, is a common injury that can occur due to various reasons. The two most frequent causes are:

• Stubbing the toe against a hard surface
• Having a heavy object fall on the toe

Going barefoot significantly increases the risk of toe injuries, especially when walking in dark or unfamiliar environments. Additionally, handling heavy objects without proper foot protection, such as sturdy work boots, can lead to toe fractures.

Are some people more prone to toe fractures?

While anyone can experience a broken toe, certain factors may increase the likelihood of this injury:

• Participation in high-impact sports or activities
• Wearing ill-fitting shoes
• Having osteoporosis or other conditions that weaken bones
• Age-related bone density loss
• Frequent exposure to hazardous environments

Recognizing the Symptoms of a Broken Toe

Identifying a broken toe is crucial for proper treatment and recovery. The following symptoms may indicate a toe fracture:

1. Throbbing pain in the affected toe
2. Swelling around the injury site
3. Bruising or discoloration of the skin near the toe
4. Difficulty bearing weight on the injured foot
5. Pain when walking or standing
6. Possible dislocation or unnatural angle of the toe

Can you hear a toe break?

In some cases, you may hear an audible snap or crack at the moment of injury. This sound can be an indication of a bone breaking. However, not all toe fractures produce a noticeable sound, so the absence of this symptom doesn’t rule out a break.

Differentiating Between a Broken Toe and a Sprain

Distinguishing between a broken toe and a sprained toe can be challenging, as both injuries share some common symptoms. However, there are a few key differences to consider:

• Pain location: A broken toe typically hurts precisely at the fracture site, while a sprain may cause more generalized pain around the toe.
• Bruising intensity: Broken toes often result in more severe bruising compared to sprains.
• Recovery time: A sprained toe usually starts to improve after a few days, whereas a broken toe may take longer to heal.
• Appearance: A broken toe might appear visibly deformed or dislocated, which is less common in sprains.

Is it possible to walk with a broken toe?

While it’s technically possible to walk with a broken toe, it’s generally not recommended. Walking can exacerbate the injury, delay healing, and potentially lead to complications. If you suspect a broken toe, it’s best to avoid putting weight on it and seek medical attention for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Diagnosis and Medical Assessment of Toe Fractures

If you suspect a broken toe, it’s essential to consult a healthcare professional for an accurate diagnosis. The diagnostic process typically involves:

1. Physical examination: The doctor will visually inspect the toe and assess its range of motion.
2. Medical history: Providing details about the injury and your symptoms helps the doctor make an informed diagnosis.
3. X-rays: Imaging from multiple angles can confirm the presence and extent of a fracture.
4. Neurological assessment: The doctor may check for signs of nerve damage, such as tingling or loss of sensation.

When should you seek immediate medical attention for a toe injury?

While minor toe injuries can often be treated at home, certain symptoms warrant prompt medical evaluation:

• Severe pain that doesn’t improve with rest and over-the-counter pain relievers
• Open wounds or exposed bone
• Signs of infection, such as fever or increased redness and warmth around the injury
• Numbness or tingling in the toe
• Visible deformity or misalignment of the toe

Treatment Options for Broken Toes

The treatment approach for a broken toe depends on the severity and location of the fracture. Common treatment options include:

1. Conservative Management

For most minor toe fractures, conservative treatment is sufficient. This typically involves:

• Rest and elevation of the affected foot
• Ice therapy to reduce swelling and pain
• Over-the-counter pain medications like acetaminophen or ibuprofen
• Buddy taping: Securing the broken toe to an adjacent healthy toe for support

2. Immobilization

More severe fractures may require additional immobilization techniques:

• Walking casts or special boots to protect the toe and promote healing
• Rigid or post-operative shoes to minimize movement

3. Surgical Intervention

In rare cases, surgery may be necessary for complex fractures or when conservative treatments fail. Surgical options may include:

• Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) to realign and stabilize the broken bone
• Removal of bone fragments
• Correction of severe deformities

How long does it take for a broken toe to heal?

The healing time for a broken toe varies depending on the severity of the fracture and individual factors. Generally, minor toe fractures may heal within 4-6 weeks, while more complex breaks can take up to 8-12 weeks or longer. Following your doctor’s treatment plan and avoiding excessive stress on the toe during the healing process is crucial for optimal recovery.

