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Quennell Hand & Wrist 01632 960 718 Book
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Where it is: Fingertip

Mallet finger

Also called: a dropped fingertip

The tendon that straightens the fingertip attaches just behind the nail. A knock, often from a ball or a tucked-in sheet, pulls it away, and the tip droops and will not straighten on its own.

Book a first appointment 01632 960 718
A drawing of a left hand and wrist, palm up, with the bones and joints shown faintly beneath the skin, and a small detail drawing of the elbow. A violet surgical marker dot sits on the base of the thumb.
Plate 1 Fingertip

What it feels like

  • A fingertip that hangs down after a knock
  • Swelling and tenderness over the last joint
  • You can push it straight, but it falls again

What we look for

We check whether the tendon or a fleck of bone has come away, with an X-ray the same visit.

What usually helps

  1. A small splint, made at the chair, worn day and night for six to eight weeks
  2. Clear instructions on keeping it straight when you change the splint
  3. Surgery only for a large bone fragment

A typical recovery

  1. Weeks 1 to 8Splint on, day and night
  2. Weeks 8 to 10Splint at night only
  3. Week 12Most fingers straight again

Illustrative timeline, not a promise: every hand heals at its own pace.