Combined Central Slip and Volar Plate Avulsion Fractures: A Rare Case With Nonsurgical Recovery

The coexistence of central slip and volar plate avulsion fractures in the same digit is uncommon and has been described primarily in isolated case reports, and current management approaches are derived mainly from isolated case reports rather than established guidelines.1,2 We report a case of a 26-year-old right-handed man who presented 45 days after finger trauma sustained during basketball. Clinical and radiographic evaluation demonstrated concurrent dorsal (central slip) and volar (volar plate) avulsion fractures at the proximal interphalangeal joint without instability or dislocation. The patient was treated conservatively with staged splinting and early controlled mobilization. Despite persistent radiographic fracture gaps at follow-up, the patient achieved full, pain-free range of motion without functional limitation at 6 months. This case highlights that even with delayed diagnosis, nonsurgical management can result in excellent functional outcomes when joint stability is preserved, and radiographic findings do not necessarily correlate with clinical recovery.