55-year-old woman with injury to her right finger

The patient, a 55-year-old woman, injured her right ring finger after missing a grab at her dog’s collar while the dog was running away. She complained of being unable to bend the end of the finger and pain in her palm. There was no numbness.

Notice the excessive extension of the distal phalanx at rest. Now consider the x-ray series.

After viewing the images taken, consider what your diagnosis would be.