Potential Complications of Untreated Broken Toes

Neglecting proper treatment for a broken toe can lead to various complications, including:

1. Chronic pain and discomfort
2. Improper healing, resulting in toe deformity
3. Arthritis in the affected joint
4. Increased risk of future injuries
5. Difficulty wearing shoes or participating in physical activities

Can an untreated broken toe lead to long-term health issues?

Yes, an untreated broken toe can potentially cause long-term health problems. One significant concern is the development of osteoarthritis, a condition characterized by chronic joint pain and stiffness. When a broken toe doesn’t heal properly, it can alter the biomechanics of the foot, leading to increased stress on the joints and surrounding tissues. This may result in premature wear and tear, ultimately contributing to arthritic changes in the affected toe and potentially other parts of the foot.

Prevention Strategies for Toe Injuries

While it’s not always possible to prevent accidents, there are several measures you can take to reduce the risk of toe injuries:

• Wear properly fitting, supportive shoes
• Use protective footwear in hazardous environments or during high-risk activities
• Keep living spaces well-lit and free of clutter
• Exercise caution when walking on uneven surfaces
• Strengthen foot and ankle muscles through targeted exercises
• Maintain good overall bone health through proper nutrition and regular exercise

Are there specific exercises to strengthen toes and prevent injuries?

Yes, there are several exercises that can help strengthen the toes and surrounding muscles, potentially reducing the risk of injuries:

1. Toe curls: Curl your toes downward, hold for a few seconds, then release.
2. Toe spreads: Spread your toes apart as wide as possible, hold, then relax.
3. Towel scrunches: Place a towel on the floor and use your toes to scrunch it towards you.
4. Marble pickups: Practice picking up marbles or small objects with your toes.
5. Ankle rotations: Slowly rotate your ankles in circular motions to improve overall foot strength and flexibility.

Incorporating these exercises into your daily routine can help improve toe strength and dexterity, potentially reducing the risk of injuries.

Rehabilitation and Recovery After a Broken Toe

Once the initial healing phase is complete, rehabilitation becomes crucial for regaining full function and preventing future injuries. A comprehensive rehabilitation program may include:

• Gradual weight-bearing exercises
• Range of motion exercises to improve flexibility
• Strengthening exercises for the foot and ankle
• Balance and proprioception training
• Gait retraining to ensure proper walking mechanics

When can you resume normal activities after a broken toe?

The timeline for returning to normal activities varies depending on the severity of the fracture and individual healing rates. Generally, you can expect the following progression:

1. Weeks 1-2: Rest, elevation, and limited weight-bearing as tolerated
2. Weeks 3-4: Gradual increase in weight-bearing activities, begin gentle range of motion exercises
3. Weeks 5-6: Continue with strengthening exercises, slowly resume low-impact activities
4. Weeks 7-8: Gradually return to more strenuous activities, with caution
5. Weeks 9+: Full return to normal activities, including sports, as tolerated and approved by your healthcare provider

It’s essential to listen to your body and follow your doctor’s guidance throughout the recovery process. Pushing too hard too soon can lead to setbacks or re-injury.

Innovative Treatments and Future Directions in Toe Fracture Management

As medical technology advances, new treatment options for toe fractures are emerging. Some innovative approaches include:

• 3D-printed casts and orthotics for improved comfort and fit
• Ultrasound therapy to promote bone healing
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections to accelerate tissue repair
• Minimally invasive surgical techniques for faster recovery
• Smart sensors in footwear to monitor healing progress and prevent future injuries

How might future technologies improve the treatment of broken toes?

Emerging technologies hold promise for enhancing the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of broken toes:

1. Advanced imaging techniques: High-resolution MRI and CT scans may provide more detailed information about the fracture, allowing for more precise treatment planning.
2. Bioengineered materials: Development of biodegradable implants and scaffolds could promote faster healing and reduce the need for follow-up surgeries.
3. Telemedicine and remote monitoring: Wearable devices and smartphone apps may enable healthcare providers to track patients’ recovery progress remotely, allowing for timely interventions and personalized treatment adjustments.
4. Virtual reality rehabilitation: VR-based exercises and games could make rehabilitation more engaging and effective, potentially improving patient compliance and outcomes.
5. 3D-printed prosthetics: For severe cases requiring toe amputation, advanced 3D-printed prosthetics could offer improved functionality and aesthetics.

