Finger Sprain Surgery

Overview

If your thumb stretched beyond its limit, then you may have a sprained thumb. Usually, this occurs due to a strong force like falling on your hand. Finger sprain surgery can repair your damaged ligament and alleviate your pain.

How to Prepare for Surgery

You won’t be able to eat the day you have surgery. You should be able to continue drinking water as normal. Just avoid drinking other beverages, like soda, juice, or milk. We may also ask that you quit taking certain medications like aspirin or anti-inflammatory drugs a few days before surgery. Make sure we know what medications you take regularly.

Procedure

Finger sprain surgery may be suggested to you if you have additional conditions to the finger sprain like arthritis in your bones or joints. This surgery is an outpatient procedure with the use of general anesthesia which means you can return home once you wake up. There are two types of surgery we use for this condition:

  • Percutaneous Pinning. We use medical devices like pins and wire to structurally hold your finger in place.
  • Joint Fusion or Arthrodesis. Through this surgery, we will fuse two of your finger bones using screws, wires, and/or metal plates.

Depending on your injury during surgery, we may need to reattach torn ligaments and tendons, perform a joint reconstruction, or replacing a damaged joint with an artificial implant.

Recovery

After surgery, your hand will be bandaged and likely have a splint on the affected finger to avoid all movement. After a few weeks, your doctor will request to see you in a follow-up visit to ensure your wound is healing correctly and possibly remove your stitches. We may suggest occupational therapy depending on the severity of your injury.

Efficacy

Your surgeon repairs your ligaments allowing you to use your finger again pain-free. If you had arthritis in the joint, this surgery may have assisted in minimizing that pain as well.

Complications

Possible complications include infection, blood loss, and nerve damage as with any surgery.

Outlook

With proper care, you should have a full recovery and use of the injured finger.

Conditions