Broken Finger Treatment

Self-Care at Home

• Make a splint (immobilize the finger - you may put a popsicle stick or pen next to it and wrap something around the stick and the finger).

• As you drive to the emergency department, apply ice to the injured finger. Do not apply ice directly to the skin. Put a towel between the ice and the finger.

Medical Treatment

Treatment of broken fingers depends on the type of fracture and particular bone in the finger that is injured. The emergency doctor or an orthopedic surgeon will assess the stability of the broken finger.

• If the fracture is stable, treatment may be as simple as buddy taping (splinting one finger to another by taping them together) for about four weeks followed by an additional two weeks with no strenuous exercise.
  
  
• If the fracture is unstable, the injured finger will need to be immobilized. Immobilization is done in several different ways:
  
  
  • Most simply, a splint may be applied after reduction (re-aligning of the fracture fragments). If this does not maintain enough stability, a surgical procedure may be needed.
    
    
  • A surgeon has many different techniques for surgical immobilization from pinning the fracture with small wires to procedures with plates and screws. The surgeon will discuss with the patient which procedure is best.