Despite their critical role in almost any daily task, fingers are easy to overlook, until they get injured. Unfortunately, athletes are prone to a number of painful finger injuries that can impact their ability to play the sport they love. The good news? Physical therapy can often help them to recover the use of their fingers. Here is a look at some of the most common finger injuries in athletes, and how physical therapy can help them recover.

Mallet Finger Injury

The mallet finger injury is actually an injury to the terminal tendon near the tip of the finger. When torn, this tendon causes the tip of the finger to droop.

This type of injury tends to heal easily, and does not often require intervention from a physical therapist. Instead, the joint is splinted for about 6 weeks (and sometimes splinted at night a little longer) in order to give it a chance to heal.

Boutonniere Deformity

The Boutonniere Deformity is a common athletic injury that occurs when the tendon over the finger’s middle joint tears, often as the result of an impact from a ball during a game or practice. This injury typically leads to a secondary injury of the lateral bands that support the tendon.

The Boutonniere Deformity typically prevents the straightening of the middle joint of the finger and causes the joint to become deformed. As a result, athletes may struggle to play successfully until the injury has been appropriately addressed.

The first step of treatment is to straighten the joint, if possible, and splint it. A physical therapist then develops exercises for the tip of the finger to be completed several times a day. These exercises help to heal the lateral bands.

Once the splint is removed after about 6 weeks, the physical therapist can also assist the patient with exercises that help loosen any residual stiffness.

Skier’s Thumb

If the thumb is bent backward during a fall and the ligament at the thumb’s base tears, the injury is referred to as skier’s thumb, or Gate Keeper’s Thumb. This injury can also include a dislocation of the thumb.

Basic first aid can alleviate some of the discomfort of skier’s thumb, but a physical therapist can also help restore the thumb to its normal function and facilitate healing. The PT will usually implement a tailored exercise regimen that includes at-home exercises to support the healing of the thumb.

Volar Plate Injury

A volar plate injury occurs when the volar plate of the middle joint tears after the joint is dislocated. This tear leaves the joint susceptible to repeat dislocations and must be repaired in order for the joint to remain in its proper position.

Treating this type of injury requires the joint to be splinted in order to prevent overextension, while maintaining the mobility of the finger itself.

A physical therapist (Usually a specialized hand therapist) will then create a regimen of exercises to help the finger and the joint heal appropriately. When surgery is required to repair this injury, physical therapy can also provide a way for the patient to regain full use of the finger in order to pursue their preferred sport again.

Jammed Finger

Anytime the ligaments in any of the finger’s joints are sprained, the finger is said to be jammed. This injury usually occurs due to forceful contact with a ball, giving this injury the nickname Basketball Finger.

The Boutonniere Deformity is a severe type of jammed finger. However, even less severe injuries of this type should be treated by a professional in order to prevent pain, swelling, and other discomfort that can take a long time to dissipate.

A physical therapist can provide treatment and support for this injury by implementing a series of exercises designed to strengthen the finger over time.

Finger injuries are common among athletes, but they are also very treatable. With tailored physical therapy, such as that provided by XO Physical Therapy, you can regain function in your finger and get back to playing your favorite sport.

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High-performance athletes rely on recovery to get them back to peak physical health after a workout or competition. Recovery refers to the technique (Or set of techniques) that athletes adopt to help restore their physical strength and ability after performing. While not every recovery technique is equally effective, there are 5 strategies that have the potential to quickly improve athletes’ health and strength, when implemented correctly.

1. Massage

Sports massage refers to a number of massage techniques that can be used together to achieve the following benefits for an athlete after performance:

• Relieve muscle stiffness
• Prevent delayed onset muscle stiffness
• Improve muscle and ligament healing
• Reduce swelling
• Improve range of motion in the joints

In addition, massage can have a positive psychological effect upon athletes, helping them to put aside post-performance anxiety and experience a sense of calm.

Massage by itself does not appear to significantly improve athletic performance, but neither does it detract from it, while massage’s other benefits can put athletes in a better physical and psychological position to succeed at their subsequent athletic endeavors.

2. Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy refers to the practice of immersing the athlete in water after performance as a way of encouraging healing and restoration in their muscles. Hydrotherapy can take three primary forms:

• Cold water immersion (CWI)
• Hot water immersion (HWI)
• Contrast water therapy (CWT) in which hot and cold water are alternated

Hydrotherapy can be an effective recovery technique for high-performance athletes, particularly when CWI and CWT were used. Some studies have shown improved performance after these forms of hydrotherapy, indicating improved recovery for each athlete.

3. Active Recovery

While it may seem counterintuitive, active exercise after athletic performance can contribute significantly to an athlete’s recovery.

Active recovery refers to the use of aerobic exercise such as cycling, swimming, or jogging to encourage the reduction of lactate and the increase of blood flow through affected muscles. This is the most popular form of recovery among high-performance athletes.

Studies on active recovery show that this approach significantly reduces the levels of lactate in the muscles of the body. In addition, a few, though not the majority, of studies show improved athletic performance after active recovery.

4. Compression

Compression recovery refers to the use of compression garments that apply pressure on the limbs. Compression is thought to prevent swelling, regulate blood flow, and stabilize the muscles in the body.

Studies have shown that compression clothing can provide a number of benefits to performance athletes, including the following:

• Reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)
• Improved athletic performance
• Improved perception of comfort

5. Stretching

Stretching is another common recovery technique for high-performance athletes. Typically, recovery stretching involves lengthening select muscles for short periods of time after an athletic performance, often for around 10 minutes.

While more popular than cold water immersion for recovery, stretching does not appear to have as much of an effect on an athlete’s feeling that they have recovered or on their actual performance. However, there have been no negative effects reported from stretching, making it a relatively safe recovery technique for athletes who prefer it.

When it comes to choosing a recovery regimen, athletes often have to try different approaches to identify the one that delivers the best healing and performance for their individual body. Sometimes, a combination of recovery techniques delivers the best results for athletes, so trial and error is often necessary.

Here at XO Physical Therapy, it is our privilege, and our goal, to assist athletes in their recoveries, both from injury and from the normal strain that comes from high-performance activities. Our skilled therapists can help you come up with exercise regimens, recovery protocols, and more to achieve and maintain the high-performance life you crave.

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