simple technique for treatment of acute mallet fingers

ABSTRACT

Fifty-eight patients with sixty-five acute mallet fingers were treated by internal splinting technique. 39 patients had closed injuries with 39 fingers involved, and 19 patients had open injuries with 26 fingers involved. No extensor tendon repair or external splinting were used in either open or closed injuries. In Type 1 mallet finger, closed injuries had 93.3% satisfactory results. In Type 2 mallet finger 85.7% had satisfactory results. Most of the patients have been able to go back to work within 3-10 days. We recommend local anaesthesia for this procedure. Thus, without hospitalization or external splinting this procedure provides a simple treatment for a minor lesion, a principle which should never be forgotten