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# Volar plates (fingers)

The volar plates of the fingers are thick pads on the palm side of the finger joints; they stop the joints bending backward.

Official name: Volar (palmar) plates of the interphalangeal joints

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## What it is

Thick pads on the palm side of the finger joints.

## What it does

Stop the finger joints bending backward.

## Key points

- At the PIP joint the plate is thick and firmly fixed distally to the base of the middle phalanx, thin proximally where check-rein ligaments tether it to the proximal phalanx
- Hyperextension tears it from the middle phalanx, often with a small bony flake; large fragments (often quoted as over 40% of the joint surface) make a dorsal fracture-dislocation unstable
- A lax PIP plate lets the joint hyperextend; the lateral bands then slip dorsally and the DIP joint falls into flexion, giving the swan-neck pattern
- Scarred check-rein ligaments cause a fixed PIP flexion contracture with a normal DIP joint (pseudo-boutonnière)

## Key facts

**Attaches**
Base of the middle/distal phalanx, anchored proximally by check-rein ligaments

**Function**
Prevent hyperextension of the finger joints

**Tight in**
Extension: splint PIP joints straight

## Relations

**In front**
Flexor tendon sheath: the A3 pulley over the PIP plate and A5 over the DIP plate, with the [FDS tendons](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/flexor-digitorum-superficialis-tendons/) and [FDP tendons](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/flexor-digitorum-profundus-tendons/)

**Behind**
Joint space and the head of the proximal or middle phalanx

**Lateral**
Accessory collateral ligaments inserting along its edges; the [digital nerves](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/palmar-digital-nerves/) and [digital arteries](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/palmar-digital-arteries/) further out

## How to find it

Not felt directly; it lies under the palmar PIP crease, deep to the flexor tendons. After a hyperextension injury, tenderness is greatest over the front of the joint and at the base of the middle phalanx rather than on its sides.

## Examination

- Hyperextension stress of the PIP joint: pain and more hyperextension than in the other fingers suggest a volar plate tear
- Active range after a digital block: smooth, congruent movement means a stable injury; redisplacement as the finger extends means instability

## On imaging

A true lateral of the single finger shows a small fragment at the palmar base of the middle phalanx and the V sign: a V-shaped gap at the back of the joint instead of parallel surfaces, which signals dorsal subluxation.

## Common problems

- Jammed finger: the middle (PIP) joint is bent backward and the volar plate tears, sometimes with a small bone chip.
- Swan-neck deformity can follow a loose volar plate; a stiff, swollen joint is common for months.

## How it is diagnosed

Exam of tenderness and stability; X-rays look for a fragment and for joint alignment.

## Treatment

- Buddy taping or a splint that blocks straightening, then early motion.
- Surgery for large fractures or an unstable joint.

## Clinical notes

- PIP dorsal dislocation, the commonest finger dislocation, tears the volar plate
- Unstable dorsal fracture-dislocations may be managed with extension-block splinting, fixation, volar plate arthroplasty or hemi- [hamate](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/hamate/) grafting

## Related conditions

- [Mallet finger](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/mallet-finger/)

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## How is the PIP volar plate attached?

Thick and firmly fixed distally to the base of the middle phalanx; thin proximally, where check-rein ligaments tether it.

## Which common finger dislocation tears the PIP volar plate?

The PIP dorsal dislocation, the commonest finger dislocation, usually from hyperextension.

## What deformity can a lax PIP volar plate produce?

Swan-neck: the PIP hyperextends, the lateral bands slip dorsally and the DIP falls into flexion.

## What is a pseudo-boutonnière deformity?

A fixed PIP flexion contracture from scarred check-rein ligaments of the volar plate, with a normal DIP joint.

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Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.

## Its names

**Official Latin (TA2)**
ligamenta interphalangea palmaria TA2 1844

**Official Spanish (DeCS)**
Ligamentos palmares interfalángicos

**English (TA2)**
Volar (palmar) plates of the interphalangeal joints

**Also called**
volar plate · palmar plate · Palmar interphalangeal ligaments

## Related

- [Finger collateral ligaments](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/collateral-ligaments-of-the-finger-joints/)
- [Distal phalanx, thumb](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/distal-phalanx-of-the-thumb/)
- [Distal phalanx, index finger](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/distal-phalanx-of-the-index-finger/)
- [Distal phalanx, middle finger](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/distal-phalanx-of-the-middle-finger/)
- [Distal phalanx, ring finger](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/distal-phalanx-of-the-ring-finger/)
- [Distal phalanx, little finger](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/distal-phalanx-of-the-little-finger/)
- [Middle phalanx, index finger](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/middle-phalanx-of-the-index-finger/)
- [Middle phalanx, middle finger](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/middle-phalanx-of-the-middle-finger/)

Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); [Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Metacarpophalangeal Joints](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538428/).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/volar-plates-of-the-interphalangeal-joints/