The fingertips are often exposed during routine activities at home, in athletics, and at work, making them vulnerable to a variety of accidents. In fact, fingertip injuries are one of the most common injuries of the hand. Our doctors at the Institute for Hand Surgery at New York Plastic Surgical Group, a Division of Long Island Plastic Surgical Group frequently treat this area to not only reduce pain but to also make sure you can move and use your fingertip like normal again.
Depending on the nature of the injury, you may end up damaging soft tissue, bone, tendons, and/or nerves. To make sure you regain full use of your fingertips after an injury, it’s important that you get medical care immediately and seek treatment from a well-qualified reconstructive hand surgeon.
Signs & Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of an injured fingertip will vary based on the cause of the accident, such as if the area was cut versus crushed. Depending on the severity of the injury, you may experience one or more of the following:
- Bleeding
- Swelling
- Limited movement
- Nail injury
- Amputation
When you see one of our reconstructive surgeons, they will do their best to alleviate your discomfort and improve your symptoms. To provide the best treatment for your needs, they’ll first need to understand what caused your injury.
Causes
People injure their fingertips in a wide range of ways—from getting crushed by a heavy object to getting shut in a door to being cut by a sharp tool. Depending on the nature of the accident, the fingertip can be damaged in a number of ways. This can involve the skin, nail bed, bone, tendons, and/or nerves.
Treatment
Treatment will ultimately depend on how your fingertip was injured and how severe the injury is. After learning how your injury happened, your doctor will take a look at how your fingertip looks and moves. This will include checking on its blood supply, seeing how well you can bend and straighten the finger, and, if necessary, performing an x-ray to look for any broken bones. Based on this information, your doctor may recommend one or more of the following treatment options:
- Gauze, tape, or other dressings and wound care will often work well in many situations
- A splint may be needed to keep the finger in its proper position
- Surgery to repair damage, such as a suture to close the wound, placement of a metal pin to keep the damaged bone in place, or reconstructive flap surgery
- Amputation if the damage is too severe to restore the fingertip’s form and function
Our most important goal is to restore good quality skin coverage with touch sensation. Although the fingertip is just a small part of the finger and overall hand, seeking a qualified reconstructive surgeon is important for regaining normal movement and full function. If you end up needing surgery, you can expect your finger to be sore or sensitive for several months.
Even after successful treatment, it’s possible that your fingertip may have some numbness and the skin or finger may look or feel different. Despite potential limitations to treatment, our surgical team is highly experienced at performing reconstructive fingertip procedures and are committed to helping you regain as much function as possible following any fingertip injury.
