The coach's finger.

a painful, stiff and deformed finger which we have called &dquo;The Coach’s Finger&dquo;. We certainly agree that reduction should and must be accomplished early. We also agree that the athlete can usually return to the game after proper diagnosis and splinting. However, the problem becomes more complex when an inadequate diagnosis is made, no x-ray taken, and improper splinting employed. We are presenting 161 cases involving injuries to the middle joint of the finger in athletes who presented on the playing field