How to Tackle the Injuries to the Fingertips

The fingertips are the most distal region of the finger, and it is responsible for transmitting touch and sensory information to the brain from the finger. If you’re talking about the thumb, it’s the region of your finger distal to the insertion of the flexor digitorum superficialis and extensor tendons on the distal phalanx, or the interphalangeal joint, depending on how you’re looking at it physically. The purpose of this activity is to review the causes and presentation of fingertip injuries and the role of the interprofessional team in their management.

Fingertips the Distal Most Part

The fingertips are the distalmost part of the finger and transmits touch and sensory information to the brain. If you’re referring to the thumb, it’s the area distal to the insertion of the flexor digitorum superficialis and extensor tendons on the distal phalanx or the interphalangeal joint. The digital arteries and nerves that supply the fingertip trifurcate around the distal interphalangeal joint yt5s.

Specialized sensory Pacinian, Meissner, and Merkel cells supply the volar pulp with information about touch and feel sensations in a finely differentiated fashion. Fingerprints on the volar surface are composed of a pattern generated by grooves and ridges unique to the individual who made them. The dorsal surface comprises three parts: the nail fold, the nail bed, and the tingling in fingertips 

Descriptors Include Soft Tissue

Depending on how close the dorsal surface is to the nail, further descriptors include eponychium soft tissue immediately adjacent to the nail, paronychium lateral nail folds, and hyponychium. The hyponychium is a plug of keratinous substance located beneath the distal border of the nail, where the nail bed meets the skin and is responsible for the appearance of the nail.

Fingertips the Most Common Injuries

Hand injuries involving trauma to the fingertips are the most common hand injuries. Every year, it is expected that several million visits to primary care providers and the emergency department occur. According to the CDC, injury to the fingers accounts for over half of all non-workplace injuries.Pain, inability to use the affected digit and bleeding are the most common symptoms reported by patients. 

Population characteristics (age, gender, occupation, and drug, cigarette, and alcohol use) and hand dominance, involved digit, method of injury, and any past medical or surgical disorders are all important factors to consider. The physical examination should be performed in a controlled environment with appropriate illumination to visualize the injury and provide an accurate assessment based on the history. Lacerations, closed or open fractures, and amputations at the tip of the finger are all possible findings.

Diligent Follow Up

Most people recover from injuries to the fingertips within a few weeks of receiving treatment and maintaining diligent follow-up with their doctors. Patient education should include information on how to avoid future or new digit injuries and information on possible outcomes dependent on the degree of the injury. Additional consequences can include a reduction in the function of the affected finger as a result of stiffness and persistent discomfort or numbness in the affected finger.

Final Verdict

Fingertips injury can affect both function and appearance. Interprofessional treatment of fingertip injuries reduces morbidity. Since most fingertip injuries present to the ED, the triage nurse should be aware of the significance of early referral to a hand surgeon for reimplantation. While most injuries can be treated in the ER, others may require a referral to plastic or orthopedic Maintain as much of the finger as possible. Regaining finger function, strength, and fire in his fingertips sensibility is common after an injury is corrected. Protect the finger tips during the healing process, taking weeks or months.