Dook Fishball (1) - Jammed Finger

Jeremy Lin

This post will be discussing a common hand injury happened in basketball games - Dook Fishball. It often happens when u miscatch a fast-coming ball, or while an agressive player trying to steal a ball but accidentally poke onto the ball (._____.)... Although we often refer this to "dook fishball", however two conditions might actually occur when we look into the anatomy of our fingers. Depending on the site of injury, the two conditions are mallet finger and jammed finger. So what is the difference? What structures are involved?




Jammed finger


Where?
Jammed finger is more commonly seen then mallet finger. It can be considered as a sprain of PIP joint. It is poorly defined; you can also find out that some of the websites actually say jammed finger can occur at both DIP and PIP joint.

How?

When there is an unexpected force applying to the tip of the finger. Several structures are responsible to hold the finger joints such as ligaments and joint capsule. High impact force coming from a fast moving basketball can compress the joint or rupture the ligament, causing the swelling and bruising. More severe cases can happen when the finger is forced into hyper-extension, which either PIP or DIP allow only limited extension. As a result, the extensor tendon (or referred as central slip) ruptures. 'Boutonnière deformity' is often referred as the case when this happens. (Click this link to learn more about BD: http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00004&return_link=0) Bone avulsion can also happen (a small part of bone is teared away by the pulling force of a stretched tendon in this case).

What to do?

Buddy Taping

Ice (20 mins per session) and rest should be the first priority right after the injury. Elevation of the finger can increase venous blood flow to your heart to remove the waste produced locally. You can do this by putting your hand on a high table while sleeping or sitting, just remember to keep it above the level of your heart. Taping can help stabilising the injured joint and reducing local swelling. If you want to stabilise the injured joint in a greater amount, buddy taping would help (see diagram).

After the swelling and pain has gone down, remember to do some mobilising exercises! 

The above would be appropriate and helpful in general. If you suspect that your case is more serious, for example you experience a sharp unbearable pain while moving the finger or you cannot move your finger in an unexpectedly large extent, do not hesitate to consult a related medical profession for diagnosis!

Mallet finger will be covered in the coming post =]