Stress fracture of the finger in a bowler.

A 28-year-old semiprofessional bowler was seen initially with pain in the right ring finger that was aggravated by bowling and relieved by rest. He had localized tenderness of the middle phalanx; x-ray films revealed a stress fracture. The fracture healed with restriction of activity and he was able to gradually resume bowling. Although rare, stress fracture should be considered in the differential diagnosis of finger pain in a patient with a history of overuse.