Most fractures heal on their own within 8 weeks. The healing time is different if the bones are stabilized surgically but rehabilitation is still an important component of recovery in those cases. While the bone is still healing, physical therapy interventions will focus on adjacent areas. Once healed, your physical therapist may recommend 4-8 weeks of rehabilitation to help restore normal function to the previously broken finger and surrounding areas. Once PT can target the previously fractured area, you should experience improvements in many symptoms such as pain and stiffness within a few of weeks but returns in strength, flexibility and overall mobility and return to your prior level of activity may take longer. Achieving long lasting results may take some time, but dedication to your program will help you achieve these results more quickly.

BASICS ON BROKEN BONES

Broken bones, also known as fractured bones, occur when stress across the bone exceeds the bone’s tensile strength. A bone may fracture due to trauma, or in the case of a weakened bone, can occur due to relatively normal forces. Fractures can occur in different patterns. They can be stable and nondisplaced and treated with a cast or splint or unstable or displaced and treated with either closed or surgical reduction and fixation followed by a cast or splint. A bone that is broken in several places or unlikely to heal well on its own often requires surgery to stabilize the fracture with some type of hardware. Bone fractures heal in three phases. The first phase is the inflammatory phase which starts within hours of the break and is normally complete within a number of days. During this phase the body lays down a fragile matrix of new tissues to begin repairing the broken bone. During the next several weeks the reparative phase occurs in which a soft callus is initially formed by bone-producing cells and then transformed into a hard callus over time. The soft callus can easily be disrupted if the bone is not protected but the hard callus is much more durable. In the final stage, the remodeling stage, the callus is slowly removed and the bone is reshaped and smoothed out as it responds to the stress and activity placed on it by normal activity. This phase takes months to years to be completed but in most cases a fracture is considered healed in about 8 weeks.

The fingers, also known as the phalanges, each consist of 2-3 smaller bones. Each thumb has a proximal and distal phalanx while the remainder of the phalanges have an extra bone known as the middle phalanx. Fractures to the fingers are often caused by trauma such as a fall on an outstretched hand or a crush injury.

Signs and symptoms of a broken finger include:

• Pain, tenderness and swelling over the bone
• Redness and bruising
• Difficulty moving the fingers or pain with movement
• Signs of deformity or misalignment in the bones
• A simple closed and stable fracture of the finger is often treated with a splint or a technique called buddy taping to immobilize the finger bones while they heal. A more serious fracture may require a cast or splint that immobilizes the finger(s) and the hand or may require surgery to stabilize the break.

If you decide to work with a physical therapist to help with rehab for a broken finger, your entire treatment plan could consist of around 8-20+ different physical therapy sessions that will each last 60-90 minutes. Once you complete your customized physical therapy treatment plan, you will be able to continue to do the prescribed stretches and exercises utilized during your PT sessions yet in the comfort of your own home.

PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR A BROKEN FINGER

Given the importance of our fingers, proper rehabilitation is important to restore full function to the fingers. Your PT will avoid manipulating or stressing the broken finger until the fracture is healed in order to prevent disruption of the healing bone. During this time, your physical therapist may recommend the following interventions:

• If needed, strength training, stretching and range of motion of adjacent areas of the body such as the shoulder, wrist or elbow may be prescribed to prevent stiffness and atrophy while the hand is healing
• Education on the healing process of bones

• Stretching, joint mobilization and range of motion to improve the flexibility and mobility of the fingers, hand and wrist
• Soft tissue mobilization to address any adhesions or scar tissue in the area
• Strengthening, motor control and coordination training of the fingers, hand and wrist to allow you to grasp, hold and manipulate objects with the hand
• Sport and work specific training to help the injured hand return to higher impact and repetitive activities like throwing a ball, push ups, pull ups, factory work, carpentry and much more