Massage therapy · Kitchener–WaterlooFinger Fracture

Although the bones in the fingers are small, a broken (fractured) finger is not a minor injury. The bones in a normal hand line up precisely. They allow you to perform many specialised functions, such as grasping a pen, playing an instrument or typing. When a finger bone is broken, it can affect how your whole hand works, and without proper treatment the finger may end up out of line, stiff or painful (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, n.d.).

Most of the time, a fractured finger is caused by an injury to the hand. You can fracture your finger by slamming your fingers in a door, putting your hand out to break a fall, or jamming your finger while trying to catch a ball. Accidents while working with power saws, drills and other tools can also break a finger (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, n.d.).

While you are waiting to see a doctor

Finger Fracture Anatomy

Your hand has 27 bones. Eight bones are in your wrist (the carpals). The palm of the hand contains five bones known as the metacarpals. The 14 bones in your fingers are known as the phalanges (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, n.d.). Breaks of the metacarpal bone that joins the little finger to the hand, known as boxer's fractures and usually caused by punching, account for about a third of all hand fractures in adults (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, n.d.).

How a Finger Fracture Is Treated

1. Nonsurgical Treatment

If the broken bone is out of line, the doctor may put it back into position, often without surgery. The finger may be numbed first with an injection of local anaesthetic (NHS, 2025). A splint or cast holds the finger and protects it while it heals, and sometimes the doctor splints the finger next to the broken one to give extra support (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, n.d.). Your doctor will tell you how long to wear the splint; usually it is about 3 weeks (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, n.d.). You may need more X-rays during this time so the doctor can check the finger is healing properly. A broken finger usually heals within 6 to 8 weeks, but it may be 3 to 4 months before full strength returns to your hand (NHS, 2025).

Treatments you may want to discuss with your family doctor or nurse practitioner

Tips

• As soon as your doctor says it is OK to move your finger, begin using your hand again to prevent stiffness (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, n.d.; NHS, 2025).
• Do simple rehabilitation exercises each day to help reduce stiffness and swelling in the finger. A hand therapist can help you with these exercises (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, n.d.). I can help with them too, once your doctor says you can move the finger. See the My Approach tab for how I work.
• It is important that the doctor finds out not only which bone is broken, but also how it broke, so that it can be treated properly (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, n.d.).
• Bones can break straight across, in a spiral pattern, into several pieces, or shatter completely (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, n.d.).
• If you think you have broken a finger, seek treatment as soon as possible. The sooner a fracture is treated, the better the outcome is likely to be (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, n.d.).
• See your family doctor or nurse practitioner if you are worried the break is not healing, if pain and swelling have not started to ease after a few days, or if it hurts to use the finger once the splint or strapping is off. Ask your doctor when you can return to contact sports (NHS, 2025).

With a broken finger, my job is to support healing without ever interfering with it. Your doctor or hand therapist decides how long the splint stays on and when you can move and use the finger. I work within those limits, and if your fracture was treated with surgery or stops your normal daily activities, I need your medical team's okay before hands-on treatment.

Please bring any X-ray or scan reports and notes from your medical team to your first visit. They're an important part of planning safe treatment for you.

While It's Splinted

• Easing the forearm, shoulder and neck, which often tense up while you protect the hand
• Gentle drainage above the splint, and keeping the hand raised, to help with swelling
• Keeping the wrist, elbow and shoulder moving, if allowed

Once You're Cleared to Move

1. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (n.d.) Finger fractures. OrthoInfo. Available at: https://www.orthoinfo.org/en/diseases--conditions/finger-fractures/ (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
2. NHS (2025) Broken finger or thumb. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/broken-finger/ (Accessed: 7 October 2026).