Tendon Injury – Jersey Finger

Hand

Symptoms

You may experience: Pain in the fingertip, Inability to bend the finger normally, often, you may have felt a ‘snap’ at the time the injury, The tip of your finger maybe sore to touch and swelling and bruising may develop later in the fingertip.

How it occurs

Jersey finger is a tear of one of the flexor tendons in the tip of the finger. It is common in contact sports, especially in AFL, Rugby League and Rugby Union. It is called a Jersey finger because of how it more commonly occurs. In sport, if you reach to grab an opponent’s guernsey, you are attempting to grab them with your hand as hard as possible at the same time as your finger is being forced straight on impact. Therefore, the tendons may tear due to the impact.

Treatment

In most cases if the jersey finger injury involves a full tendon rupture or a rupture with a bone chip attached, the finger will not heal on its own. Surgery will be required to repair soft-tissue damage and restore your finger’s ability to bend or move. This is something that can be assessed by the team at Action Rehab.

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Meet Ben

Our senior therapist

Ben Cunningham is currently the Hand Therapist at the AFL club The Melbourne Demons and the director of Action Rehab. Ben has over 20 years of experience providing hand and upper limb therapy, including working in the United Kingdom at the Queen Victoria Hospital and as the senior clinician at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.

Sprained or
Fractured Fingers

Metacarpal
Fractures

Thumb Arthritis -
Carpometacarpal Osteoarthritis

Finger
Arthritis

Finger Dislocation -
Volar Plate

Trigger Finger -
Stenosing Tenosynovitis

Mallet
Finger

Central
Slip Injury

Jersey
Finger

Skiers
Thumb

Collateral
ligament Injury

De Quervain’s
Tenosynovitis

Book a senior therapist consultation

Ben, our senior therapist, will offer advice on any management strategies you may need. Please note, if you request ongoing care, you will only have to pay our current rates. We do not charge Worksafe and TAC clients for any consultations.

Call 1300 76227to book an appointment or Click Here to book.

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