Finger Surgery Cost

The bones of the hand are small, but a finger fracture is not a minor injury. The bones of the hand align precisely and allow you to do various things, such as holding a pen in your hand. Thus, fracturing a finger can prevent you from using your whole hand. Untreated, a broken finger may remain stiff. Your doctor will tell you when it is absolutely necessary to go through a finger surgery.

How much does a finger surgery cost?

The amount of money you are going to spend on a finger surgery will greatly depend on the situation. For example, you should expect to spend around $1,300 or less, including the facility, x-ray, and doctor’s examination fees, for a simple fracture or a dislocated finger, that usually does not require “surgery”. For instance, just for the finger x-ray, you will have to pay around $260.

Depending on the surgeon performing the procedure and the hospital, you will have to pay anywhere between $4,700 and $13,500 for a finger surgery. For example, the cost of trigger finger surgery is anywhere between $3,200 and $5,800. This surgery is also known as tensing tenosynovitis and is a condition where the finger gets stuck in a bent position.

You might also like our articles on the cost of prosthetic fingers, hammertoe surgery, or toe shortening surgery.

According to the Pricing Health Care website, the average cost of a tendon repair is around $3,400, while for a fracture with one or two pins you will have to pay around $3,700.

Finger surgery details

The majority of the finger surgeries are performed in an outpatient center and no overnight stay will be required.

If the finger is dislocated, the doctor will use a local anesthetic to easily manipulate the finger and align the joints. After which he will apply a splint. This surgery is only done in an outpatient center.

On the other hand, if the finger is fractured, the surgeon will insert screws or pins to hold the bones in place while the finger heals. General anesthesia may be necessary, depending on the gravity of the problem.

Types of finger pain

The pain appears even at the properly-healed fractures usually when the hand performs heavy work or during cold weather.

The delayed union appears when a fracture recovery takes longer than expected.

The stiffness appears as a result of the fracture itself and the splinting. Though, this pain may be alleviated through physiotherapy.

The malunion is the result of healing done in a poor or wrong position. Further surgery may be required if the pain persists and affects the hand function.

The infection known in medicine as osteomyelitis may be really hard to treat and if it gets worse, the finger may have to be amputated.

The non-union refers to the fractures that fail to heal even after the expected period. In this situation, the finger may have to go through extra procedures.

What are the extra costs?

There are situations when anesthesia will be required during the surgery and this is charged separately from other hospital bills. Plan on spending around $1,550 or even more for anesthesia.

In general doctors’ offices try to put all the costs on a single bill, but do not be surprised to see other bills in your mail like the surgeon’s bill, prescriptions, x-rays, and hospital stay.

In case of an emergency, when the surgery is performed in an emergency room you will have to spend thousands of dollars.

Important things to consider

After the procedure, you should be able to move your finger immediately. Dressings can usually be removed after a few days to make the movement easier, and complete movement should return within 2 weeks.

If you have had open surgery, your palm may feel sore immediately after the procedure, but any discomfort should go away within 2 weeks.

Although less common, bleeding, sensitivity, or poor healing of the area may occur postoperatively. After the operation and if necessary, the patient’s finger will be fixed on a splint. At the interval indicated by the surgeon, he will start doing physical therapy exercises to restore the functions of the finger. It is very important that the doctor’s instructions are strictly followed, otherwise, there is a risk of injury.

The faster the intervention is performed, the better the results. Postponing the finger surgery decreases the chances of restoring the original functions, sometimes leading to tendon degradation until complete rupture if the lesion is old.

How can I save money?

If you have health insurance, make sure you call the company and ask about what costs are covered and what you will have to pay for.

In case you don’t have health insurance, but you are able to pay the whole sum of money in cash, you may be able to save up to 50% of the total bill.

In case the surgery is not urgent, try to call some clinics and hospitals to ask about the costs. In the end, choose the offer which is the most advantageous for you.