As research in these areas continues, patients with broken toes may benefit from more efficient, personalized, and less invasive treatment options in the future.

Broken Toe: Symptoms, Recovery, and More

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• Fact-check all health claims: Do they align with the current body of scientific evidence?
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Learning to recognize the symptoms and treatment of a broken toe is important. If a broken toe is left untreated, it can lead to problems that may affect your ability to walk and run.

If you’ve ever stubbed your toe hard, the immediate, severe pain can leave you wondering if your toe is broken. In many cases, the injury winds up being a sprain. This is painful, but it means the bone itself is still intact.

If the toe bone breaks into one or more pieces, then you have a broken toe.

A poorly treated broken toe may also leave you in a lot of pain.

Throbbing pain in the toe is the first sign that it may be broken. You may also hear the bone break at the time of injury. A broken bone, also called a fracture, may also cause swelling at the break.

If you’ve broken your toe, the skin near the injury may looked bruised or temporarily change color. You’ll also have difficulty putting any weight on your toe. Walking, or even just standing, can be painful. A bad break can also dislocate the toe, which can cause it to rest at an unnatural angle.

A sprained toe shouldn’t look dislocated. It will still swell, but will likely have less bruising. A sprained toe may be painful for several days, but should then begin to improve.

One other key difference between a break and a sprain is the location of the pain. Usually a break will hurt right where the bone has fractured. With a sprain, the pain may be felt in a more general area around the toe.

The only way to tell for sure if the injury is a break or a sprain is to see your doctor. They can examine your toe and determine the type of injury.

The two most common causes of a broken toe are stubbing it into something hard or having something heavy land on it. Going barefoot is a major risk factor, especially if you’re walking in the dark or in an unfamiliar environment.

If you carry heavy objects without proper foot protection, such as thick boots, you’re also at a higher risk for a broken toe.

A broken toe can usually be diagnosed with the use of an X-ray. If the pain and discoloration don’t ease up after a few days, you should definitely see your doctor.

A broken toe that doesn’t heal properly could lead to osteoarthritis, a painful condition that causes chronic pain in one or more joints.

Your doctor will examine your toe and ask for your medical history. Tell your doctor as many details as you can about the injury and your symptoms. Be sure to tell your doctor if you notice a loss of feeling or tingling in your toe. This could be a sign of nerve damage.

If there’s a chance the toe is broken, your doctor will likely want to get one or more X-rays of the injured toe. Getting images from different angles is important to understand the extent of the break.

Information from the X-ray will also help your doctor decide whether surgery is necessary.

With most cases of a broken toe, there’s little your doctor can do. It’s mostly up to you to rest your toe and keep it stable.

Even before you know whether your toe is broken, you should ice the injured toe and keep it elevated. You may also take over-the-counter painkillers, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), or naproxen (Aleve).

If you have surgery to repair the toe, your doctor may prescribe stronger pain medicines.

Splinting your toe

Typical treatment for a broken toe is called “buddy taping.” This involves taking the broken toe and carefully securing it to the toe next to it with medical tape. Usually, a gauze pad is placed between the toes to prevent skin irritation.

The non-broken toe is basically used as a splint to help keep the broken toe from moving too much. By taping the broken toe to its neighbor, you give the injured toe the support it needs to begin healing.

Surgery and additional treatment options

More serious breaks may require additional treatment. If you have bone fragments in the toe that need to heal, taping may not be enough.

You may be advised to wear a walking cast. This helps keep the injured toe stable while also giving your foot enough support to reduce some of the pain you may have while walking.

In very serious cases, surgery may be necessary to reset the broken bone or bones. A surgeon can sometimes put a pin or a screw into the bone to help it heal properly. These pieces of hardware will remain in the toe permanently.

Your toe is likely to be tender and swollen, even after a few weeks. You’ll likely need to avoid running, playing sports, or walking long distances for one to two months after your injury.

Recovery time can be longer if the break is in one of the metatarsals. The metatarsals are the longer bones in the foot that connect to the phalanges, which are the smaller bones in the toes.

Your doctor can give you a good estimate of recovery time based on the severity and location of your injury. A mild fracture, for example, should heal faster than a more severe break.

