Patient information · Hand and musculoskeletal
Mallet finger
why the tip droops, and how the splint fixes it
The tendon that straightens the tip of your finger has been torn away from the bone, sometimes taking a fragment of bone with it. The treatment is simple and it works — but only if the fingertip is held completely straight, without exception, until it has healed.
Contact us straight away if
- the fingertip droops again at any point, or you accidentally bend it while the splint is off;
- the skin under the splint becomes sore, broken, white or smelly;
- the finger becomes numb, tingly, cold or blue — the splint or tape may be too tight;
- there is a wound or cut over the injured joint, or the nail is lifting away from its bed;
- the splint breaks, no longer fits, or falls off.
Do not simply leave a splint off until your next appointment. Even a few hours of drooping can undo weeks of healing. Ring us and we will fit a replacement.
How it happens
Something forces the straight fingertip to bend suddenly. Catching a ball on the end of the finger is the classic cause — it is sometimes called baseball finger — but tucking in a bedsheet, pulling on a sock or knocking the finger on furniture does it just as often.
Sometimes the tendon itself tears. Sometimes it stays intact and pulls off a small chip of bone instead. Either way, the effect is the same and the treatment is usually the same.
The splint
The one rule: the fingertip must never bend, not even once. Wear the splint day and night, including in bed and in the shower. If the tip drops at any point, the healing tendon pulls apart again and the clock restarts from that day.
Keeping the finger clean
- Rest your hand palm-down on a table so the injured fingertip is supported flat and cannot drop.
- Slide the splint off along the finger, keeping the finger pressed flat the whole time. Do not lift the tip.
- Wash and dry the finger and the splint with the finger still flat on the table. Dry both thoroughly — damp skin under a splint breaks down.
- Slide the splint back on and re-tape it while the finger is still flat, then lift your hand.
If you are not confident doing this alone, ask someone to help, or leave the splint in place and let us clean and refit it at your review.
How long it takes
- The splint is normally worn continuously for six to eight weeks.
- Many people then wear it at night and for sport for a further two to four weeks while the repair strengthens.
- Once the splint is off, the joint will feel stiff. That improves with the exercises your hand therapist gives you.
- It is common to be left with a small permanent droop of a few degrees, a slightly thickened knuckle, or a bump on top of the joint. These rarely affect how the hand works.
- Swelling and tenderness around the joint can take several months to settle completely.
You will be referred to a hand therapist, who will check the splint, make a longer-lasting one moulded to your finger if needed, and show you exactly how to take it off safely. Our physiotherapy and orthopaedic teams see hand injuries seven days a week — call 020 7916 0029 to arrange your review.
Seen today, not next week
Same-day appointments most days, seven days a week, 9am–7pm, on Whitechapel Road.
Tower Bridge Hospital London
97–99 Whitechapel Road, London E1 1DT
WhatsApp 07903 284 189
info@mhwclinic.co.uk
Open Mon–Sat, 9am–7pm (closed Sundays until September)
In an emergency
Call 999, or go to the Royal London Hospital Emergency Department, Whitechapel Road, London E1 1FR.
When we are closed and it is not an emergency
Call NHS 111 or visit 111.nhs.uk.
Also able to advise
Your own GP · Your local pharmacist