Dr. Steven Rueda is one of the most sought after doctors for fingertip injuries and nailbed injuries in Palm Beach. Healthy fingertips are vital for dexterity and sensation of the fingers. The fingertip has many structures on it including skin, nail, tendons, bone, arteries, and nerves. Injury to the fingertip can harm any of the previously mentioned structures and needs diligent repair to recover function.

WHAT CAUSES FINGERTIP INJURIES AND NAIL INJURIES?
Fingertip injuries are usually the result of trauma. Most of this trauma happens because the fingertip is vulnerable and due to its small size gets trapped in between doors, closures, windows, and power tools. In rare cases fingertip injuries are a result of surgery to remove cancer or masses.
FINGERTIP INJURIES AND NAIL INJURIES PROCEDURE
Procedures for fingertip reconstruction are very variable and depend on the areas injured (nail, tendons, bone, etc.) and the tissue available to rebuild a new finger. The treatment options are more complex and include closures with sutures, bone debridement, use of grafts to rebuild the nailbed, tendon repairs, and flaps to rebuild the padding of the fingertip. In most cases patients, specially for those who have no nail or bone injury, performing simple dressing changes allows the fingertip to heal on its own in 2-6 weeks. Dr. Rueda prefers to discuss treatment options including incisions, location, and types of repair during the office visit.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
For injuries that were sharp and had small or no tissue loss, the fingertip can look the same as before the injury. When the injury results from crush or has substantial tissue injury the fingertip will not look the same as before. However, most patients are pleased to have been able to retain their finger and not require an amputation.
Yes! These procedures are done usually 6-12 months after the injury and attempt to remove the scar tissue that leads the nail to split. Nail grooves are more difficult to correct and the options are limited.