With a walking cast, you should be able to walk and resume most non-strenuous activities within a week or two after injuring your toe. The pain should diminish gradually if the bone is healing properly.

If you feel any pain in your broken toe, stop the activity that’s causing the pain and tell your doctor.

The key to a good outcome is following through on your doctor’s advice. Learn how to tape your toe properly so you can change the tape regularly.

Carefully try to put more pressure on your broken toe each day to see how it’s recovering. Take any slight improvements in pain and discomfort as signs that your injury is healing.

Here are some things you can do to improve your recovery.

Footwear

You may temporarily need a bigger or wider shoe to accommodate your swollen foot. Consider getting a shoe with a hard sole and a lightweight top that will put less pressure on the injured toe, but still provide plenty of support.

Velcro fasteners that you can easily adjust can provide additional comfort.

Ice and elevation

Continue to ice and elevate your foot if your doctor recommends it. Wrap the ice in a cloth so that it doesn’t come into direct contact with your skin.

Take it slow

Ease back into your activities, but listen to your body. If you sense that you’re putting too much weight or stress on the toe, back off. It’s better to have a longer recovery and avoid any painful setbacks than to rush back into your activities too quickly.

Broken Toe: Symptoms, Recovery, and More

We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission Here’s our process.

Healthline only shows you brands and products that we stand behind.

Our team thoroughly researches and evaluates the recommendations we make on our site. To establish that the product manufacturers addressed safety and efficacy standards, we:

• Evaluate ingredients and composition: Do they have the potential to cause harm?
• Fact-check all health claims: Do they align with the current body of scientific evidence?
• Assess the brand: Does it operate with integrity and adhere to industry best practices?

We do the research so you can find trusted products for your health and wellness.

Read more about our vetting process.

Was this helpful?

Learning to recognize the symptoms and treatment of a broken toe is important. If a broken toe is left untreated, it can lead to problems that may affect your ability to walk and run.

If you’ve ever stubbed your toe hard, the immediate, severe pain can leave you wondering if your toe is broken. In many cases, the injury winds up being a sprain. This is painful, but it means the bone itself is still intact.

If the toe bone breaks into one or more pieces, then you have a broken toe.

A poorly treated broken toe may also leave you in a lot of pain.

Throbbing pain in the toe is the first sign that it may be broken. You may also hear the bone break at the time of injury. A broken bone, also called a fracture, may also cause swelling at the break.

If you’ve broken your toe, the skin near the injury may looked bruised or temporarily change color. You’ll also have difficulty putting any weight on your toe. Walking, or even just standing, can be painful. A bad break can also dislocate the toe, which can cause it to rest at an unnatural angle.

A sprained toe shouldn’t look dislocated. It will still swell, but will likely have less bruising. A sprained toe may be painful for several days, but should then begin to improve.

One other key difference between a break and a sprain is the location of the pain. Usually a break will hurt right where the bone has fractured. With a sprain, the pain may be felt in a more general area around the toe.

The only way to tell for sure if the injury is a break or a sprain is to see your doctor. They can examine your toe and determine the type of injury.

The two most common causes of a broken toe are stubbing it into something hard or having something heavy land on it. Going barefoot is a major risk factor, especially if you’re walking in the dark or in an unfamiliar environment.

If you carry heavy objects without proper foot protection, such as thick boots, you’re also at a higher risk for a broken toe.

A broken toe can usually be diagnosed with the use of an X-ray. If the pain and discoloration don’t ease up after a few days, you should definitely see your doctor.

A broken toe that doesn’t heal properly could lead to osteoarthritis, a painful condition that causes chronic pain in one or more joints.

Your doctor will examine your toe and ask for your medical history. Tell your doctor as many details as you can about the injury and your symptoms. Be sure to tell your doctor if you notice a loss of feeling or tingling in your toe. This could be a sign of nerve damage.

If there’s a chance the toe is broken, your doctor will likely want to get one or more X-rays of the injured toe. Getting images from different angles is important to understand the extent of the break.

Information from the X-ray will also help your doctor decide whether surgery is necessary.

With most cases of a broken toe, there’s little your doctor can do. It’s mostly up to you to rest your toe and keep it stable.

Even before you know whether your toe is broken, you should ice the injured toe and keep it elevated. You may also take over-the-counter painkillers, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), or naproxen (Aleve).

