Fingertip injuries are one of the more common injuries in the
hand. The fingertips are exposed in many of our activities.
Fingertip Injuries  What gets injured in a fingertip injury?
Injured components may include skin, bone, nail, nailbed,
tendon, and the pulp, the padded area of the fingertip (see
Figure 1). The skin on the palm side of our fingertips is
specialized in that it has many more nerve endings than most
other parts of our body. These nerve endings enable the fine
sensation we have in our fingertips, and they can also be
damaged. When this specialized skin is injured, exact
replacement may be difficult.  Fingertip Injuries; MassGeneral
Hand and Upper Extremity Service  Figure 1: Fingertip anatomy
How do they occur? Fingertip injuries are one of the more common
injuries in the hand. The fingertips are exposed in many of our
activities. They can be crushed, such as by a closing door, a
hammer, or a heavy object dropped onto the finger. They can be
cut with a knife or power tool, such as a saw, san