Extensor Tendon Injury

Injuries to the extensor tendons of the hand are responsible for large numbers of permanent partial disabilities.

Functional limitations resulting from these injuries are often very serious and extensor tendon injuries require careful management plan.
 

Partial extensor tendon injuries that are <50% of the tendon width are usually managed non-operatively

The description of extensor injuries is based on 8 zones for the hand and 5 for the thumb. The odd-number zones lie over joints and the even number zones lie over bones. The classification is important because the parthenogenesis, mechanisms of injury, repair strategies, and rehabilitative programs are based on the level of the injury.

Zone V injuries are commonly associated with sharp penetrating injuries to the MP joints from a fight bite type mechanism (Moran, 1986; Chung, 2009).