Trigger Finger

What is it?

Trigger finger is where there is a thickening on or around the tendon, which catches on a pulley at the base of the finger or thumb. When you bend your finger down it gets locked in a bent position and is often difficult or painful to fully straighten it. You can often feel a small lump in the palm of the hand.

A steroid injection around the tendon can help the swelling settle down and allow the tendon to glide freely. The injection takes time to work and may take up to 6 weeks to resolve the problem. Recurrence of symptoms is more common in patients with diabetes.

Treatment: Trigger finger release

If the injections have not worked then surgery is considered, this is carried out as a day case procedure with a local anaesthetic. A small incision is made in the palm and the tendon pulley is released so that the tendon can run freely. The hand is bandaged with the fingers freely moving. The bandage can be removed at 5 days.