Fingertip Injuries in Personal Injury

Fingertip and nail injuries are common in the general population, and more common in children, mechanics, carpenters and people who work in manual trades. The tip of the finger is extremely sensitive and when crushed or lacerated can be associated with an injury to the bone, nail bed or nail plate.

If appropriately treated, these injuries will often make a good recovery with the following caveats. Despite anatomical repair of the nailbed, the nail may grow with a bump, split or ridge. This will usually result in a cosmetic problem and very rarely a functional one. If there is any loss of bone at the tip of the finger, then the nail may hook over the edge of the finger. The shape or contour of the pulp may change permanently but usually without any functional deficit unless the finger is significantly shorter. The fingertip will often have abnormal sensation for up to a year with persistent redness or swelling for a similar period. Cold intolerance and hypersensitivity can last for between two and ten years after an injury, particularly worse in cold weather and may abate but may never completely disappear.

The nail takes nine months to take on a normal appearance, colour and shine. Various strategies can be used to take away the sensitivity at the tip of the finger and these include simple massage and desensitising by touching different surfaces. Very occasionally, a neuroma (nerve scar) can occur on the tip of the finger after an open injury. These can be challenging to treat and often respond very well to a course of hand therapy. Trying to excise or remove the neuroma can often move the problem to a different location more proximally up the limb and is not recommended unless it is a last resort.

Several problems can occur after a simple fingertip injury. If the patient has extended periods of immobilisation this can result in stiffness of the digit or the adjacent fingers and in the worst-case scenario this could be permanent in nature with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. Wounds with excess granulation may take a prolonged period to heal that occasionally needs surgical debridement. Finally, if there is a very small fracture in the tip of the finger, it may not heal and this may need excision once the soft tissues have settled. This is again a very rare occurrence as the majority of the fractures go on to a solid union.

With regards to occupation, the initial period after a fingertip injury can be challenging, as there is usually a dressing on the finger tip for a period between two and four weeks and the initial pain and occasionally sensitivity makes it difficult to grab and hold items. If the patient works in an area that involves adherence to strict health and safety rules, it is not appropriate to work. The other problem is that food preparation such as chopping and cutting, is often difficult due to sensitivity in the more commonly injured longer digits; i.e. the index and middle finger. Manual labourers usually need between 2 and 6 weeks off due to the need to prevent further injury. This means that patients often need assistance with these simple tasks, even though it is a minor injury, in the initial four to six weeks after the injury. It is usually possible to maintain personal hygiene with an isolated fingertip injury.

In summary, the majority of minor fingertip injuries make a very good recovery. However, the appearance of the skin and the nail can often be permanently changed because of the loss of a small amount of bone or soft tissue at the time of the injury. This is usually cosmetic in nature and has no functional implication.

Treatment options do exist to improve the cosmesis; however, this often involves a significant procedure, which could result in further sensitivity and stiffness in other fingers, and again is not routinely recommended.

Mr Horwitz sees between 10 and 15 such injuries for medico-legal purposes per year, both for the claimant and the defence. He sees approximately 55-75 of these injuries per year in the NHS.

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