Which finger injury is caused by avulsion of the flexor digitorum profundus tendon at the DIP joint?

Which finger injury is caused by avulsion of the flexor digitorum profundus tendon at the DIP joint?

• A. Dupuytren contracture
• B. Gamekeeper's thumb
• C. Jersey finger (flexor digitorum profundus avulsion)
• D. Mallet finger

Answer: (C)

This is Jersey finger. It happens when the flexor digitorum profundus tendon (which lets you bend the fingertip) is torn away from its attachment at the distal phalanx at the tip of the finger. The classic mechanism is grabbing a jersey (or similar object) with the finger extended and the hand pulled away, so the tendon avulses instead of staying in the finger. The key clue is the loss of active flexion at the distal interphalangeal joint (DIP) while other finger movements can be intact. That’s different from Mallet finger, which is an extensor tendon avulsion at the DIP and leads to an inability to straighten the fingertip; Dupuytren contracture is a palmar fascia issue causing progressive finger flexion; Gamekeeper’s thumb is an injury to the ulnar collateral ligament at the thumb’s metacarpophalangeal joint. Jersey finger often needs prompt surgical repair to reattach the tendon.

This is Jersey finger. It happens when the flexor digitorum profundus tendon (which lets you bend the fingertip) is torn away from its attachment at the distal phalanx at the tip of the finger. The classic mechanism is grabbing a jersey (or similar object) with the finger extended and the hand pulled away, so the tendon avulses instead of staying in the finger. The key clue is the loss of active flexion at the distal interphalangeal joint (DIP) while other finger movements can be intact.

That’s different from Mallet finger, which is an extensor tendon avulsion at the DIP and leads to an inability to straighten the fingertip; Dupuytren contracture is a palmar fascia issue causing progressive finger flexion; Gamekeeper’s thumb is an injury to the ulnar collateral ligament at the thumb’s metacarpophalangeal joint.

Jersey finger often needs prompt surgical repair to reattach the tendon.