Fingertip and Nail Bed Injuries

What it is

Fingertip injuries can damage the skin, the padded pulp of the fingertip, the bone (distal phalanx), the nail bed, tendons, and the small nerve endings that give the fingertip its sensation.

What causes it

Crushing in a door, a hammer blow, a dropped heavy object, or a cut from a kitchen knife or power tool.

Diagnosis

Your physician will check blood flow to the fingertip and whether you can bend and straighten the finger. An X-ray shows whether the bone is broken.

Treatment

• Skin loss or a small amount of exposed bone: often heals with simple dressings
• Broken fingertip: a splint, or temporary pins to hold the fragments in place
• Blood under the nail: can be drained through a small hole in the nail; more serious nail bed injuries may need a splint or repair
• Severe injuries: may need surgery or, occasionally, shortening of the fingertip

Recovery

The fingertip may be sensitive for many months, feeling may be reduced, and the skin and nail can look different from before.