Injuries to the fingers are one of the most common problems seen in an Orthopaedist’s office. From crush injuries in a closing door or window, to trauma suffered by a curious hand in a machine, to the ubiquitous “jamming” injuries seen in basketball, football, and volleyball, fingers are the frontline “tools” that often take the brunt of our trauma.

Children’s fingers present a unique problem in that they are still growing, and as a result may suffer fractures that can lead to growth deformities later in their development. Since the growth area of the bone, called the “growth plate” or physis, is made of cartilage, it is the weakest part of the bone. And as we all remember from high school physics, force takes the path of least resistance, which in this case means the fracture is most likely to occur through the growing part of the bone.

Similarly, the ligaments (which are what is hurt in a sprain) that hold the joints together are actually stronger than the bone in children, meaning the bone is more commonly what is injured in a child than the ligaments, i.e. fractures in children are more common than sprains. So one should always assume that a swollen, and particularly a black and blue finger is broken until proven otherwise. Therefore, a simple x-ray at the time of injury can often prevent serious problems later.