Boutonnière deformity is a torn central slip at the middle knuckle. Caught early, it’s a splint holding the middle joint straight full time for about 6 weeks, plus fingertip exercises, with most people back to normal use by around 3 months.
Jersey finger is the deep flexor tendon torn off the bone at your fingertip, so the tip won’t bend on its own. It needs surgery, ideally within 7 to 10 days. The finger still working is why people wait, and why they lose the repair.
Back to full use, gym included, in 6 to 8 weeks. A hand therapist’s week-by-week trigger finger surgery recovery: the tender palm, morning stiffness, work and driving, and what changes if the finger was locked before surgery.
Golfer’s elbow is tendon overload at the inner elbow, and most cases settle within 6 to 12 months with a 3 to 6 month loading program. Inner elbow pain with ring and little finger tingling means the ulnar nerve is involved and needs checking.
Tennis elbow is tendon degeneration at the outer elbow, and most cases settle within 12 months. A 3 to 6 month graded loading program, not rest or injections, is what rebuilds the tendon and decides how fast you get there.
De Quervain’s tenosynovitis is thumb-side wrist pain from two tendons squeezed in their tunnel, worst when you lift thumbs-up. Splint early and change how you lift, and most settle in 4 to 6 weeks; injection and surgery are for the stubborn few.
Mallet finger is treated with a splint holding the fingertip straight 24/7 for 6 to 8 weeks, then at night for about 2 to 4 more. One bend restarts the clock. How to wear and change it, exercises, when surgery comes in, and what if it’s old.
Trigger finger is a tendon catching on a thickened pulley at the base of your finger. Caught at the click stage, most settle with a night splint and less gripping in 6 to 10 weeks; a finger that locks daily narrows the options toward injection or a short release surgery.