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By Brian Butzen MD The Basics Mallet finger is an injury to the tip of your finger that causes it to droop downward, making your finger look like a mallet. It happens when the extensor tendon at the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint is damaged—either the tendon itself ruptures, or a small piece of bone gets pulled off where the tendon attaches (called an avulsion fracture). The result? You can't actively straighten your fingertip on your own, leading to a characteristic droo