Phalanx Finger CRPP and Phalanx ORIF

Procedure allows a finger fracture to be realigned and stabilized with metal wires (aka “pins”) or internal hardware.

 

Closed reduction and percutaneous pinning of a finger (phalanx) fracture allows the fracture to be realigned and stabilized with metal wires (aka “pins”). This usually does not require any kind of incision, but there will be small poke holes where the wires were inserted. This is done in an operating room under sterile conditions and with live x-ray which will show your surgeon when the bones have been reduced to anatomic alignment in real time. The patient is generally immobilized for about four weeks (depending on the fracture). Once the fracture has healed, the pins are pulled out in the office. Hand therapy is usually a very important part of recovery to regain motion and normal hand function. In some cases, it takes several months for full motion to return.

Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of a phalanx fracture allows the fracture to be stabilized with internal hardware. This surgery is usually reserved for fractures that may be in many pieces, unstable and/or very displaced. This involves making an incision over the fracture and putting hardware over the bone to realign the fragments. This hardware is designed to be kept inside and does not need to be removed. The bone will still take four to six weeks to heal, but the hardware keeps everything aligned so that the bones heal in anatomic alignment. Although the patient may begin gentle motion earlier after an ORIF (vs. percutaneous pinning), formal hand therapy is still an important part of recovery.