If you have surgery to repair the toe, your doctor may prescribe stronger pain medicines.

Splinting your toe

Typical treatment for a broken toe is called “buddy taping.” This involves taking the broken toe and carefully securing it to the toe next to it with medical tape. Usually, a gauze pad is placed between the toes to prevent skin irritation.

The non-broken toe is basically used as a splint to help keep the broken toe from moving too much. By taping the broken toe to its neighbor, you give the injured toe the support it needs to begin healing.

Surgery and additional treatment options

More serious breaks may require additional treatment. If you have bone fragments in the toe that need to heal, taping may not be enough.

You may be advised to wear a walking cast. This helps keep the injured toe stable while also giving your foot enough support to reduce some of the pain you may have while walking.

In very serious cases, surgery may be necessary to reset the broken bone or bones. A surgeon can sometimes put a pin or a screw into the bone to help it heal properly. These pieces of hardware will remain in the toe permanently.

Your toe is likely to be tender and swollen, even after a few weeks. You’ll likely need to avoid running, playing sports, or walking long distances for one to two months after your injury.

Recovery time can be longer if the break is in one of the metatarsals. The metatarsals are the longer bones in the foot that connect to the phalanges, which are the smaller bones in the toes.

Your doctor can give you a good estimate of recovery time based on the severity and location of your injury. A mild fracture, for example, should heal faster than a more severe break.

With a walking cast, you should be able to walk and resume most non-strenuous activities within a week or two after injuring your toe. The pain should diminish gradually if the bone is healing properly.

If you feel any pain in your broken toe, stop the activity that’s causing the pain and tell your doctor.

The key to a good outcome is following through on your doctor’s advice. Learn how to tape your toe properly so you can change the tape regularly.

Carefully try to put more pressure on your broken toe each day to see how it’s recovering. Take any slight improvements in pain and discomfort as signs that your injury is healing.

Here are some things you can do to improve your recovery.

Footwear

You may temporarily need a bigger or wider shoe to accommodate your swollen foot. Consider getting a shoe with a hard sole and a lightweight top that will put less pressure on the injured toe, but still provide plenty of support.

Velcro fasteners that you can easily adjust can provide additional comfort.

Ice and elevation

Continue to ice and elevate your foot if your doctor recommends it. Wrap the ice in a cloth so that it doesn’t come into direct contact with your skin.

Take it slow

Ease back into your activities, but listen to your body. If you sense that you’re putting too much weight or stress on the toe, back off. It’s better to have a longer recovery and avoid any painful setbacks than to rush back into your activities too quickly.

What to do if you break your toe? — Articles “Aerodar-Med”

December 25, 2022

A common cause of toe deformity is associated with fractures. They are rarely recognized by a person without medical education. Some people assume it’s a bruise and endure the pain until the fracture heals. As a rule, they grow together incorrectly, which is why it is so important to learn how to determine whether it is a fracture or just a bruise of the fingers. Incorrectly fused bones can lead to a change in gait, and in the future – and deformation of the entire skeleton, in particular the spine. And this can already lead to serious pain.

If there is any suspicion of a fracture or fracture, contact a medical organization for qualified medical care. Before you go to the doctor, you should properly provide yourself with first aid. The article will describe the main symptoms, causes and treatment regimens for finger fractures, as well as possible complications.

Causes of finger fractures

Fractures can occur in both pathologically altered bone and healthy. Pathological fractures are associated with changes in bone structure. It can change due to infection, as well as with the development of osteoporosis and impaired tissue mineralization. Pathological fractures often occur in older people.

Fractures can also occur in healthy bone. This is due to the fact that the acting force was greater than that which the finger can withstand. This may occur due to a blow with a large object or an incorrectly placed limb during a fall.

Classification of finger fractures

The toes are made up of phalanges, which are connected to each other by joints. Finger fractures in traumatology are classified as follows:

• open and closed – open when bone is visible in the wound;

• along the fracture line: transverse, longitudinal, oblique;

• with and without fragments.

Symptoms of broken fingers

In medicine, there are 4 main criteria by which one can reliably say that a person has a fracture, and not a bruise:

• unnatural position of the fingers;

• pathological, that is, incorrect mobility of the fingers;

• presence of bone crunch – crepitus;

• bone fragments in the wound.

