Mallet finger is a rupture of the most distal portion of the extensor tendon.
It is one of themost common tendon injuries in sport
Direct impact on an extended finger resulting in forced flexion of the distal phalanx and the extensor tendon is contracting
A typical mechanism is impact from a ball during a catching attempt
Injuries can be soft tissue or bony
If bony, the degree of articular surface involved should be assessed
If a large fragment of bone is involved, the remainder of the distal phalanx may subluxed anteriorly
EXTENSOR ZONES
The location of the ruptured tendon is described according to which extensor zone it lies in.
These are numbered 1 to 7 with the odd numbers overlying joints, beginning distally.
Zone one is therefore the area overlying the distal interphalangeal joint and
zone 7 is that overlying the wrist.
The even-numbered zones lie between the joints.
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