# Pinkie finger is always bent



## tylerdylan (Aug 29, 2007)

We just recently noticed that our 2 year old son's pinkie finger is always bent (towards his palm). We can straighten it and it doesn't cause him any pain, but in a relaxed position when the rest of his fingers are straight that one is always bent. I had him grip my finger and he can do that just fine so the finger seems to have the proper strength and motion. Does anybody else have this? What causes it? We figure it has likely been like that since birth and we didn't notice till now...


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## askew (Jun 15, 2006)

Mine do that too. It is just my relaxed state, I can certainly straighten them if I want. I don't think it is anything to worry about.


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## tylerdylan (Aug 29, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *angelika13* 
Mine do that too. It is just my relaxed state, I can certainly straighten them if I want. I don't think it is anything to worry about.


Just your pinkies or all your fingers???


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## sbgrace (Sep 22, 2004)

He can straighten it just with will power or by physically bending it? Both pinky's?
My son has crooked pinky fingers on both sides. It is very obvious now. But I never noticed it when he was a baby..not until he was about two. One day I was cutting his nails and thought oh my he broke his pinky...until I saw the other one!
The orthopedist told me that he always had it but it became more obvious over time because as the fingers grow the growth plates, which are placed in the wrong place so not directly under the joint but partly to the side, push the finger the wrong way--sort of crooked instead of up. Turns out this is usually inherited and the gene for this is an autosomal dominant. So when it is in the family (either parent) all the kids get it to some degree. It is usually mild. Turns out my pinky fingers are slightly bent but it is so subtle I never noticed it. My son's brother is the same way and so mild you wouldn't even notice. I had no clue but all my siblings and my dad have it too! My sister's pinky fingers are more dramatic like my son's are so she was aware but I certainly wasn't.
Do either you or his dad have slightly bent pinky fingers? If so do a search for clinodactyly.


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## incorrigible (Jun 3, 2007)

all the females in my family have this, and the males have double jointed fingers. I had totally forgotten about that until ds was showing me what he could do with his hands ... *shivers* eeeeewwwwwww .... since I never see any of the male members of my family. lol Mine is kind of annoying since my pinkies angle into my ring fingers when I make a fist, and want to overlap slightly. I still function perfectly fine, but combined with a sensitivity disorder that just drives me nuts. lol No one else in my family has any problems with their bent pinkies though.


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## tylerdylan (Aug 29, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sbgrace* 
He can straighten it just with will power or by physically bending it? Both pinky's?
My son has crooked pinky fingers on both sides. It is very obvious now. But I never noticed it when he was a baby..not until he was about two. One day I was cutting his nails and thought oh my he broke his pinky...until I saw the other one!
The orthopedist told me that he always had it but it became more obvious over time because as the fingers grow the growth plates, which are placed in the wrong place so not directly under the joint but partly to the side, push the finger the wrong way--sort of crooked instead of up. Turns out this is usually inherited and the gene for this is an autosomal dominant. So when it is in the family (either parent) all the kids get it to some degree. It is usually mild. Turns out my pinky fingers are slightly bent but it is so subtle I never noticed it. My son's brother is the same way and so mild you wouldn't even notice. I had no clue but all my siblings and my dad have it too! My sister's pinky fingers are more dramatic like my son's are so she was aware but I certainly wasn't.
Do either you or his dad have slightly bent pinky fingers? If so do a search for clinodactyly.

It is just one pinky, the other is fine. He can almost straighten it just by trying (when I ask him to), but not quite. I can force it straight if I try. My pinkies look fine, but I will check my husband's when he gets home. Which way do your son's bend sideways or down?


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## MissAnnThrope (Aug 14, 2006)

One of my pinkies is not straight. It is because their isn't enough skin I can't even force it straight. I didn't notice it until 8th grade. It is like the webbing goes all the way up to the middle knuckle.


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## sbgrace (Sep 22, 2004)

My son's is sideways. http://nslog.com/2006/08/10/my_bent_pinky_fingers Like this except my son's is much more bent. If it is bent downward that is different.


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## lindberg99 (Apr 23, 2003)

I think I remember learning about a bent pinky finger trait in genetics class.


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## sbgrace (Sep 22, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lindberg99* 
I think I remember learning about a bent pinky finger trait in genetics class.

You did; you learned about what I'm mentioning because it is was of the few autosomal dominant traits where you always pass it on and it always presents in offspring.
But OP I don't think that is it if it is in only one finger and also I checked...my son cannot straighten his.


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## incorrigible (Jun 3, 2007)

Looking back, I think I might have misread. His finger bends down, right? Our fingers bend sideways. Sorry if I added any confusion to the issue. lol I had no idea there was such variety in pinkies, though. I'm







: with this thread.







:


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## tylerdylan (Aug 29, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *incorrigible* 
Looking back, I think I might have misread. His finger bends down, right? Our fingers bend sideways. Sorry if I added any confusion to the issue. lol I had no idea there was such variety in pinkies, though. I'm







: with this thread.







:

yeah - it bends down towards his palm. we never noticed because who walks around with straight fingers, but I was tracing his handprint the other day and noticed every time I did (about 30 times by the end) that his pinkie on one hand was always bent. he says it doesn't hurt. He has health problems too and I am wondering if it is part of a syndrome (since no one can figure out what is wrong with him), but it seems everyone here is talking about crooked fingers not bent down fingers...hmmm. and I can't find anything on the internet so far...


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