Get the facts

What is a mallet fracture?
Mallet fracture is an injury to the tendon that straightens the tip of your finger or thumb. As a result, you are not able to straighten the tip of your finger by your own. This injury occurs when the tip of your finger is bent further than it is intended to go, e.g. when a ball strikes your finger ("baseball finger"). When some of the bone is pulled away along with the tendon, the injury is referred to a mallet fracture (figure).

Figure: mallet fracture.

What are the signs and symptoms?

A mallet fracture makes the fingertip droop. You’ll be unable to straighten the fingertip on your own. The finger may be sore, swollen, and bruised.

How is a mallet fracture diagnosed?
Doctors usually know if you have a mallet finger by clinical examination of the finger. An X-ray is needed to identify the fracture and its complexity. Your provider will see on X-ray if the joint is well aligned and if it can slip out of place.