There are also additional criteria by which one can only assume that a person has bone damage:

• tissue swelling;

• soreness;

• presence of hemorrhages under the skin – bruises, hematomas;

• disturbance of sensations in the fingers, numbness;

• gait disturbance – depending on the finger, the disturbances can vary from minor to obvious, severe changes in gait are visible with a fracture of the large one.

If you have these symptoms, you should immediately go to the emergency room.

Complications of finger fractures

Sometimes people who have a broken finger don’t want to go to the doctor because they think it’s a minor problem. After all, it was not a large bone that broke, but only a small finger. But even with such a fracture, serious complications can occur.

If this is a closed fracture, and the integrity of the skin is not broken, then there is a risk of improper union of bone fragments. Because of this, gait is disturbed in the future, the foot is deformed, and subsequently this leads to problems with the spine due to incorrect gait and pain in the toes after a long walk.

In the presence of an open wound, there is always a risk of infection. It is not in vain that in the presence of lesions on the skin in medical institutions, tetanus prophylaxis is carried out. Moreover, an ordinary person without a medical education can treat the wound incorrectly, and this will lead to its suppuration, and in the future this may lead to amputation of the finger.

It is precisely because of complications that one should consult a traumatologist. There are medical centers that work around the clock, where they will provide free medical care after a thorough examination. As a rule, it is enough for a doctor to conduct a visual examination and take an x-ray, if necessary, they can additionally perform a computed tomography.

Treatment of broken fingers

If there is a crack in the bone, doctors advise to keep calm and completely remove the load on the injured limb. In addition, painkillers are prescribed, and for reliability, the injured finger is fixed to the next one.

With a closed fracture and no displacement, the traumatologist applies a plaster cast up to the ankle. So it will be necessary to pass within a month and come back for a second appointment, so that the doctor removes the cast or decides to continue the treatment.

If the fracture turned out to be open, surgical assistance is indispensable here. In a sterile operating room, a trauma surgeon will compare the bone fragments, disinfect the wound and connect the edges with surgical sutures.

When fingers are broken, for better recovery, you should eat food rich in minerals and vitamins, especially calcium and magnesium.

First aid is to apply ice to the injured limb, immobilize it, and go to a medical facility. If there is no way to get there on your own, you should call an ambulance, including if bleeding does not stop with an open wound.

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“Big problems of small damage” – this phrase is used by many surgeons to characterize the treatment of injuries of the extensor tendon of the finger at the level of the interphalangeal joint. Despite significant progress in hand surgery, the treatment of this type of injury remains difficult. Meanwhile, it is not uncommon: 1.5-3% of all hand injuries. These, at first glance, small percentages indicate a huge number of patients, since the hand is the most frequently injured part of the human body.

As a result of tendon rupture, the terminal phalanx ceases to actively extend, and the finger looks like a hammer (Fig. 1). The second name for this injury is “falling finger”. Due to the fact that this injury often occurs during sports, it is sometimes called “baseball player’s or basketball player’s finger.”

This injury occurs more frequently in men than in women. Interestingly, men with this pathology are about 10 years younger than female patients.

More often than others, the middle finger is damaged, then the ring finger, index finger, little finger, and less often the big one.

Most often “hammer deformity” occurs as a result of a direct blow to the tip of an extended finger, and in some cases as a result of a small external force, including the performance of everyday harmless routines: dressing, undressing, making the bed, buttoning. The most common mechanism of closed injury is severe flexion of the terminal phalanx while the finger is actively held in extension: hitting the fingertip of a basketball or volleyball, hitting the floor with a finger, pulling the toe with a straightened finger, trying to tuck a blanket or bedspread with straight fingers. In some patients, the deformity occurs without visible injury.

Immediately after an injury, patients are concerned about pain in the joint. Externally, the finger becomes unattractive. Within a few weeks, the pain decreases, but functional disorders persist without treatment. “Hammer-shaped deformation” makes it difficult to hold small objects, put on gloves. The “humped finger” constantly bumps into protruding objects, which can increase pain and increase deformity.

With a rupture of the tendon mechanism at the level of the terminal phalanx, the extension force is concentrated on the middle phalanx. Over time, this often leads to hyperextension of the middle phalanx and the appearance of a swan neck deformity of the finger.